Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-06-30
THE PEN AND FORT MADISON
An official Statement by w. J. Dixon
Member Of State Board Of Central

~" S'iS'e' ShateH,eht by w. J. Dixon,
Member Of State Board Of Control.
IN the discussion that has been going
on In the Register and Leader relative
to the employment OF the inmates OF
the Fort Madison penitent!ary, perhaps
word as to the position of the war
oen and the board of control would not
be inappropriate.
1t Is not our purpose to food the city
OF Fort Madison with convicts in com
petition with free labor A very small
per cent OF the inmates of the institu-
ton has been doing work within the
city limits. The report OF the warden
for the month Of May is before me, and
II shows that the work Of the prison.
ers on the outside has been largely at
the following occupations: Flowing
making ditch, hauling dirt, unloading
COAL clearing brush and timber lands
cutting wood. baling hay, breaking
horses, laying sod, cleaning brick etc
before any person can secure any OF
the inmates of the penitentiary for out
SIDE labor a showing must be made to
the warden that they cannot secure
free labor for the work. The work that
Is done by the inmates of the prison on
the outside is paid for at the full mar
ket wage for like free labor in the
city Of Fort Madison.
we realize that in every industry the
fear OF prison labor in competition with
PAID labor has been a bugahoo Great
influences have been brought to bear
against it. The politician has cam
paigned with it, In some cases the la
Dor agitator has been swept into power
by the fruits of it's terror A great
many OF the inmates of our peniten-
tiary come from the ranks of labor
Most OF these men have not had a fair
chance on the outside. We are trying
to give worthy prisoners chance to
make little money SO that they can
help support their families at home
A penal institution may be corrective
and uplifting. or it may be punitive
and degrading. The Jail or the peni-
Tertiary as it has been conducted in
the past has been place where expert
criminals were made. On their re-
formation much depends upon the op-
portunity as it has to heal the diseased
tissue Of a warped mentality. The
modern penitentiary has been well said
to be:
"A refuse heap that breeds filth and
disease to threaten all mankind
furnace for the shreds of self re-
snect:
slaughter house for wounded souls
and blind"
We are trying to make our peniten-
tiary:
"A clinic for aching souls. a shop for
damaged manhood's sIilful repair:
"A life saving station on the shores of
time
To save Times shipwrecked sailors
from despair"
me board of control and warden will
not interfere with the rights Of union
la Dor In the city of Fort Madison. The
WORK that we have been doing is large
~ work that was done before we start
ed working men on the outside We
ask the earnest cooperation Of union
labor in our efforts to transform the
transgressor against the laws of the
state into useful citizen.
In our opinion there is no excuse or
demand for the ordinance passed by the
city Of Fort, Madison prohibiting pris-
oners from working in the city limits.
The ordinance is against the spirit Of
the times-indeed-it is against the
spirit and teachings OF the workingman
of Nazareth.