The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-03-13
CONVICT LABOR
ON ROADS OF
STATE
motoring" Morgan, a Close
Student of Subject,
Gives His Views.


No man has worked harder or more
consistently for good roads through
out the entire country than has W. j.
(Motoring) Morgan, the world-famous
and most successful promoter Of mo-
toring events, says the Jacksonville
sTfmes-Union. He has Nstudied the
road question thoroughly and his ad-
vice, as given in the following inter
view. secured with him yesterday by
a Times Onion reporter, Is timely and
deserving of more than mere passing
yuotice. Mr.. Morgan, when asked
Inbout the road question and the pro-
sposed use of convict labor thereon,
<gaid:
( ssEyery well wisher and believer in
1.-THE undoubted great future OF Flor
Ida is fully alive to the tremendous
fdrportauce that can be attached To
the outcome of the endeavor to have
lrhe prison labor OF the state used for
froad building and the fats of the bills
Eahat viii be produced at Tallahassee
Inext April.
Gas one who has labored in the in
gferest of the movement north and
bsouth, I believe now, as I believed
televen years ago. when I interviewed
fthe governors Of the south on the
tproposition, that prison labor cannot
kbe utilized with better results than it
can In providing much needed good
roads for every state in the Union
Beginning the Work.
"About twelve years ago l found
tconvicts making bicycles in the state
Ipenitentiary at Michigan City, Ind.
lat Hartford, Conn, found them max
ting shoes, and in the South / found
ishem making all kinds of things in
direct competition with free skilled
labor. ~
at that time was employed on a
Chicago bicycle journal and the
League of American Wheelmen had
100000 members, the majority Of
whom were working for and agitating
for good roads / said to- them, why
not use prison labor instead OF the
various states using it to compete
against the free skilled labor?
ITO that end interviewed the gov
EilQso nOltA1 ch0 oodNAA <sA0 oCAS my
impressions and findings to my paper
and to several northern and western
papers The bicycle riders were the
first agitators for good roads. We
needed them, as we rode the tall
bicycle with solid tires, and many a
fall have / had on a bad road at
night.
Farmers Want Roads.
1.-THE farmer, after awhile, saw that
the bicycle rider was a good road
evangelist, and he. stopped calling
him monkey on a stick and worked
with him for side paths and roads.
The farmer now is one of the most
enthusiastic good roads advocates and
he has welcomed the automobile,
recognizing the fact that the automo-
bile is a full brother to the carriage,
and after getting over his resentment
lcaused by the shying of his horse at
the new method OF transportation, he
will even now assist in pulling an au-
itomobiie out of a hole. And the au-
tomobile occasionally helps the farm
ar out.
Labor unions will undoubtedly sup
port the proposition to employ prison
labor In other directions than in com
petition with the free skilled labor.
and 1t would not surprise me to see
the influence OF labor unions apparent
at Tallahassee thie spring, urging the
passing of a bill looking toward en-
pioyment of the states prisoners,
(which of course include the county,
for the purpose of building state
froads.
The Coming Legislature.
ST have not examined into the
lmerits of the MacWiIliams bill, but
IL do know the gentleman and know
aim TO be live good roads wire in
St Johns county. / do, however, be-
rueve and agree with the Times-Union
THAT instead of employing half of the
kprisoners on the roads, all should be
lSsmployed
John B., Parkinson, of Daytona.
has prepared a bill, OF is preparing
Ift, and has been working on it for
the last six months, looking toward
the employment of ali prison labor
of Florida ON the roads Of the state.
Il sent Mr.. Parkinson copy of the
prison labor bill that think viii pass
the Michigan legislature this winter
which will employ all the prisoners of
the state in bodybuilding. The copy
Of the bill was sent to me BY the
Hon. Horatio Earle, commissioner OF