The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-01-16
CONVICT LABOR.

For many years the question of
how to employ penitentisry convicts
has been q live one in this country,
how to employ them and make them
self supporting and useful at the same
time without putting their labor IN
competition with labor outside of the
prieOns
North Caroline has tried to aolve
the problem by working them on
State farms, and hiring them out for
railroad construction, which is only q
partial solution. for even in this way
their labor comes somewhat into CON.
petition with other labor.
The S,sr has repeatedly urged ,ha.
the beet way to employ them is in
road-building. aud has illustrated it
by citing Mecklenburg county, where
several thousand miles of admirable
roads have been constructed with the
labor mainly of county couvicts
This idea is favored IN other states,
and 10 now attracting attention in the
State Of New York, whore it has
been tried BY some Of the oouusies
with - satisfactory results 20 it has
been is Meoklenburg. in this State:
From there the idea 10 spresding to
other states 40 will be seen by the
following. which We clip from the
Cleveland, Ohio, Leader
"The warden of the Kings county.
N T.. penitentisry has succeed in
srousing interest iu . bodybuilding
project which he 10 advocating. and
II HE plans Can be carried out q long
step will have been taken In The
direction Of tho solution of the prob.
TEN - to what should be done with
convict labor. he proposes that a
highway be constructed from New
York to Buffalo. . distance of more
than 400 miles, and the work be
performed entirely by convicts. He
thiUks the road could be completed
il ten years without expense TO the
State. in view of present conditions
"There are several strong srgu
meots in favor Of road building by
oonvicts. In the first place, i. would
take the convicts out Of competition
with FREQ labor in industrial lines.
In tho second place, il would give
the prisoners heslthful outdoor en-
ploynent In the third place, il
would devote the labor of the con.
victs to improvements which would
be Of benefit to the people
"MsDy Of the finest rosds in Europe
are constructed and kept 10 repair by
convict labor, and in view of tho con.
slant agitation for good roads, and
slso against the leasing of oouvio.
labor to contractors engaged in the
manufacture of goods sold 10 the
open market in competition with the
products Of free labor. there is no
reason Why the inauguration of such
q plan in the United States should
not be favored
Experience has taught that it is
bad policy to maintain convicts in
idieness-bad for the men ss we'll as
costly and extrsvsgsus for the State
and there is no doubt that the Civ.
ing Of employment in the open air at
road building or similar work would
have very beneficial reformatory
effect upon large percentsge Of the
prisoners.
We have 10 round numbers twelve
hundred peni,entisry convicts in this
State Several hundred of them are
employed on the fsrms. others hired
out The State derives no benefit
from their labor, save the reduction
it may make in the coat of keeping
them IL these convicts. or 40 many
OF them as practicable, were put TO
work upon the public roads, on some