Arizona republican., 1905-02-11
ConvIcts on Road Work.

In Colorado, as in Arizona, there is
widespread demand for the utiliza-
ton of convict labor in the construc-
ton of roads. In response to this de-
mand in the Centennial state, the leg
islature has taken up the subject in
earnest. Concerning the matter
writer in the Denver Times says:
Next to keeping a man out of pris-
on there is nothing more important
than giving him something to do while
he is in prison that will make him a
better man when he gets out. Work is
the great problem. Senator Lewis has
a bill providing that convicts may be
employed in road building, and senate
bill $685. by Senator Taylor, entitled
"An act for the employment of prison
ers confined in the penitentiary of this
state" embodies the principles of the
New Mexico law, and will, If 1t be
passed, make the labor of prisoners of
the trusty class available upon the
public roads of Colorado. In ten years
time there might be network of
broad smooth roads through the
mountains, making this Switzerland of
America as accessible as it's prototype
of the old world and turning the feet
of thousands who seek the Swiss
mountains because of the comfort in
which one may travel among them to
this state.
The strength of this bill is in its
elimination of the contractor. 1t places
the sole direction of the work, its pros
ecution and management, the expendi-
ture of the appropriations and the care
of the prisoners doing the work, in the
proper person, the warden of the peni-
Tertiary. 1t places in the hands of this
warden the strongest possible weapon
wherewith to compel willing and eff
ficient service from the men employ
ed, the extra good time, for men who
are faithful in this work are to receive
their release at an earlier date than
others No warden thus trusted, thus
fully charged with direct responsibility
for the successful accom- lishment of
a specific work, would dare misuse
either the funds or the men.
Roadmaking by prison labor has
been looked upon with disfavor, main
Iy because of the practice in the south
ern states to contract such labor. An
experiment in road building, however,
made during the past year in New
Mexico has aroused great interest on
account of the excellent character of
the road built and because of the sue
cess met with by the authorities in
handling the men and the money. Hon.
James w. Abbott, special agent for the
Rocky Mountain and Pacific coast di-
vision for the office of public road in
quiries, states:
Until you have seen what 1 have
seen and hear what L have heard, you
simply can not believe what these peo-
pie have done and are doing. They
have actually solved the problem of
utilizing convict labor for roads. The
south has not solved it. A negro con-
vict is a slave. His condition is more
deplorabIe than it ever was in ante
bellum days.
"'Such conditions afford no solution
of the convict question. After my
southern Investigations. I felt that they
had made the questions more difficult,
rather than less so.
New Mexico has tackled it and ac-
tually solved it. They are building the
very best piece of mountain road west
of the Mississippi river. The convicts
are contented, happy, interested, en-
thusiastic, proud of their accom- plish-
ments and being made over into good,
desirable citizens. The work. they are
doing will be a monument for all time
to the superior intelligence of the gift
ed men who secured the legislation.
and a most conspicuous guidepost on
the road to better highway conditions
for all the people of this country"