The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-03-17
Scent Danger Of Act Barring
Penltentiary Made Goods
From Interstate Commerce.
OPPOSED BY AUTHORITIES
They Protest II Would Serious
" compIioate Problem Of
Managing Prisons.
By JuDsoN c. wELLIvER.

that there In danger Of Congress passing
legislation to prohibit transportation or
pepiteutiary. products in interstate COM
MERGE
None OF the halt-dozen pending bills
II frank enough to admit this as It's d.
rect purpose. Several Of them, however,
would practically accomplish II.
Prison authorities, both the radical
reforming and the more conservative
elements. are up In arms against such
leRislation. They protest that II would
seriously complicate the problem of
managing prisons, would make 1t al
most impossible to keep convicts at
work, would increase very much the
expense of these institutions, and would
almost at one blow put an end to the
efforts at Industrial and intellectual
betterment Of prisoners.
Conflicting Tendencies.
In the administration of penal inst-
kutions, two directly conflicting ten
denotes have been operating for many
years. On the humanitarian and social
1ide. there have been efforts to get
away from the old regime of solitary
confinement, Of fdleness. silence. and
onerous punishment.
Efborts have been directed to keep the
Snen employed. to teach them useful
trades, to introduce educational meas
ure., and in short, to MAKE Det tSsv m ara
discharged or paroled they VIII nave
less disposition to resume life OF law
on the other hand, and contradictory
90 this humanitarian movement, Is the
effort OF the labor organizations to out
saw the product OF convict industry.
Organized labor has persistently protest.
Cd against admitting convict products
Of any kind to competition with the
products of free labor. There was a
lime when this effort of organised labor
WINS directed TO the abolition of the old
system OF contracting convict n labor :ur.
by the humanitarian and the labor or
ghnixations. has been to large extent
broken down. The tendencies OF the
sfines are all against It. although even
&rnct system 10 still In vogue to q
greSter or less extent in fully half the
n the moro intelligently managed
prisons the abolition of contract meth
DDS resulted to, the advantage or both
che prisoners and the public. Many
States went directly into various manu-
fa6turing operations establishing plants
in their penitentiaries.
Thus, Minnesota. Wisconsin. and
nkiohiEan maintain binder-twine fac
tories in their penitentiaries. Brick
making. tile-making, stone work, vari-
Ind numerous other Industries are sue
re0sfully carried on In prisons. The cost
OF maintaining prisons has been very
generally reduced. while 1t Is claimed
that the greatest BENEFITS have accrued
90 the convicts.
Opposed by Labor.
This industrial development has been
constantly opposed by the labor organi-
Eations. which have been highly efrica-
tious in getting laws passed restricting
the subjects OF convict labor Thus
New York has legislation providing that
convict products might be used by the
State in It's various institutions, but
should not be sold in the open market
Under this law. at one period. the man.
troduced into the New York institu.
lions.
These we're intended to be used by tn,
State. but, after a great number of then
pretexts were devised for rejecting
them on the ground that they were mo-
adapted to the States needs. There
was a heavy loss to the State. and tn,
idea Of state conduct OF prison industry
was dealt a serious blow.
Laws similar to this. or otherwiS
cloeely restricting the methods of mar
keting convict products have made
increasingly difficult to provide the con
yict with employment. The effects o
ijleness and of too much solitary con
finement on the men are distressing ii
the extreme.
The humanitarians insist that there 4
every rea son for giving the men plent'
Of work, keeping their minds on whole
some subjects. and teaching them habit
of industry and thrift. But he labo
getting restrictive laws than the hu
tnanitarians have been III their efforts.
Limit to Market.
In most States there nre now law
closely limiting the markt OF convict
made goods. There is no doubt that
State has power to prevent the produc
OF its own penitcntiaries being sol
within its own borders. But II has bee
q very serious question whether on
State could prevent the products Of an
brought in in interstate commerce an
sold.
60 for several years the organize
laws passed under which one State ca
prohibit or control the sale of conviC
goods from another State.
A type of these measures is a bi
which has been introduced In the Ser
ate by Mr. Hughes of New Jersey ar
In the House by Mr.. Booher of Missouri
1t provides that penitentiary product
wholly or partly made by convict labo
when transported, into another Stat
shall be subject to the operation of Il
laws OF that State. precisely as II the
had been produced there, and eve
though introduced and sold in the orii
inAl package, this rule shall apply.
The bill has recently been the subje
% hearings before the Senate Commi
tee on Labor. Penitentiary authorlti'
all over the country have asked to
heard. and some of them already hay
appeared. thus far chiefly from u
Eastern States.
States Fear Dumping"
II IL pointed out that there are b
tween $1,000 and t0G.Gop convcts In Il
pepitentiaries of the country. and thi
this Legislation would just about put a
end to all hope of keeping the men en-
pIoyed in spy way that would be us
ful to the State or beneficial to then
selves.
such a Federal law would be an IL
ducement to every State TO strength
en- Its own legislation against cor