The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-05-25

The House in Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the
Union had under consideration the
bill Oh. R. 893S) to equip the United
States penitentiary, Atlanta, Ga,
for the manufacture of supplies for
the use Of the Government, for the
compensation Of prisoners for their
labor and for other purposes.
Mr.. AUSTIN. Mr.. Chairman, a
bill similar to this was offered to this
House in normal times prior to the
war, so that this is simply contin-
uation or renewal of proposition
to bring convict labor into COMPETE
ton with free or paid labor. The
laboring people of this country, or
ganized and unorganized, have been
appealing to Congress for TO- years
to pass bill to prohibit the trans
portation of convict made goods in
interstate commerce. This House
has passed such a measure once or
twice but it has never succeeded in
getting through the Senate, so that
instead of going forward with the
legislation seeking to put an end to
the competition of convict labor
with free labor, this House is now
urged to inaugurate precedent, es-
tablish a precedent, for this great
Government to do what this House
in previous Congress decided should
not be done by the States, namely, to
bring their convicts in competition
with honest free labor.
Mr.. SHERLEY. Mr.. Chairman,
will the gentleman yield?
Mr.. AUSTIN. Not in five minutes
The CHAIRMAN The gentle
man declines to yield.
Mr.. AUSTIN. Now, this bill is
not necessary to supply the Armys
or Navy's equipment, for it only
means one plant employing 42O peo-
pie.
Mr.. HAMLIN. Mr.. Chairman
will the gentleman yield?
Mr.. AUSTIN. No. | have not
time. In five minutes | cannot do
it.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentle
man declines to yield.
Mr.. AUSTIN. | represent tex
tile district, and l will guarantee to
furnish the government of the Unit
ed States with the amount of duck.
ing from a private plant in my towr
Knoxville, Tenn, equal to the
output of the proposed penitentiary
mill There are thousands of tex
tile mills in the United States, and
doubt not many in the district repre-
scented by the gentleman from NORTH
Carolina (MR. WEBB, the chair
man of this Committee on the Judi
ciary, having this bill in charge.
Mr.. WEBB. There are 220 il
my district.
Mr.. AUSTIN. If the Government
needs these supplies, mill owners car
afford to lay aside some of their out
side business and come to the aid Of
the Government. Why not use the
convicts, if their services are need
ed, in the construction of military
roads in this country? They are alb
solutely essential, and we have al
ready appropriated money which il
now being expended in the construc
ton of roads down in the neighbor
hood of Norfolk and Newport News
We can find place and necessity
for the work Of convicts in the oper
air, where their labor will not come
in competition with that of the skill
ed mechanics in the industrial plants
of the South and other sections OF
the United States.
This great Government owes a du.
ty to the men who have gone for
ward in investing their money in
creating an industrial system in the
United States which has given en-
ployment at good wages to great
industrial army, and Congress has
enacted laws here which are requir-