200 THE THIRD POWER 



zona the prisoners were worked by the Arizona Improvement 

 Company under contract system. The territory was to receive 

 compensation therefor at the rate of 70 cents per day per 

 man employed (p. 81 ) . In Connecticut, 240 prisoners were en- 

 gaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes at the rate of 

 50 cents per day per prisoner (p. 87). In Indiana, convicts 

 were worked under contracts as follows : 200 men at 40 cents 

 per day, 50 men at 42 cents per day and 130 men at 32% cents 

 per day (p. 91). In Kentucky, convicts were worked under 

 the lease system as follows : 650 men at the rate of 40 cents 

 per day per man and 400 men at 35 cents per day (p. 95). 



Here we are confronted with the shocking and disgraceful 

 fact that the agricultural population of the United States is 

 compelled to live on an income much below that provided by 

 different states for their convicts. 



The total expense of maintaining the United States Peni- 

 tentiary, at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, during the year ending 

 June 30, 1901, has been $160,316.88, and the daily average cost 

 per capita about 54 cents. The average daily per capita cost 

 of subsistence alone was about 11 cents (Annual Report of 

 the Attorney-General of the United States for the year 1901, 

 pp. 30, 31). 



Here we are confronted again with the cold fact that daily 

 subsistence allowed by the United States to her convicts is 

 somewhat greater than the daily subsistence gained by the 

 American farmer and members of his family by their hardest 

 and most unceasing toil (14.6 cents per capita per day for 

 subsistence proper, clothing, education, etc.). 



How, then, it came to this, that in these days of "unprece- 

 dented economic and commercial progress of the United 

 States," in this "midst of halcyon prosperity of the country," 

 the average American farmer, the real producer of all these 

 "stupendous" and "tremendous" exports amazing the world, 

 in respect to his average daily income stands below the Amer- 

 ican convict if the census report is correct? Let us see. 



The very first question of foremost importance which con- 

 fronts us in this connection is this : Is the American farmer 

 living upon the results of ownership of the land which he 

 tills or of his productive toil? Is he, in other words, receiv- 



