Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-27
CHAIN GANGS. WORK.
An Effort to Make WorkhOuSe
Prisoners Improve Roads.
MAYOR PEARSON IN FAVOR.
A Meeting Of the Prison Board to be
Held at ClaremOnt.
MERCER THINKS IT'S DEGRADING
MAYOR PEARSON IN FAVOR.
MERCER THINKS IT'S DEGRADING

The County Prison Board, composed of
the seven Judges, the three Commissioners,
the Mayors Of the cities and the County
Controller, will meet this morning at the
workhouse at Claremont to discuss the ques-
ton ssNHhat shall be done with the convicts?"
IIFor months past the majority of the
boarders at the workhouse have been out of
a job on account of there being no employ
Ezent orthem. The manufacture of barrels,
which gave them something TO do, has
ceased entirely on account of the antipathy
of labor organizations to prison labor. Some
of the conYicts are now employed making
brooms, but the great majority of them are
doing nothing and growing fat on it It is
probable that in view of the recent agitation
about the impossible condition of the
county roads, that an effort will be made to
have the chain gang law established and the
convicts put to work improving the high
ways.
MAYOR PEARsoN's SCHEME.
Mayor Pearson, of Allegheny, will attend
the meeting, and will place the scheme be-
fore the board. The Mayor loves a drive
through the country in the afternoons and
evenings, and knows every road leading out
of the two cities. He also knows that it is
next to an impossibility. to have the road
supervisors of the county do anything to-
ward making perfect drivewsys, and will
suggest the idea of putting convicts to work
to keep the highways in order This,
he claims would not only be a
benefit to the taxpayers of the county, but
would keep the conVicts from Matching
schemes of mischief while unemployed with
their hands. He also thinks that the old
rounders who 20 to the works" half
dozen times q year would reform on account
of the disgrace of working In. the chain
gang. In conversation with a DISPATCH
reporter last night, Mayor Pearson said:
II talked with a number of citizens sew
eral weeks ago about the advisability of the
unemployed eonvicts at Claremont Improv-
ing our county roads. Every man talked
To- said it was a good idea will bring the
matter before the board at the meeting to-
morrow and ascertain what the other MEM
bers think of it. Something must be done
to put the convicts to work, or the institu-
tion will not be large enough to hold them.
Thev have nothing to do now The barrel
industry has been stopped and the men are
there in idleness. There is no reason why
the scheme should not work. If we had
chain gang law in force, I would not have so
many loafers to send up every month.
THEY LOVE THE PLACE.
EVERY fall have seen dozens OF men who
are too lazy to work come to me and ask to
be sent to the workhouse for five or six
months. They want to get good place for
the winter and the workhouse just suits
them. They get three meals a day, good
warm bed at night and nothing to do. They
like 70 get out in the spring when the
weather becomes warm and are back again
the next fall.
There is not road leading through the
county that is in decent condition
to-day. These idle men, who
are supported by the taxpayers,
if they were put to work, would give the
people return for the money spent for the
prison maintenance. cannot see that the
idea would conflict with honest labor in any
way There is no labor employed on the
roads anyway, and nobody could say the
convicts were crowding them out of the
business. think the prisoners could keep
the roads in irst-elass condition, and our
highways would then be the equal Of any
thing in the old country. I would favor
the roads being macadamized.
II Is SuSpTlblng Tue uuluB6E u m6u WHO
are regular guests at Claremont, on account
of there being nothing there for them to do.
Sometime ago, we had fellow here who l
sentenced 30 days. AT the time, we needed
some whitewashing done in the basement of
the City Hall building and had the man
put to work on the Job. He was q good
workman and did his duty well. We gave
him three square meals day and he ap-
II Al Ao sudn L Noal oh
an interest in him, that hunted for a job
to give the man steady employment. 1
found him a good position at 81 80
per day and broached the subject to him.
When did so he said he did not want to 90
to work, and expressed desire to be sent to
the workhouse. was so exasperated with
tie fellow that had him put out of the
building. If we had q chain gang this in
dividual would be made work.
ON A SMALL SCALE.
'The scheme could be tried ina small way
at first. would favor putting a gang Of
men on the road from Sharpsburg to Clare
mont One keeper could control q large
SQUAD of them without fear of the men trying
to escape. On the Sharpsburg road the dust
is 50 thick in the summer that it is torture
to drive along it. In the spring and fail
seasons the mud is SO thick that it is impos-
sible to go through. 1t takes four horses to
draw a carriage on the road when the mud
is soft. In some parts of the country build
ing operations have been stopped on account
of it being an impossibility to get the ma
terial to the place.
''I would go even farther and put the men
at work on the streets of the two cities. The
theroughfsres would be kept perfectly clean
and in good repair. The convicts would
also be more careful about their actions
when they were released from prison. In
stead Of going of on another spree and get
ting sent TO the works they would brace up
and be some good to the community. Of
course in some men the sense of pride is
dead, and they would not care about the
= disgrace, but the majority Of them, 1 think,
would leave the scounty. Professional
tramps would also steer clear of Pittsburg
and Allegheny, and we would be benefited
by their non-appearance in the summer
months"
Three of the Southern States employ con-
victs on the public highways with good ef-
feet. In New Orleans the men are made to
work upon the streets of the city. In every
community where it has been tried it has
been found that trRmps give the place a
wide berth, and drunken crimes are on the
decrease.
JUDGE sIAGLE CANNOT GO.
Judge Jacob F. Slagle said last evening
that be had not given much attention to the
problem for solution at the workhouse, be-
cause he knew that he would be unable to
accompany the Prison Board, on its visit.
He is now holding Criminal Court, and
cannot leave, the Porter trial at present
claiming his attention. The Judge said
that the board felt that something should be
done to give work to theidle prisoners, buthe
was not aware that any particular plan had
been suggested. 1t might be possible that
the men would be put to work on the high