Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-26

operate both stone crushers and SCAN
Shovels.
Almost 800 counties, representing dozen
southern states, employ convict labor upon
their roads The convict force constitutes
vast army of 4ST7 road builders each
o. whom costs his state 33IR cents a day
This represents the cost of guarding and
maintaining him on the roads. Were he
left In the county Jail he would cost Ia
cents more per day. Hence. he is a cheaper
article toiling upon the roads than lam
gushing in a cell or Jail yard. All told.
the cost of convict labor in these states
ranges from one-third to one-half that OF
hired labor. employed in the same work
The southern states employing convict
road-builders are Florida Georgia KEN
lucky. Louisiana. Mississippi. North Caro-
una, South Carolina. Tennessee, Texas and
virginia. In the two Carolinas and Geor-
gia such a perfection of system is realized
that large camps are operated at a cost Of
put from 20 to 30 cents per convict per
DAY. PROVISIONS are purchased for the pris-
on camps at wholesale and competitive
rates; the convicts do their own cooking
ana Washing. Owing to the unusually good
sanitation of the camps the cost OF medI.
cal attention is almost nothing
Grow Strong and Healthy.
The physical health Of prisoners employ
ed as road builders is superior TO that Of
the other unfortunates confined in tails and
penitentiaries. This is the result Of out
door physical exercise Another virtue Of
the system is that the prisoners, after In
juring their community by the commission
OF their crimes and after adding to it's
financial burdens by mourning an expense
Tor their capture, conviction and punish
ment, are put In a position to benefit that
community. Having served such an appren-
uceShlp IN the handling Of road-buildng
machinery, the convict leaves prison with
training which enables him to earn n bet
ter living than he probably realized before
only prisoners convicted OF misdemeanors
can De assigned to work on the public roads
or virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ten
nessee, Louisiana, Mississippi Texas Flor
lda and Georgia. The terms Of such con-
victs do not usually exceed one year In
Alabama all abe-bodied male prisoners
whose terms do not exceed two years may
be sent to the roads. In South Carolina
the limit is five years; in North Carolina,
ten.
An experiment now being made I'm some
southern counties is the employment on the
roads Of captured but unconvicted prison.
ers unable to give bail. If the prisoner be
acquitted at his trial he is paid for his SER
vices. III convicted, his period of labor on
the roads is deducted from his term.
MANY convicts in the southern states are
employed on farms, in factories or in
mines. being worked under the lease or
contract system, OF in some cases under
state control.
California convicts quarry and crush
stone for use in permanent road building
i ne cost Is half of what It would be were
hired labor employed.
strong stockades surround these quarries;
also the convict quarters. The percentages
of escapes is no larger than that experi-
enced In 1ails proper. and hence long-term
convicts can be safely employed.
Armies have been employed for road
building in many countries in time OF
peace. Our standing army has always
been too small for such employment but
We ALWAYS maintain in our 1000 county
JAMS. our DenitentiaritS and Our federal
prisons thousands of able-bodied men,
whose labor If properly directed would
greatly add to the national wealth. At the
same time. according to Director Dodge. 1t
would Tighten the pressure OF competition
with free labor by Withdrawing prison
labor from the manufacture of commercial
articles and applying 1t to work not now
performed at all.
English prisoners manufacture goods for
the army and navy and civil service depart