Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1914-09-20
LEGISLATION TO
 FAVOR LAbORERS Congrehs to Enact Law Sought by Laborers for
 Years. BILL PASSES HOUSE
New Law Would Prohibit the Ship. ment of Convict Made Goods From One State to Another in Interstate
 COmmerce-Will Curtail Traffic.
(By Sidney Espey)

Washington, Sept 19-zFor many years the labor organizations of the United States have striven to obtain legislation from congress which would curtail or prohibit interestate commerce in convictmade goods con- tending that it was unfair to the laboring man to put his labor i'll competition with the cheap convict labor of the penetentiaries.
 Finally congress seems to be on the verge of enacting law which while it will not prohibit the shipment of convict-made goods from one state to another in interstate commerce, appears likely to curtail that traffic to a large extent.
 The bill, which was known in the house as the Booher bill, and in the senate as the Hughes bill, has passed the house, and recently was favorab- ly reported to the senate from the committee on interestate commerce. As reported to the senate the measure
 is not so broad as that which passed the house The senate bill, as amend ed by the committee provides that all goods and merchandise manufactured, produced or mined wholly or in part "by convict labor, or in any prison Or reformatory by persons imprisoned upon conviction of crime, trans ported into any state of territory or the United States, shall upon arrival be subjected to the operation of the laws of the state Or territory in which they are received in the same manner as though chese goods had been manu- factured or produced in that state or territory. "There is provision that this act shall not apply to eleemosyn- ary institutions conducted for minors.
 Bar on Convict Goods.
 In it's effect, the bill will prevent the dumping of large quantities or convict-made goods, manufactured in one state, into the markets of other states where laws have been enacted prohibiting the sale of convict-made goods in competition with those made by free labor. Pennsylvania is case in point. Laws have been enacted in Pennsylvania prohibiting the sale of convict goods within the state borders. So the goods made in the SLdJG DGullcuIlol ACS tASAS NA S>NPFoN into the other states and sold, mil lions of dollars worth of goods each year, it is said.
 Few persons realize the enormous quantities in value of convict-made goods in this country. According to the report of the Commissioner of Labor for 1905. the value of goods produced by convict labor in 296 o1 the larger penal institutions of the country was $34,0O0,000, representing the labor of 5O,000 convicts. The leading product was boots and shoes The other leading industries of the convicts were farming, manufacture of the clothing, furniture, brooms ant
 brushes, binding twine, and coa
 mining.
 This product is small apparently 1 when compared with the vast mass of products of free labor in this coun try. but the testimony given by t1' morilization and depression is the
 that when these convicts made goods
 are thrown upon the market, de
 morialization and depression is thu l invariable result, in some instahcel ] prices falling belew the cost of pro