Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-09-30
SOUTHERN ROAD-MAKING
NORTH cAROLlNA'S METHOD OF CON.
STRUGGLING HIGHWAYS.


the Counties-Under This System the
State is Getting Rid of the Tramps.
The law in North Carolina permit
ting the sentencing of offenders to
work upon the roads has been in exis-
tence for six years, but as yet, says a
Raleigh letter to the New York Post,
only seventeen of the ninety-six coun-
ties have availed of it, and in the ma
Jorlty of the seventeen it is of compar-
atively recent application. Its good
results, however, are manifest, and
the plan having passed beyond the ex-
perlmental stage, many additional
counties are expected TO avail them
selves Of the laws advantage at an
early date. Several committees from
other States have inspected the system
with a view to its adoption.
A mistaken impression has gone
abroad that practically all the convicts
in the State are thus employed, when,
III reality, only the petty offenders, or
those receiving sentences of less than
five years, are sentenced ''to the
roads" The penitentiary convicts,
about 1000 in number, are employed
on the estate farms" These farms,
three in number, are plantations of
several thousand acres, AS three
fourths of the convicts have worked at
agricultural pursuits, the force so OBJ
tanned is very good one for farming
purposes. At these farms the con-
victs raise cotton and corn principally.
They are worked under the guard-sur-
veillance system, and are confined in
strong stockades 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 produce. For a number of years
the penitentiary has been self-support-
ing, the profits of the farms being suf-
ticient to feed and clothe all the in
mates and guards and to meet the
other expenses.
The law gives Superior Court Judges
the discretion OF sentencing prisoners
to the roads" or to the penitentiary.
But the main sources OF supply Of
road-makers are the Mayors courts
and those of justices of the peace.
The convicts from these courts, es-
peclally II they are residents of the
locality where convicted, require little
or no guarding" one guard being
ample Tor squad OF twenty'to fifty OF
TINS class OF workers. This fact
probably accounts for the misstate-
ment going the sounds that the con
vlcts require no guard and are allowed
hnmn GnpnI
Their families. The latter privilege is
not accorded to any OF the convicts,
though IN some few cases it probably
could be done with safety.
This system of working petty often
ders not only assures good roads, but
1t has the effect of ridding North
Carolina towns OF the vast army of
Northern tramps who make their way
South every year with the beginning
OF cold weather Whenever tramp
Is arrested here, under the general
vagrant laws or municipal ordinances,
he IS invariably given thirty days on
the roads as an initial dose, at the
end OF which period he is ordered to
leave town. If he does not comply
"t'AA 'At' NANVi Nltllii twenty -IOllG
hours he is sentenced to sixty days
term, but 1t is seldom that Il second
dose IS necessary. The tramps leave
as soon as opportunity presents itself,
and warn all of their stripe to beware
OF the State. These convict road
makers do not come in contact with
free labor, for the reason that they
are not employed on the roads or
streets inside the corporate limits,
but on the country roads leading into
towns which heretofore have received
little attention.
For miles in every direction the
roads leading into this city are now
macadamized, and present beautiful
appearance. Some of the country
roads are better than the roadways of
some OF the streets within the corpora
hon, although the convict system has
been in operation only year or two.
h. I