The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-05-31
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Great Missouri Highways Proposed.
Since the discussion of plans for inn
proving the highways of Missouri has
bccore so general and the matter is Of
such widespread interest, an old scheme
that was presented to the general as
late George NJ. Lane, of st. Louis Coun-
ty, has been revived. Mr.. Lanes idea
was to construct two great roads clear
across the State-one from Kansas City
to st. Louis, and the other from the
Iowa to the Arkansas line. He intro
duced bill making provision for the
same, and it received a great deal of
attention and in some quarters was
highly complimented. At thai time,
however, Mr.. Lanes bill was sidetrack-
ed To make room for a constitutional
amendment empowering county courts
to increase the tax levy fos the i'm
pr0yemeDt of public highways. Lately,
this amendment was held to be void by
the Supreme Court.
1t was Mr.. Lanes idea that convict
labor could be utilized in constructing
these highways and that leading to
them other roads would be built. The
cost was then estimated at S1,3OO,000.
Mr.. Lane contended that if two such
highways We're constructed across the
State. it would be the beginning of a
system by which Missouri would be
provided with the best public roads of
any State in the Union.
The plan of working convicts on the
roads has been discussed for years in
this State. Prison officials and others
cOnversant with the difficulties that
would offer agree that it would be a
very grave mistake to attempt anything
of the kind. Still, they say it would
be entirely practical to prepare mate
rial for the construction of highways at
the penitentiary by convict labor. An
inexhaustible supply of stone can he
obtained in close proximity to the
prison. In fact, the State owns sixty
acres of land adjoining the prison that
is, with the exception of fifteen acres,
a vast rock quarry. Enough stone can
be had right there to macadamize two
great highways clear across Missouri.
should the State undertake the work.
There are not maIly convicts, however,
who could be utilized for work of this
kind under the present conditions at
the penitentiary. Some 1900 of the
most available convicts for quarry and
stone work, or in fact, any other kind
of work, are employed by the contrac-
tors. These contracts have from three
TO five years to run, so unless the State
should in the future forbid the leasing
of convict labor to contractors, there
would not perhaps be more than 300
men who could be utilized in preparing
road material.
1t has been stated that the railroads
would be glad to aid in any substantial
move calculated TO better the high.
ways, and to this end, would ship ma.
terial for road construction at the cost
Of transportation. Among the river
counties there is abundance of material
for making macadam and in nearly all
of the counties south of the Missouri
River there is abundance of the raw
material. In many Of the counties
north of the river, howeve-, there is
no stone, and it would be necessary TO
ship material for road construction to
these, and in the very nature of things
this would be costly method. Still
while material would be a big item
in road building in those counties, the
expense of grading would be nominal,
and 1t is believed that the total cost IN
the prairie counties would be no great.
er than in the broken and billy coun.
ties south Of the river.
The question of utilizing convict la.
Dor in some way on the public high
ways will undoubtedly come before tbs
iext general assembly in some shape or
other. 1t will have many advocates.
1t always has had, and particularly so,
since Texas has adopted a system of
using her convicts ON the roads. which
is said to be working very well. The
first obstacle in the way will be the
existing contracts for the convict la.
bor No matter how much the State
might desire to use the convicts on the
roads, such system could not be in
augurated to any great extent for some
years to come, unless in the meantime,
the legislature should abrogate the con.
tracts. 1t has never been the policy OF
Missouri to break contracts of any kind
When the contracts end the prison viii
cease to earn anything and will be-
come charge upon the State to the ex
tent of more than a quarter Of a million
dollars annually.
All plans calculated for the better
ment of the roads are being vigorously
discussed since the Supreme Court de
clared the increased road tax amend.
ment to be invalid. The country dis
tricts are face to face with a very Der.
picking problem. The people cannot
vote taxes upon themselves for the
construction of roads, at least not
enough to make necessary improve.
tents Many of the country newspa.
.'ers have taken to printing the names
of the farmers who voluntarily con.
tribute time and labor to making the
highways passable as means of en-
couraging others to do So In fact nc
subject is exciting the interest in the
agricultural districts of to-day half sc
much as the improvement Of the public
highways City Journal
Col