The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-03-24
MAKE FIGHT FOR
Pr IsON ABOR.
Contractors Who See Possibility Of
Hughes Bill Passing enate Using
Strenuous Efforts against II
DOES NOT HAVE DESIRED EFFEc1
Claim That convicts are Taught
Trade Does Not Hold Water
Country Merchants Favor Measure

From Congressman III. Tayenner,
Washington March a. Contrac-
tors in prison labor have begun a
desperate fight to defeat the Hughes
prison labor bill in the Senate. AS
the Booher bill, this measure pass
ed the House some days ago by an
Overwhelming vote. The Prison con
tractors apparently did not awaken
to their danger il the House,
but now all their forces are
bearing down on the Senate to
prevent the enactmentaof the legis-
lation
/. In passing the Webb Keyon bill
last year Congress seems to have
set a precedent which lis to be follow
ed by similar bills intended to pre-
vent various abuses. States may en-
act various prohibitory laws, bat
there is nothing to prevent shipment
Of the prohibited articles into the
state from other states. The state
police authorities cannot modest such
shipments so long as they are in tran
sit Thus it becomes almost impos-
sible to enforce prehibitory laws un-
der present conditions.
Congress took the first step in aid
CT the States when itEpassed the
Webb-Kenyon- law, which submits to
state policing all shipments Of IL
quor. Shipments of liquor, on cars,
when entering state, become sub
ject to the laws and policing of that
state as if they were manufactured
within the state.
There are plenty who predict that
this style of legislation will eventu-
ally be declarded unconstitutional by
the supreme court. But if these pre-
dictions should fall flat Congress will
have in it's hands mighty powerful
Legislative weapon. ssssss s-= =,
The principle is now being applied
in the Hughes-Boohe bill. Many
States today forbid the sale of con-
vict goods made in their own prisons
But when prison goods are shipped in
from the outside, then they are pro-
tected by Uncle Sam as part of his
inviolable interstate commerce, and
the state becomes powerless to pre-
vent the sale.
The result is, the more states
which forbid this sale, the 'brisker
is business for the contractors in
convict labor in states which still
permit convicts to compete with free
labor. It is commonly agreed that If
the Hughes bill is passed it will deal
death blow to prison competition.
A Sweat Shop
The iniquity of selling prisoners
labor at anywhere from 10 to IS
cents a day is apparent. 1t means
a dead loss to everybody concerned
except the prison contractor. The
prison is turned into a sweat shop
turning out goods at a price with
which free-made articles cannot com
! pete, the tendency being to bring all
wages down to the prison level.
In the name Of humanity it lis ar
gued that prisoners are thereby
taught a trade. But many prisons
manufacture, shirts, overalls and
jumpers. In other words the pris-
oner is taught a trade in which, up
on his liberation, he must compete
with underpaid women workers.
Country merchants are strong ad-
vocates of the Booher-Hughes bill.
The great distributors of prison.
made goods are the mail order
houses. BY taking the output of the
prison factories, these mail order
businesses can sell goods at a price
which the local merchant cannot
hope to meet.
Federa!s Hang Nine Rebels.