The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-08
Convict Labor


 Mr Harrison said the company agreed to take the conyiots. old or young aud black or white, and work them. Attorney Reed, for the steel corporation. reiterated his statement that no state eonvicts were now being worked in Alabama by the cor pora tion.
 Chairman Stanley replied that the con- pany officials would be called to testify to that MT. Harrison said that the war dens of convicts are employed by the steel company He said he had seen prisoner fogged with three ply leather strap and had seen black and blue marks on the back of one convict. Failure 10 do the required task was punishable ny fiogging. solitary confinement, and ny other methods. he testified.
 "Flogged with thong big as wagon trace or tug?9 asked MT. Stanley.
 "By strap five feet long," MT. Harri- son replied
 whats the usual punishment"
 'Fifteen lashes.
 Representative Bartlett of Georgia, member of the committee, observed that the whole system of convict labor was wrong.
 T don't think there is any difference in the committee as to that" added Repre- sentative Gardner Of Massachusetts.
 No diffeernce of opinion as to that with us" interposed Attorney Reed for the steel corporation. "and we are get ting out of it as soon as possible"
 Talked With Crawford
 Have you ever talked this over with company officials?" Chairman Stanley in quired.
 'Yes,p said Harrison, "I talked to the president of the Tennessee Coal and Iron company. He said he thought convict labor blocked unionism. He was frank enough to say, though, that it was club the companies should not have.
 "A number of men have told me that 1t drove unions from the Birmingham district and convict labor was employed in the strike of l90@.''
 In speaking of the arrests for minor offenses Harrison saida The ability of Jefferson county's sheriff is positively uncanny, compared with the success of the average policeman. have heard that decoys are used by the officers to start craps games
 Touches Sheriff
 "I do know that on one Sunday last May in Jefferson county 0 craps shooters were arrested and the free labor force was distributed. The sheriff's fees are enormous.
 Men familiar with the undercurrents of politics in Birmingham told me that the sheriff of Jefferson county makes from $50 OOo to $s0,010 a year
 In 1910 the sheriff was paid s22,S70 for food I estimate two-thirds of this as proht as the state allows about 60 cents her day for each prisoners food and the state inspector estimates that it costs only from to cents day.
 Advantages of Convict Labor
 When asked what advantage convict labor is regarded as having over free labor. Harrison said:
 Machine mining has equalized the .inexperience of eonvicts. State convicts are obtained for at least the same or perhaps at slightly less cost than free labor. County convicts are obtained from to 10 per cent less, and in any event the saving is considerable.
 .'Convict labor is regular and can be relied upon from day to day When the conpa nies are working negro labor, for instance. they have to keep from o0 10 75 per cent more men on the pay roll than they really need in orter to insure sufficient number of workmen in the
 CONTINUED ON FACE H.