The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-03
conviots on &c Puhlie Roads.

]
Prof. Holmes. state geologist OF North
Carolina. does not agree with the views
! expressed by ex-GOv. Northen in respect
y TO working convicts on the public roads.
I Ex-Gov. Northen said recently. in an ar
! ticle in the Manufacturers Record. that
Z free labor on the public roads would be
! found TO be cheaper In the end than con-
Z Wet labor. and that the working Of con-
I victs in public would be harmful TO the
people who saw them and would have a
/ tendency TO still further harden the con-
victs.
Five years ago the legislature Of North
Carolina authorized the use OF convicts
on the public roads under the direction
of county commissioner. Under that law
three Of the largest counties in the state
Mecklenburg. Wake and Buncombe-have
between Is and 100 convicts each on their
roads. and about twenty OF the smaller
counties are each employing a smaller
number of convicts. In two of the larg-
er counties a good deal Of macadauizing
is being done, and I'm all of them satisfac-
tory progress has been made in improving
the roads.
The convicts are humanely treated. and
in some counties no guards at all are em-
ployed. A superintendent is all that is
necessary TO manage the convicts. With
reference TO the effect of the presence
Of the convicts upon the people. Prof.
Holmes says: las TO the claim that the
exposure Of criminals to public view along
the highways hardens their hearts. or that
1t has a bad effect upon the people of the
community, who thus become accustomed
20 seeing these criminals a [ work. I have
neither seen nor heard anything in these
counties to substantiate such a statement.
nor have heard Of a single case in which
the presence Of a convict camp on a high
way has proved to be harmful or a source
Of danger to the community in which it
has been located"
There is one observation of Prof. Holmes
that is especially worthy Of notice It II
that the method Of managing the high,
ways is undergoing a change. He says:
THE old system of working roads is
yearly coming more into disfavor and its
results are becoming more unsatisfactory.
The majority of thinking men realize the
fact that the sooner we can abandon sue
cessfully the old system and inaugurate
one that shall be more equitable in work
ing the roads by taxation, the better it
will be for the agricultural and other in
terests Of the country. In my own brief
experience I have found that the easiest
way of inducing the average county to
levy tax for road purposes is by submit
ting to it the plan for using it's convicts
and improved road machinery in this
work. Nobody, Of course, believes that
the convicts would be able to do all Of the
work necessary in the betterment Of our
public highways; but they could do a con-
siderable amount of work in this direction.
and perhaps the best work that they could
do would consist in stimulating a change
from the old system to the new
While it is true that the leases of the
conviets in this state do not expire for
several years yet, our legislators ought to
be considering what shall be done with
the convicts when the leases are ended.
The results Of working convicts on the
public roads should be carefully studied.