The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-05
5 | W R | N INSISTS FIGHT ON LEASING |S UNION INSPIRED ]
Willing To Meet With State wide Committee If
 Presence Desired

Gulf States Steel company, Saturday replied to Irving M. Engel, chairman ot the stat wide committee against convict leasing and maintained that the opposition to leasing in mines mas been fosteted by the United Nune Workers Tor many years. MT. Bowrons letter reads
 MT. Irving NJ. Engel
 Chairman pro teIn,
 My dear sir: 1 have your favor of the third Do you not think 1t would have peen a little more con slderate to nave had the proposed conference with me before issuing d 1orinal statement in this mornings Age Herald half ( column long con trOVertIng my assertions?
 The report in The Age-Herald is exceedingly accurate, but was nec- essartly only a synopsis of an ad- dress which would have required at least four columns to report Verba- tim. If a complete report had been made 1 think you need hardly have asked any further questions.
 Your state vide committee, l be- neve. is of very recent formation; certainly its activities i'll promoting Itte organization of the League oi Women Voters appear to have been recent. My remarks were, and wlli still be, directed to the Tact that
 
 r,rat 1t this district and afterwardf nf America as whole, have contln uously directed their efforts to the md of getting the conVicts out oi the mines. 1 go back as lar as 1894 when their presence m the mines was the greatest factor Tn preventing the complete unlon1za- ton and closing down Of every mine in this district. From time to time ihe union has employed very able men. some of them warm friends or mine. who have thrown their polltl- ,al inlluence and forensic aolilty against su ,h employment or the con Ufcts notably my good friend. who has passed away. Senator frahk D. White.
 k URiOn-Inspired.
 "t feel that l was. ana stlu am, perfectly Justified Ill referring to the attack upon the convict system as oile tbat is nioE-lnsplfed ana bnion-conducted, as witness the ap- real bv the head of the U. M. w. of n from Indianapolis within the past n days to the President of the United States. The fact, therefore of other people-huna anltarian' so- c1al welfare workers and women Vo' ters being drawn into the contro- yersy at this more recent date ooss not in any way change the orlsinal inspiration and continuing main spring of the opposition. which mas heen and is what stated.
 .l stated, and repeat. that good men and women have been ana are ,nislea1 by this opposition. ltnesS inc allegation within the past WeeK ,f a Moble minister of a convict being cut to pieces with lash, which he now informs the governor of the state kc took from q state ment made years age by prominene attorney ,n neighboring county who has been active in his opposl- tion. However, I did not say, ana do not say. that there are not cruel- Ties or harsh trea tment perpetrated tnon or suffered by convicts either ;u the prisons of Alabama or in any other prisons. What l did say anu repeat was and is that any such cruelties are not perpetrateo oy coai oDerators or their employers, anu therefore, have nothing whatever to do with the question at issue, name Iv. the employment of convicts II. ...e nines. There are plenty or a. tOrnevs in this district always ready and available to bring suits. our courts have been notoriously for wears stocked with damage suits against corporations. If any coal operator or his superintendents. en- gineers checkWeighner or other em- pIoyeS should strike or otherwise ln- 1ure T convict. there would be ground Of action against that cor noratiOn to recover damages and ground for criminal proceedings against the actual person who per petrated the offense It Is sufft- clently obvious. therefore, that no such charges of bad treatment lie against the employment Of convicts m the mines. and are only insidlous. ly injected into the discussion Of the matter So as to remove 1t from the plane of sound reasoning to one of emotion and sympathy.
 O O O
 Abuses in England.
 Ut must be sixty years since l read Charles Reades powerful novel. Never Too Late to Mend" showing the abuses then prevailing In English prisons and the cruel treatment 10 which prisoners were subjected Tn certain cases where cruel men were in positions of authority over them have seen similar charges in this country as to eastern prisons pub lished within the last year or two. The question of the employment or the men has nothing to do with the question of the character of those who are placed in authority over them. If the wardens and guards are not men of good character and abuse their authority by treating convicts badly in the coal mines. they would treat them just as badly in cotton mills. or shoe factories, or on farm. It must never be forgotten for a sim gle moment that the so-called lessees have no authority over the conVicts' they have no right to fix their tasks or to inflict any punishments, and all such outcry Is erroneous and at least by implication is calumnious and should be discarded and the whole question dealt with thoughtfully upon it's merits.
 AS you have given your statement to The Age Herald before inviting me for conference, l am also sending a copy of this letter for publication to the same paper. It is possible that the statements contained herein are sufficient answer to your requeat However, if you still desire my pres ence at your meeting on Monday It will give me great pleasure to attend, because, as you know, l have already conferred with you as chairman or another committee on this same mat ter and with the head of the League of Women Voters, and l have no pur- poses to serve in this matter Of any description other than contributing what I may of truth and suggestion for the welfare of the people amongst whom l live.
 Yours truly,
 MING