Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1897-01-22

The question of the employment of
making and repairing of roads is at
tracing considera BILE attention at pres
ent, particularly because, under the
operation of a section of the revised
Constitution which went into effect at
the beginning of this year, the oppor-
tunities for supplying work to the in
mates of the prisons have been serious
ly restricted. By common consent,
idleuess is the worst possible thing for
these people. They must be kept at
work if they are not to become sullen
and morose, and inclined to make an
end of themselves, as has already hap
pened in two or three cases. Public
sentiment in the State does not stand
behind any plan for keeping the pris-
oners idle, albeit the Constitution was
ratified with this provision in it. 1t
was felt, however,, that it might be
amended, and if the Legislature OF 1875
and that of 1896 had acted favorably
on such a proposed amendment it could
have been su omitted to the people last
November, and become effective on
January /, at the same time as the OBJ
Nnoxious part of the Constitution. AS
matters now are, no amendment can
be made to take effect before the be-
ginning of 1900 and so for three years
TO come the problem of finding work
for the convicts will be pressing one.
In support of the plan of using them
on the roads some strong arguments
are presented by men who have made
a special study of prison questions. In
their minds there is no grave objection
to such employment of the prisoners,
although they recognize the force of
the sentimental objection arising from
the feeling of repulsion likely to be
experienced by some people at the
sight of men in striped clothes at work
in public places, under the supervision
of armed, guards This objection in
the opinion of others is not well
grounded, however and should not be
allowed to stand in the way of the OPP
portunity now presented to the State
of securing many miles of good high
ways at low cost. The work would
first be undertaken, naturally, in the
immediate vicinity of the prisons. |
Even when carried on at a distance of .
several miles the convicts could daily ,
return to their regular quarters. AT
greater distances convict camps would
become necessary, but they could be
so conducted as to be neither nuisance
nor a danger TO the communities in
success of the plan would require care
full organization. While the mainten-
ance of prisoners in camps, with the
necessary guards, would be more cost
ly than their maintenance in the pris-
ons, a large amount of work would be
secured for moderate outlay. The
of the men out-of-doors
would be excellent as respects their
own health, and such employment
could easily be continued during more
than half of each year.
The bill proposed in the last Legisla-
ture for the construction of roads by
convicts on a small scale had merit.
The friends of the good-roads move
ment hope that that bill, or one pro-
Viding for the employment of convicts
in this way more extensively, will
me IT with favor at the present session.
The prejudice against convict labor in
sight of the public is not based they
claim on reason, and now, when the
need of providing work for the prison
an experiment that will do good in
two distinct ways n. y. Tribune.