The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-09-14

Raruett Gibbs To the froht On ''s ~"
Labor Ouestlon-iiis Reply TO the At'aeh
Of "Farrner," Replete With fungeh,
Points,
To the Editor Of the Herald.
DALLAS. September o, ISL notice IN
the Galveston News of the It'll instant that
some one styling himself Farmer
pitches into my position Oh the convict
labor question. lnasmuch as ne Is soiio'
whore near two hundred miles from the
Senatorial district in which | am u candi' |
date am not severely troubled by his OPP
nosition. lie confesses he does not know
my exact proposition, but has heard enough
Az start him TO scribbling. When he says
Tint am giving the people tally for the
nurpose of being elected to the state senate
no is ignorant Of the situation Tor
have no opposition from any source
whatever, and on the convict question am
not likely to have any unless IL DC ireih lne
vicinitv IN which Farmer" Us he farmer
with c6nyicts?) lives. The present law viz
finally gives the large sugar and cotton
nlonier of southern Texas u monopoly OF
HE convict laoor; to all of which ! have no
affection, if the state cannot utilize IL III or
out of the walls TO some better advantage
0Farmern saws that II IL not competing
with honest labor, because there ~ plenty
of undeyeoped farm land but he imme.
datcly says that 1t has healthy eject
unon free lahor.n The latter declaration
is sufficient reiutation OF tho
farmer don't think ii needs
nny argument TO prove that every convict
put TO work ON the orinary AID us'ial
work of the country IL competing VITA tho
honest labor, 7, and the fact that the stare
gets larger wages for tho convict than the
ORDINARY lnborsr receives for the same work
makes the competition more apparent ns
IL shus, that this, as Farmer" styles ~,
"reIiao. labor commands better price
in the labor market.
My position was THIS
Isl, That with convict labor we should
but, commentaries enough TO securely
koep all conyiots who could be made to
eAr neir livelihood In manufacturing.
= "A That if the state could not utilize
them nil I'm the walls there, that the sur
Ous convict labor be used in working the
country roads.
II is generally conceded that the present
road law Is unjust and inefficient.
Unjust In that II is exclusively Lax Oh
the manhood OF the country, and requires
work of the young men Of the state three
wears before they were allowed u vote or IL
yo &c IN the administration OF tho govern
meut There ~ u gross inequality IN TAXA
ton which requires at the hand oil every
citizen between Is and 81 years of age ten
days.work on the public roads, prospect
i've of his individual actual interest IN Their
good or bad condition.
The present road system isin3ulll oieht IN
that the labor Is not sufficient even
when worked to the limit, to actually re.
pair or keep in repair the public roads My
idea was to require more moderate road
duty within the proper ages, ana TINS
would do the light road work, then have u
lr,n.rty tax with which to do the heavy
work, using it in support OF short term
convu,s who could be thus employed.
L,tany county desiring not less than 90
or more than 100 such oonycts have, the
right to yet them from the superintendent,
of the pcuitcn',ary upon giving bond for
their supper hdnanc treatment ana SAFE
return according " regulations.
These conyicts can be worked Just rs
cheaply and kept M securely on pubic
road work as on farms In the Brazos bot
tom, GARNER" admits that convict labor
is "reliabe" and susceptible of organim.
ton. The sugar and cotton planters Ind
II profitable to hire them from the state Ut
big wages. ,
Al
with sound principles OF economy ana good
government for the state TO allow oil sur,
nlus convict labor that cannot be utilized
within the walls to be utilized ON tho pub,
lie roads by those counties needing ana
willing to pay for them. The more coun'
try improves the greater the necessity for
GOOD public roads and when We hgure the
difference in time saved, breaSaSe OF
wagons and wear ana teni
on teams over good and bad roais, IL u
worth the time and attention OF FARMER
aud nolticiau to devise some means OF bet
tering their condition. II this labor Is a.
reliable and rs susceptible OF 'organiSa
tjonn and as effective us claimed by
IFarmer.n we, living on the three forks
The Trinity, would like 70 have some o
them at work on our public roads ever, II
il disarranges the labor system OF til,
Bragos Farmer Good roads We mus
have, and the darkness oil hight VII
become gray with old age before We Se
them under the present system, .,.
The crossings on river and creek bottoms
cnn he mixed and put in good condi'ion ~
n very small cot by tho use OF conyic
labor; and II wa can't keep them IN th'
walls then lot us have them where mo.
will do "the most good and compete leas
with the usual labor OF the country,
Give us this system for two or TOUR yea
until the depsoly populated c9unties GU,
Ak up the bud stretches OF roau, anu Per
Inns we can then keep them in repair b.
Whether this system is found feasible Q
not believe u branch of the pen,tG,rntlar
should he built somewhere In north texas
for ten years saving in cost of TRANSPORTS ~
iion OF conyic,s would pay Tor its building
n might be located west of this point,
Respectfully, d. "'""S'