State Prison Monopolies

In the vicinity of most State Prisons, where crimináis labor, we believe the mechanics complain that the proximity of the felons is injurious to their intereste in two respects: first, they are trained in Prison to mechanical pursuits, and, when released, their characters bring discredit upon Jionest mechanics of the same trade; and secondly, the producís of State Prison labor are usually sold at less prices than they can be afforded for by individuáis, thus compelling the honest mechanic to abandon his trade, or do business at a loss. Various plans have been devised to reraedy the evil, but none has been fully successful. It is desirable that the prisoners should labor on niany accounts; ifso, meymust labor at some general branch of business, or at particular trades, It has been supposed that the making of cloths, silk, iron, or some large departmerrt of manufacturing industry, would obvíate the competition coraplained of by the operative mechamos, But it would do this only to a limited extent, and leave the practice open to the other objection, that convicts are taught trades to the discredit of honest men; for no man can skilfully manufacture iron, silk, or woolen goods without learning a trade. Besides, these large branches are found to be ill adapted to the labor of all the crimináis and verv inconvenient to be put in operation, if not entirely impracticable. We return, then, to our firstsion, that as the convicts ought to be employed, they must work at mechanical trades, and the evils we have mentioned must be ameliorated where they cannot be removed. But the idea that any trade, or the mechanics who work it, wil] be permanently and generally discredited by the few convicts who may learn rts details in Prison, is founded, we suspect, rather in imagination than reality. Thecharacter of a few convicts is lost in that of the mass who follow the trade. The only real evil, then, is the underselling of mechanics by the State; and thecomplaint of this practice we suppose is confined to the mechanics immediately adjacent to the Prison and its vicinity; which demonstrates that the evil is not feit sensibly by the mass of mechanics. It appears to us. that the remedy would consist in throwing the products of the State Prison labor into large markets, instead of offering them for sale in a small village. Thus, a hundred coats, offered at a very low price, might very sensibly affect the business of the tailors of Jackson, while in the Detroit market they would count but as a small item of the whole supply, and would not, perhaps, perceptiby affect the business of a single person. It appears to us that thetransportaron of the prison-manufactured articles to the larger markets is the only proper remedy for the local evil.we have been considering. We have been led to think of this subject by reading the answers of Gov. Barry and Dr. Pitcher to questions on this matter proposed previously to election by citizens of Jackson. Gov. Barrysays: "It has been found, however, that more effectually to correct the evil complained of, (Prison monopoly,) further legislation is required, which I should have no hesitation to recommend and approve. It is, I believe, for the most part conceived to be beneficial for the convict, both physically and morally, that he should be made to labor during term of his imprisonment; but it is desi rabie that the labor required may be so directed, that while the interests of the State will not be materially injured, the present mechanical interest will be protected from an unequal and injurious competition. To effect this object, it will be the duty of the Executive and of the Legislature to avail themselves of all the light upon the subject that may be afforded bythe legislation of other States." Dr. Pitcher gives them a straight forward answer, thus: t;I should, under all circwmstances, whethfír in a public or -private slation, oppose the training of felons to such mechanical pursuits as would, when they come to be released, bring discredit upon those who labor in the same vocation, or while in prison, i?ijuriowly affect the interest of those who, without being tainted by convicción of crime, are engaged in similar occupations." We wonder to what "pursuits" Dr. Pitcher would have felons trained?