The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-08-05
NORTH CAROLINA ROADS.
Statement Ofthe Working OF Convict
System in Our Sister State


A Raleigh, North Carolina, cor
respondent Of the Now York Post, has
tho following to say about the roads in
his State
The law in this State permitting the
sentencing OF offenders to work upon
the roads has been in existence for six
years, but as yet only seventeen OF tho
nincty-siX counties have avuiled OF it.
and in the majority OF the seventeen,
IT. Is OF comparatively recent applica-
tlon. Its good results, no @cver, arc
manifest, and the plan having passed
beyond the experimental stage, many
additional counties arc expected to
avail themselves OF the laws advant-
age at an early date. Several com
mittccs from other States huve in
spcctcd the system with u view to its
adoption: ,,.,
abroad that practically all tho con
victs in the State are thus employed,
when, in reality, only the petty 0ilen-
ders, or those receiving sentences OF
less than five years, arc sentenced "to
the roads" Tho pcnitcntiary con-
victs, about 1000 in number, arc
employed on the State farms"
These farms, three in number, arc
plantations OF several thousand acres.
AS thrcc-fourths Of the convicts are
negroes who have worked at agricul-
tural pursuits, the force so obtained Is
is IL very good one for farming pur-
poses. At these farms the c0nvicts
raise c"tton and corn principally.
They are worked under tho guard
surveillance system, and arc confined
in strong stockadcs and prison houses
at night. The State has several
thousand bales Of cotton to sell every
season and great quantities OF corn
and other farm prouucc. For num-
bcr Of years the pcnitcntiary has been
aclf-Suppo"t ting, the profits Of the farms
being sufficient to feed and clothe al
the inmates and guards and to meet
the other expenses. The law gives
Superior Court Judges tho discretion
Of sentencing prisoners to "thc roads"
or to the pcnitcntiary. But the main
sources of supply Of road makers arc
the Mayors Courts and those OF
Justices OF tho peace. The convicts
from these Courts, especially il they
arc residents Of the locality where
convicted, require little or no 'guard-
ing. one guard being ample for q
squad OF twenty to fifty Of this class OF
won kcrs. This fact probably accounts
for the mis- tatmcnt going the rounds
that the cOnvicts require no guard and
arc allowed to go home and spond Sun
day with their families. The latter
privilege Is not accorded to any Of the
convlcts, though in some few cases it
probab.y y could be done with safety.
This system OF working petty oifcn.
dcrs not only assures good roads, but
it has the effect Of Kidding North Caro-
lima towns OF the vast army OF North
crn tramps who make their way South
every year with the beginning of cole
weather. Whenever q tramp is or
rested here, under the general vagran
laws or municipal ordinances, he is in
variably given thirty days on the road
) as an initial dose, at the end of whic
: period he is ordered to leave town,
nc does not comply with this orde
; within twcnty-four hours he is SCI
: fenced to sixty days term, but it
, seldom that second dose Is necessar
y The tramps leave as soon as oppo