The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1924-01-18

TN
that Mr.. Rockefeller asserted, its pol
icy is no guarantee of just treatment
of its employees. An employer may
have the best intentions in the world,
but unless his employees are organized,
there is no assurance they will be
fairly treated. The heads of a busi-
ness may give strict orders as to the
treatment of employees, but there are
all sorts of ways for executives in
subordinate positions to practice pet
ty tyranny and various abuses in the
handling of the workers. But if the
workers are strongly organized, they
can protect their rights from the at
tacks of big, and little bosses. And,
in addition, the workers have a right
and duty to organize for the pro-
lection and advancement of their
rights and interests.
Furthermore, it seems as if Mr..
Rockefeller was making "tall' claims
for company with the notorious anti
union record of the Standard Oil
Company. AS long as the Standard
oil workers are not permitted to or
eanize, they are dependent upon their
employers for fair play. But if they
organize they can protect their rights
This is a fact that apparently Mr.
Rockefeller does not recognize.
"a Va Pa "a "a
PRISON CRUELTIES NOT
ENDED
Grave doubts as to whether the
United States is as civilized as we
| have been led to believe are aroused
in the mind of every thinking person
who consideres the treatment of con
victs in the West Virginia peniten
tiary at Moundsville.
| Despite the long agitation fol
humane and fair treatment of con
victs. which has accomplished mucl
in some states, West Virginia still
maintains prison system which ha
drawn strong condemnation from
prison experts. Apparently not con
tent with it's bad record on the in
dustrial field, with its army of gun
men and thugs maintained by tn
non-union operators, West Virgins
is adding to the blackness of its rec
ord by the way in which it treats it
convicts.
A few facts on the Moundsvill
penitentiary, as revealed by ]. How
ard Holt. chairman of the committe
on crime the State Bar Association
tells the story of West Virginia's pri
son cruelty. Mr. Holt says that mos
of the 1856 men in Moundsville ar
exploited by contractors, who secur
this labor for 70 cents day.
"Under this contract" says MI
Holt, leach prisoner must averag
from IL to Is workmen's shirts day
| This means that one of these shirt
costs from to cents. The materia
costs 36 cents, and the shirt sells.f TO
81. 1t is understood that there ar
now more than 500 convicts working
under this contract and the contracto
| and associates make a profit Of hun
dreds of thousands of dollars yearly
Directing attention to the fact tha
cells in this prison are five feet wide
eight feet long and seven feet high
| Mr.. Holt says:
Into many of these cells the SUI
has never shone. And it is needles
| to say that in such limited spac
there is no room for exercise. II
nearly every case there is two mel
confined in each cell. With the utmos
care that can be exercised by any ad
ministration these conditions breet
immortality and degradation. Their
are only about five acres of yart
space for these 1856 men to occupy
They are crowded in the shops, in tht
| yard, and at night confined in these
unsanitary cells. Men are infected
with tuberculosis. Some Of them di'
within the walls and some of then
go forth to spread the disease in th'
outside world.
Surely an appalling state of affairs