St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-08-13
A WAY TO GET GOOD PUB
Lie ROADS.

Every year there are hundreds
OF persons convicted. Of crimes in
our State. A large per ventage Of
these are sentenced 10 bard labor
in the State penitentiary; they are
leased to individuals. eio work
them on levees, railroads and at
whatever else the lessecs can get
for them to work at prolitably.
Those confined in the parish Pris-
ons generally do nothin. and are
fed and cared for at the public ex-
pense.
This expense entails AZ onerous
burden, Of which property IN al
localities must share an equal pro-
portion, and . most serious question
has ior many years been discussed
touching the manner IN which eon'
victs can be employed without COM
peting with the labor Of our free
citizens. No solution has yet been
reached which seems to meet the
case. Labor osysuixstieHs have
repeatedly demanded tina. oonvicts
he made to earn their own slsten-
ance by the performance of public
work. aud notably that Of construc-
ting and maintaining the public
roads. Such labor has been utilix.
ed in other countries to the great
advantage OF the public, and it Of
fers such an arrsrsnt double ad-
vantage in the reduction OF the
public tax and the solution Of the
convict labor question that it is
well worthy Of thorough trial.
But besides the regularly Soa-
victed criminals there IL an I'm.
mense vagrant population, COM
prised mostly Of able-bod:ed men.
drifting about from one part Of the
country to another, and Gass.asoaly
called cramps. They have large.
~ increased in number during the
last few years, and have become
one Of the social problems Of the
day. 1t is not unlikely that il all
the tramps in ; given town we're
compelled bv law to do little
work now and then upon the pub
lie roads. and thus pay tribnte to
the public that clothes and feeds
them. the growth Of this species Of
lazy vagrancy would be considera-
bly, checked.
A change OF our State law bear
ing on tins subject would have to |
be and ought to be made at the |
next session Of the general assem-
bly, SO IS 10 remit the punishment
81 al criminals, except th,se SEN
fenced for long terms say, from
i've years upwards-tO the par.
shes in which the criminal was
to work out his term Of
sentence on tire public roads.
In cases of extreme danger to
he levees the State might call on
he parishes for squads Of ;convicts
0 serve during the existence OF such
LANCER, paying each parish for
lie services Of its c0nvicts.
1t occurs to us this pla. would
accomplish two very important re-
0rMs.
1t would not only lessen the
lumber OF criminals in the States
'ris0n and enable the parishes to
btain some return Of the cost Of
maintaining and prosecuting per-
pms charged Of crime, but it would
lsO give them . constant working
orce that, with improved labor
aving machines. could keep every
Dad Of any importance in perfectly
God condition.
Under the present law the par
hes bear all the expense OF board
e, guarding and prosecuting
and while the State de-
ives . good revenue froM those
and sentenced to the l
tate's prison, the parishes do not !
ct cent in return for the cxpen-
IS they have borne.
This Is all wrong. II the State
to receive all Of the pecuniary {
eneiit from these convictions the
arishes should be reimbursed out !
the revenues derived from the
ire of their convicts.
Two ways can therefore be open
l by Legislative enactment for the ]
arishes to obtain an efficient
,ad system. One is embraced
the suggestion that the par ,
hes be authorized to work their
IN c0nvicts on their public !.
,ads; the other to create . road
md OF moneys obtained from {
cal taxes and from the State in '
Of expenses in n
iminal prosecutions, and with this /,
md to maintain an efficient force
road hands.
These suggestions are thrown Q
It for discussion. Rouge
apital Item.
Gov. Buchanan has cOIlmut ed +
e death sentence Of Henry Clay Q
ing to imprisonment fer lie. :
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