Holbrook argus., 1903-03-21
FOR GOOD ROADS
LABOR AND AUTOMOBILE MANU-
 LECTURERS JOIN HANDS
Hon Martin Is!ge is the First Labor Leader to Advocate This Course, Although It Has Been Suggested by Many Speakers and Writers

Makers, which met Ill Detroit, FeD- ruary 18th and 14th, was remarkable
 in this respect, that Mir. George Burns, the great labor leader and President of the Michigan Labor Union, advocated the use of prison labor, either in building roads or in preparing material to be used for hardening their surfaces. He is the first great labor leader to advocate this course, although it has been sug- gested by many speakers and writers on this question during the past ten years. MT. Burns sees that it would be clearly in the interest of such prison labor and also in the interest of free labor to have the great army of prisoners, now in the jails in the various States, who are doing no good for themselves and adding nothing to the commonwealth, applied to the road proposition in some form or other. Many people object to sug- gestion of this kind because they say that the use of such labor for such a purpose would have contaminating influence in the community where the work is done. But to avoid such result Mir. Burns showed how this labor could be applied in the prepa- ration of material, either brick or broken stone, where the prisoners could be worked in inclosures as they now are. The products so produced would not come in contact with free labor as the articles generally pro- duced by such labor do; consequently by this course you avoid competition with the manufacturer who offers for sale the manufactured article, or com petition with the free laborer who works to produce these articles, and at the same time the prisoner is re- ceiving more useful instructicn' hay ing more healthful exercise and adding greatly in the course of years to the commonwealth. If MT. Burns idea, which is undoubtedly sound and wholesome one, should be adopted by the labor unions of this country generally, it would bring to the road cause very great and much needed aid.
 The great meeting of the Automo- ht1a Mon,r fo of nf Ar,,n,ioo hold in Chicago soon after this Detroit convention, February 20th and Dist, developed the fact that all of the Automobile Manufacturers of America are heartily in favor of some general plan of road building that shall be applicable to all the States in the Union. Being unanimous in this view they adopted resolution indorsing the passage of the Brownlow bill which provides for system of National State, and local cooperation in the permanent improvement of the public highways. It is very evident from the logic of events that the time is rapidly approaching when the friends of good roads cause will be able to unite many forces in favor of the gen. eral plan of road improvement that have heretofore been either indiffer- ent or hostile. The labor leaders gen. erally have been hostile to the idea of applying the prison labor to this work but, now one of the most pro- gressive leaders of organized labor has come forward and indorsed in the most hearty and intelligent way the idea of applying this labor to the general welfare of the community by building up the public roads. In order, however, that this shall be made possible the road building