The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-12-14

road built aud equippe0 would not
cost the state over $1,000 or $4,000 per
mile, and even il the state did not care
to operate it, they could sell II at large
advance on its cost, The great expense
in railroad building is the labor,
and this the state has at
a nominal cost and Is bound to find en-
ployment for il, AS through lines, mar
row guage roads don't generally pay,
but as local roads and in connection
with other Investments, there are many
that are renunerative. Lumber is
freight that pays and has no risk and
not much expense attached to its haul
/ ing, and the demand for it even ut high
! prices is steady. In addition to the pine
| timber, the school fund owns great
| deal of other fine timber through which
this road would pass, and the state
within the walls would manufacture
/ furniture and wood and illow ware.
/ This question OF convict labor is an i'm
/ portant one now, and in ten years will
be of five times moro importance to
Texas than TO other states which aver
age about one fifth its size.
The enhanced value of the school lands
would more than pay the interest on the
bonds tor the time they would have to
run. After the road was built the state
would haye great conveniences for
manufacturing, and the best advantages
for the disposition fits goods. Georgia,
and every other state which has built a
railroad, has found it profitable in
vestment by sale or lease, although
built at 50 per cent. greater cost than
Texas would be ut.
AS matters now stand the state, at
both penitontiaries, is at the mercy OF
tap roads, and if they owned these short
lines, would find no competitive rates at
the terminus.
There is an almost universal
demand Tor the abolition of the present
make-shitt policy of working con
victs in repairing the property of
private corporations, and to place these
convicts in the walls all a5 once, would
require an immediate outlay of 81 100000
Tor now penitentiarie~ and machinery.
If these new peniteutiaries are located
~ competing points The state will not
have the benefit Of either cheap fuel or
cheap, raw material.
II is said that the state would mauu-
facture It's own rails at Rusk by convict
labor at small cost, and the ties could
be gotten of Of tho school lald along
the route, the school fund being reim-
bursed 10y increased values.
On account OF the grea, size and
rapidly-increasing population Of Texas
the humber OF cOnvicts is likely to soon
increase to 5000 or 1900, and the rounda.
ton for their employment must be laid
on II broad basis, and tho sooner this is
understood by tue psoplo and their
representatives. the bettor it will be.
Either this must ba done, or as sug
gestcd by SENATOR GIBBS, in his inter
view, the number of oaenses made fal-
onies by statute must be reduced. If
neither Of these plans work, then an in
crease in the rate Of taxation will surely
follow. The HERALD makes these eur-
gestions that the legislature may be in-
duced to put on their studying caps.
The last legislature, backed by public
opinion, very properly declared against
the lease system, but loft it tor this leg
isature to deterfnino the system of
working penitentiary labor so as to con.
fict AS little as possible with honest
labor, and Mt the same time not require
the houeSt people to strain themselves to
pay taxes to support the criminal classes
in idledoss oruuprodtible employment.
II can not be- said that this is partic,-
lorly in the interest OF Dallas, for wher-
ever this state road would cross the In
ternational, and at Athens, where It
would cross the Illinois Central (now
Texas & st. Louis rSilroad) there would
also be competing points nearer the lum-
Der supply than Dallas.
II none of these plans are feasible Let
the Legislators and the press suggesy
some that are and not deal in gonerali-
tics, for something must be done and
That soon The cost Of t,is road 10 the
state would be comparatively nothing,
as It. has its own labor which II,
must feed and c.o,ho, nud It's own
iroa and ties, IL could Use the ser.
vices ol the state engiuoec az rAiofeugi-
necr Of construction.