The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1905-01-25
11IIl0 DIG THE BIG DITCH With CONV|CTS
.,.,d Re Hard to Raise the Army of Forty Thousand
1aborers Required for the Task Would Ben
eft the Convicts Themselves

The empty AL4NA
,r+a,n restrictive conditions to cut
isi ,,tbmiap canal is a project on
i ls,.n senator Charles H. Dietrich of
s SI has some very pronounced
NeO's GAYS the Washington CORE
'''" sor+ Of the New York Post. He
nv ,,so these as the basis for at least
lD1 r,ece of tentative legislation in the
raining session.
fO In19 Of the important problems in
.,os+ruction of the Panama canal
~ .ho employment of labor" he said
.tber day to a friend. another is
l. hnfIding of the canal with the least
" s,,o loss Of life. Modern methods
In undoubtedly solve the latter and
%,rova the employment of convict
~ world help to solve the former.
'"n army of 10000 or 10000 laborers
.,Id not be hard to raise. The diff
LnI+r would be in its selection and in
,,,,rovement of the condition Of
4 anal region. Trade unions have
,.,oriaIized the government to build
Il oonaI with union labor, and other
s.niqo+ions have sent to Washington
r. more liberal prayer that only Amer
labor be employed. Laudable and
s+riotic as these requests are, 1t IS
q 'sh+frl if the canal could be built en-
,oIr nnder either plan. In the hrst
H. if is questionable whether the
ado unions of the United States can
8rodnce enough laboring men to carry
tho work. In the second place, be-
orsa Of the fact that unemployed Ia
~ Of any kind is today & compare
rolv scarce quantity in America, 1t
onId be difficult, if not impossible, to
D,rn,+ the entire army in the States.
Tn the state, federal, military and
wal prisons of the United States are
bufDed approximately $4,000 men, or
[bom 250OO are idle or are employed
contract labor. The others are en-
loved on government account at du-
IS incidental to the care and main
snoncp of their places Of confinement.
BrohohIv not more than half of the to-
number of prisoners are ablebod1ed.
rawing the line of physical disability
In further. probably % per cent are
HE 70 withstand the adverse condl-
ms of a tropical climate. In the
ousiana penitentiary it was found
bat q per cent of the prisoners were
hvsicallv able to perform work in the
butberDmost swamps of that state,
here they were successfully employed
buildipg levees under the most ad-
Prse conditions prevailing anywhere
the United States. Taking these
lures as a basis, it is estimated that
pward of 10000 prisoners would be
Eaiable for employment on the ca
Would your idea be purely the saw
g Of mOney?" the senator was asked
'Bv no means" he answered. 1t
ould be in the interest of humanity
bite as much. There always have
Ben and always will be serious obJec-
bns to the confinement without en-
byment of persons who have violated
Be law Our prison stockades are a
Afeguard to society, but they are OF
ftle value in the way of improving
ae morals of those confined within
fem. The system is particularly PAD
bere persons are confined without
Aything to Go, a condition due some
PIES 70 local objections to the employ
ent Of convict labor either under con-
bet or on government account. In
Rnufactures the competition between
Fylct labor and legitimate American
pOr may be unfair for the reason
aat convict labor can be more cheaply
Formed, especially if compulsory.
the use OF such labor there are also
Pnomie objections. Jobbery in the
ing Of contracts alone has tended
Drng the system into disrepute.
But the foregoing objections do not
% in the employment of our prison
under military control in the con-
uctlon Of the Panama canal and 9th
sOyernment works. Such practice
ulo be consistent with good judg-
AV and not inconsistent with fair