The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-10-19
SATURDAY...OCTOBER, 10, 1901
Weather forecast for Fred
erickSburg and Vicinity.
Cooler soith heGDy frost
WOULD WORK THEM on ROADS.

The Richmond News. an advocate
of working the cOnvictS on the roads,
had recent interview with Delegate
j. II. Lindsay, of the Constitutional
Convention, in which that able legiS-
latOr and newspaper man advanced
some ideas that are worthy OF con-
sideration. As The FREE LANCE has
been sometimes supporting themove'
ment for utilizing our penal colony
in this way we take the liberty OF re
producing extracts from the inter
view to reinforce our position. In
subsequent issues We viii give the
matter additional thought.
Editor Lindsay. of Charlottesville. is
one member of the Constitutional Con
yention who wants TO make the public
roads of Virginia fairly passable in winter
and 10 enhance the values of real estate
in the State. Mr. Lindsay believed the
solution of the road problem and sup
preston of crime was TO be found in the
working of convicts on the public roads.
He has a plan To allow cOuI Is in the
various counties to sentence people con-
victed of crime TO the county jail, the I'M
Outstanding being that when sentenced
the term is to be employed in improving
the highwaysfOr the benefit OF the public.
Mr.. Lindsay is an enthusiast on the SUD
ject. lie said. in the course OF his remarks
on the subject of good roads;
The question Of good roads is one OF
the most important, in my humble opiU-
ion. that can come before the Convention.
If the people of Virginia fully realized the
advantages which would be derived from
good roads this Convention would be
flooded with memorials and petitions
urging definite action upon the matter.
Statistics show that the average cost OF
marketing ton ofcrOps in this country Is
SHOP. and that the average cost OF haul
ing a ton a distance of one mile is 20
cents In Germany the average cost is
-. cents per ton mile. while IN the dis
tricts of Hanover and Munichit amounts
to less than cents a mile. In the noun
famous country of Switzerland the aver
age cost of hauling ton mile Is only ;
cents. 4 careful estimate. made by gov
eminent officials. reveals the astounding
fact that the annual cost of haulage Of
farm products in this country amounts
TO nearly one billion dOllars-Or hall the
value of those products for the year $50.
1t will be easily seen what an immense
saving would result from macadamizlng
the public roads and thus reducing the
cost two-thirds, as evidenced by the eX-
perience of Germany, Italy. Belgium and
other countries of Europe
In the present financial condition OF
our people. there seems to me but one
practical way in which the roads OF the
State can be improved, and | have en-
deavored TO impress this view upon the
members of the Constitutional Conven-
ton 1t is to permit the counties to
sentence their shOrt-term cOnyicts (those
whose terms do not exceed tive-years)
upon the roads of any county in given
section which is willing to provide Tor
guarding and supporting them. Expe-
rience has demonstrated that you can
work cOnvicts on the county roads at a
less expense than you can keep them un-
employed in The jails or public prisons
at the same road taX-Tate as prevails
in Albemarle county, this State, Mecklen-
burg county in North Carolina, by the
use OF cOnvicts, has constructed in recent
years over one hundred miles of the best
macadamized roads. Throughout the
year the farmers of Mecklenburg county
can haul as much as 5000 pounds with
a twO-horse team that would scarcely be
able to pull an empty wagon over some
of the winter roads in Virginia.
- In view of the necessity of either pro-
viding additional accommodations at
the penitentiary, or of relieving the pres
ent congestion by allowing counties to
sentence criminals TO work upon the
roads, the question is one of peculiar in
terest at this time. As between spend
ing 100000 to 100000 in providing
additional room at the penitentiary or
putting the convicts on the county roads,
cannot see how the committee or the
Convention can fail to reach conclusion
favorable to what seems so manifestly in
the interest of economy and road i'm
provement."