New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-17
COEVICTs ON THE ROADS.

Good roads are worth all and more than all
that they cost under the operation of the law
which provides for State and county co-opera-
ton in New-York But II there is a way OF
lessening the expense without impairing the
quality OF the work or harming any interest
ii ought TO be adopted. The consequence would
be not a reduction Of the amount Of money ap-
plicabie TO the purpose, but an increase in the
number Of miles improved. There is reason to
believe that object might be attained by the en-
ployment OF convict labor, with great advantage
to public and prisoners, In some Western and
Southern States this policy has been increas-
ingly pursued within the last few years. and
official reports of its success are not contra
dicted by other testimony. During the last
summer the experiment was made in Science
tady County, TO the satisfaction Of the local
authorities, we learn from interesting &C
count Of it in The Municipal Journal and En-
gineer"
After an investigation of the subject by a
committee of the Board OF Supervisors. con-
tract was made with the town Of Chenille for
the macadamizing of a particularly bad piece
of road. and in the course Of seven months,
with an average force Of twenty prisoners from
the county fail. two and half miles were put
into excellent condition. The specifications pre-
scribed by the State where State aid is fur
nished were strictly followed, but the county
and town bore all the expense. which, how
ever, was not greater than their share would
have been under the provisions Of the Higbie-
Armstrong law. One guard TO eight prisoners
was found 10 be enough. the men. as rule.
were cheerful and industrious. and the citizens
suffered no annoyance or apprehension Occa-
sionally a convict was indsposed 10 exert him.
self, but he soon changed his mind after being
point, when prisoner became noted for faith
full service and good behavior, to give him en-
ployment at current wages when his sentence
expired. The official report frankly comedies
that some questions were not completely solved
by this brief experiment on a small scale, but
in general the results fully justified the expecta-
tons aroused by similar operations in other
parts Of the country.
1t has long been a grave and at times q really
distressing question how TO find employment for
prisoners without putting them into harmful
competition with free labor. To keep them in
idleness is a cruelty to them and heavy bur
den on the community. Road building IS work
which needs to be intelligently supervised, but
otherwise requires little skill 1t Is not work in
which craftsmen would dislike TO see conytcts
employed 1t is more likely TO be congenial
than obnoxious to the convicts themselves, since
il gives them some of the advantages or lib
erty, while at the same time il tends to eradi-
cate criminal propensities. The chance of es-
capes is small, both because OF the watch kept
and because a man under sentence for a COM
paratively light offence is not often inclined TO
accept such risk OF having his term of i'm
prisonment extended. Undoubtedly the plan is
subject to some objections, and it is possible
that they might prove more serious in this State
than they have been found TO be in the West
and South. though we see no reason to accept
that hypothesis. AT all events, the question
is deserving Of attentive consideration, for it
seems to contain at least partial solution OF
an embarrassing problem and 10 be adapted to
the promotion OF great public improvement.