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Richmond, June 8 th, 1877. 
 
 To Gen’l Wm. Mahone, Petersburg , Va . \ 
 
 General: 
 
 The undersigned respectfully desire 
 to know your views on the Penitentiary-Convict-Labor- 
 Ouestion— how its competition with honest labor may be 
 prevented, and the effect of the remedy upon the general 
 welfare and prosperity of the Commonwealth. 
 
 An early reply will greatly oblige, 
 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 George Perrin, 
 William Lynch, 
 Tiios. Fitzpatrick, 
 John McCaffrey, 
 
 J. H. Brooks, 
 
 Sam’l F. McGrhee, 
 A. T. Minor, 
 Daniel Challoner, 
 Patrick PI. Woods, 
 H. R. Miller, 
 
 W. H. Gary, 
 
 W. B. Hoge, 
 
 Wm. B. Cook, 
 
 W. H. Haley, 
 
 C. Wendlinger, 
 
 And fifty- 
 
 A. W. Tyree, 
 
 James Fleming, 
 James Dillon, 
 Thomas Faning, 
 William Desney, 
 Geo. G. Matthews, 
 James Howel, 
 
 James Diamond, 
 John Holloway, 
 
 D. Smith Redford, 
 Louis A. Beiile, 
 Albert Rose, 
 
 Wm. B. Cook, Jr., 
 John W. Gentry, 
 John H. Baptist, 
 wo others. 
 
 
 Your earnest consideration is solicited. A full and 
 free expression of opinion is desired. 
 
 JUL. L WRIGHT, 
 
 Director-General Workingmen's League, <&v. 
 
 June 20th, 1877. 
 
 / 
 
 
 
Petersburg, Va., 21st June , 1877 . 
 
 Gentleman : 
 
 Free as I feel to express any opinion I have, 
 when it would not be an intrusion, I have had and sin¬ 
 cerely have, an aversion to any parade of myself belore 
 the public. This disposition led me, some days ago, to 
 refuse permission for the publication of some views 1 
 had hurriedly expressed in connection with the subject 
 on which you specifically desire to know my position. 
 
 The immediate interests you have in the matter, enti¬ 
 tle you to a respectful consideration, and to compliance 
 with the requests submitted. Briefly then, in response 
 to your wish, I beg to say: 
 
 I. That some other resort should be found for the 
 useful employment of our “Penitentiary Convicts” than 
 in conflict with honest labour—skilled and unskilled— 
 whether in the granite quarries or upon other fields of 
 private enterprise. It is surely not the interest of the 
 State to wage such an unfriendly competition against a 
 large and essential class of her people, ^nd in depression 
 of her industrial developement, as comes from that use 
 of her convicts. 
 
 The mere return in the way of hire from that manner 
 of employment of them, falls beneath the dignity of the 
 Commonwealth—in the face of the injury which it 
 works to an industry and enterprise it is to her better 
 and more permanent prosperity and her duty to en¬ 
 courage and foster. 
 
 II. Better—infinitely better—for all the State, that 
 those unfortunate people should be employed upon the 
 extension of the Kanal and in the construction of new 
 
4 
 
 
 works for the convenience of the people and the devel- 
 opement of her resources; and in the formation of an 
 improved system of country roads. 
 
 There is no application of the surplus labour of the 
 Penitentiary which would yield indirectly but certainly 
 a larger return to the State than that to the formation 
 of improved country roads. Nothing would so quickly 
 inspire improvement wherever they were made, advance 
 values, and bring to us a class of settlers most needed. 
 Nothing would promote more earnestly the expansion 
 of any of our cities and towns than well-improved roads 
 leading from them; and the return from enhanced values 
 would shortly be yielding the Commonwealth a hand¬ 
 some, permanent hire for a labour, as now employed of 
 but little and only temporary moment. 
 
 I am, gentlemen, 
 
 Very respectfully, &c., 
 
 WM. MAHONE. 
 
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 To Jul. L. WrighT, Director-General, &c., Messrs. Geo. Perrin, 
 
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 A. W. Tyree, Jno. W. Gentry, J. H. Brooks, ^nd others, 
 
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