Norwich bulletin., 1913-06-18
BET TTERMENT OF JAIL CONDITIONS
Vote Taken by Norwich Business Mems Association After Address by Dr. D. E. Croft of New Haven-Chair In- dustry Looking For Location Here.

The Norwich Business Mems asso- citation held a well attended open meeting Tuesday evening in the Buck 1ngham Memorial with an address on the Contract System of Prison Labor by Dr. Delmer Eugene Croft of New Haven as the principal feature There was a short business session, and at the close of the meeting a lunch was served It was voted to institute a movement for the betterment of local jail conditions as g. result of Dr. Croft's address.
 President Frank H. Smith presided, and the minutes of tho last meeting were read by Secretary C. w. Pearson, who also reported for the board of di- 1 rectors, saying that the board had held ten meetings since last November and that 15 new members had been added to the roll. H. R. Branche re- ported for the new industries commit tee that the committee was in com munication with a chair industry which wished to locate in Norwich. provided a suitable factory building could be secured. No definite an- nouncement could be made as yet
 Developing Eastern Connecticut. Mir. Pearson reported for the com n1ittee on the development of eastern Connecticut, and said that the matter of the proposed Versailles cut off had been taken up with President Mellen of the New Haven road He also re- ported that the committee was plan ming to issue a pamphlet containing a tabulation of the available factory sites, farm properties and summer re- sorts in eastern Connecticut.
 The report of the treasurer was read by MT. Pearson, who reported ex- penses of $442.97 and a present bal anee of $103.6S. besides a profit of $10 which will be realized on the Rose of New England gurnmed seals.
 Convict Contract Labor.
 President Smith presented Dr. Croft, who held the close attention of his audience for an hour. His subject, he said-Convict Contract I.abor-was one of vital importance, which should attract the attention of all business men as it was vitally a business mems problem. It has been too longSa journ- alistic or political problem, when in reality it is not that at all, but a prob lem to be settled by the cool reasoning of practical business men. In our state of Connecticut is a situation we'll wor- thy of consideration and immediate action. I can make but suggestions, and hope to lead you to make inqutr- ies for yourselves. As people gazed at the old prison ship Success, anchor ed in New Haven harbor they won dered at the cruelty of punishment of other days, but how far removed are we with our present system of convict contract labor. We do not know why we are contented with 1t here when the other states are so far ahead of us.
 A Form of Slavery. National authorities upon prison la bor pronounce the convict contract system a form of slavery, because 1t compels men to labor for private gain without wages. Such authorities declare the contract system a menace to free labor, unjust in competition, demoral- izing to prison discipline and vicious in it's influence upon the prisoners. They further observe that the contract system is devoid of every reformative element jeopardtzes the prisoners health. degrades prison life by asso- ciating of young and more innocent prisoners with hardened criminals, ex- ploits the prisoner for private gain and fails in it's financial returns to the state
 Lastly they ascribe to the lease and contract systems the well founded public suspicion that through the in fuence of large vested interests and political rnisrule. unjust and long term sentences are imposed. and an unwar- ranted number of convictions are made.
 Why are the terms, conditions, dura- tion and complete information of the contracts refused to the taxpayers of the state?
 Second. why is this discredited con tract system upheld and jealously guarded by your prison board. when it has been abolished in other states labor have been proved beyond ques- tion economical to the state and re- formative to the prisoners?
 Third by what code of human jus tice do you reconcile with the princf- pies of a free democracy the selling by the state of human labor at slaves pittance to a contractor who cares nothing for the prisoner but the money he makes out of him?
 Fourth, why does your prison board stubbornly resist~any adoption of any of the systems of convict labor which Ohio, Michigan, Oregon and other states have found to lessen the num- Der of convictions, give diversity of employment improve the health of the prisoners, ,uplift their moral nature, and greatly reduce the burden upon the taxpayers2
 Fifth, why do you claim that the convict contract 'systo does not in- 1ure competition when there is posi- tive evidence submitted covering three closely typewriter sheets of the names of firms who are patrons of our prison products?
 SlXl1, why OO the In9npSfS OI Cn0 Sterling Alliance and Charter Oak companies pose as philanthropists and distribute prison literature, then fight like demons to hold every pris- on possible in the bondage of this slavish system?
 Seventh, in view of your heart breaking anxiety for solution of our convict labor system, what sen sible and honest objection have you that the inmates of our prisons should not build our state roads, do the state printing, and furnish products for our state institutions?
 Eighth. will you prove by facts that the present contract system Is not unwair to free labor, unjust to the prisoner, 8 financial loss to the state and a burden to the taypayer2
 Ninth, if the state of Rhode Island had public conscience enough, and it's prison board moral courage enough, to vacate it's contracts and to kick the Sterling Alliance company out of the state. wf1ot Is the influence that is giving it such assiduous protection in Connecticut?
 Tenth, under the contract system,