Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-09-03
THE CHAIR CONTRACT.

A private chair manufa curing com
pany holds a contract with the stat,
for the employment of the prison la
Dor at Fort Madison. BY the terms O.
this contract the company has work
shop furnished on the prison ground:
by the state. This shop is lighted
heated and janitored by the state, thu
employees are fed by the state. anc
/ medical attendance and hospital facili'
ties are afforded by the state. For al
of these advantages the chair manu-
facturers pay the state for the work OF
the men they accept the sum of 81
cents day.
This contract is about to expire, ant
while the benefciaries Of it are
prompted to assure the public that
they are not especially interested, they
are making strenuous efforts to have II
renewed before the meeting of the nexl
legislature at which time 1t is con-
fidently expected that contract prison
ID Dor will be once for all abolished III
Iowa.
What the last legislature had in
mind to do may be judged from the
provision incorporated in the law for
the employment; &c prisoners CT the
public highways. such labor shall no,
be leased to contractors" But for
some reason, in the general debate over
prison reform. a specific declaration
against ali contract labor was lost
sight of until il was too late.
There is nothing 10 prevent the state
board of control from renewing the
chair contract. The state has chair
factory fully equipped on its hands
There are q number of men al Fort
Madison who could command the high
est wages in any private employment
1t would be a misfortune on many
accounts to have an industry already
built up, and capable of so much
good TO thep risoners. wholly aban-
doned 1t is iii this situation that The
Register and Leader wishes TO offer a
suggestion to the state board.
Why should not the state take over
the chair making business on its own
account and, instead of manufacturing
furniture for the public market, as Is
now being done, the profit going wholly
to private contractors. manufacture
furniture for the public buildings OF
the state, the profit being fairly divided
between the men who do the work and
the state itself?
Between the state buildings, the
court houses, the public school build
ings. the jaiIs and the penitentiaries
the demand for. such furnishings as
could readily be made at Fort Madison
would far outrun any possible capacity
Of the state TO meet There could be
no objection on the part Of private
manufacturers. for under the contract
system the output of the prisons has
been thrown on the market for many
years. and state manufacture for state
use would not introduce a new e:e-
ment OF competition.
Under state control this chair fac
tory, instead of being as il is now UNI
fair to the prisoner and unfair to the
state. the relic of a past era could be
made to contribute enormously 20 the
rehabilitation Of the self respect of the
men in confinement. and they could be
made self-supporting and care takers
for their families at the very time they
were making the prison itself self
supporting institution and removing
a burden from the shoulders of the
thrifty and industrious taxpayers OF
the state.
Under no circumstances should a
contract for prison labor be- entered in
to or renewed with private contractors
That has been abandoned everywhere
1t is inhuman and uncivilized. Iowa
has set its face definitely the other
way. But why. In abandoning the con-
tract system. abandon a promising un-
dertaking that can so plainly BE-
utilized by the state to its own profit
and the good CT al! concerned?