The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-08-24
WORK THE ROADS.
A Farmer Who Wants Convicts En-
ployed to Repair the Highways

says:
How to construct and keep in
order IA bet er system Of public
roads is a question of the first i'm
portance of the people of any State;
to the city and town people, no less
than to the country people. The
question is not, as some would have
it, how to raise money on bonds,
but how to improve the roads, and
not increase the burden of taxation.
1t is not question of a National
Road Department, with NICE places
for political adventures of high and
low degree. 1t is not question of
nice pavements for your wheel
men" and your fast horsemen. 1t
is plain business question, which
prevents varying conditions in diff
ferent localities.
So far as the State Of Maryland
is concerned 1t may be laid down as
a safe proposition, that none Of tie
counties are able to bear, or will
bear, any material increase of tax
alton for any purpose; and further
none of the towns and cities are
able to meet necessary expenses
within their limits, and must not be
expected to contribute to the eX-
pense Of country roads; to which in
strict equity they ought to con-
tribute. 1t Is however idle to con-
tend that any person ought to do
what is impossible.
AS to the whole question OF the
State aid. ] believe there is one way,
and one way only, in which the
State can contribute any direct aid
to the counties, and that is by con-
Wet labor; to utilize which the only
additional State machinery neces-
sary would be Surveyor Generals
Office at Annapolis.
This labor should be used in CO.
operation and furtherance of work
undertaken by the counties, under
the general direction of IA surveyor
general, a skilled engineer.
am the last of men to advocate
the employment of convict labor in
any such way as to bring into com
petition with honest labor, or in
such a way as to give offense to the
sensibilities of honest labor, or to
impair its dignity or self respect.
1t is evident that Its employment
on the public roads would not COM
pete with honest labor, because it
would be work in addition to as
much employed labor as could posi-
bly, be paid for. 1t would indeed
obviously stimulate the employment
of honest and paid labor. 1t would
settle the whole question of compe-
tition with, or replacement Of hon
est labor by convict laborI 1t would
decrease the criminal expenses of
the State, and of all the counties;
and, by improving the condition of
convcts, tend to diminish crime
through the lessening of the num-
Der of second offences, and of
chronic offenders.
am unable TO discover q valid
objection to this plan, which Is OBJ
vlously recommended by many
weighty considerations, If the
criminal Is not to be restored to his
family and society, when his offence
is eXpiatcd IA better man and not a
worse man. a more efficient and not
a less efficient man-thcn the whole
theory Of punishment is false.
If man who has cXpiated his
offence by working five years on the
public highways be compared with
another who has in solitude and
isolation pegged shoes in IA peniten
tiary cell for five years: which of
the two, morally, mentally and
physically, will show the advantage
of the comparison? The answer is
not doubtful.
AS TO the astonishing WaStCiul-
ness and ineniciency Of the present
county system, much can be said.
1t may be summed up in this, viz:
The money raised by taxation for
work on the roads. is not used TO
pay for work on roads, but is swal-
lowed up in boss hire, for inpumer-
able bosses, mere drones for the
most part, hopelessly incompetent
and scandalously worthless, with
here and there an honorable excep-
ton to accentuate the rule. The
universal, all pervading blight and
curse of these closing years of our
century is "boss hire.
My present purpose, however, is
not to argue every phase of this
great question, but very earnestly
to invoke at the hands Of my fellow
citizens a careful and conscientious
discussion of the underlying ques-
ton Of the employment Of convict
labor upon the public highways,
which my own studies of the Ques-
ton have led NE to look upon as
the only Dractlccd solution Of the