The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-03

to town and on neghborly visits? My opinion is, that any neighbornood where such a bastile would be located would send a committee to the Board Of ReVe- nue every day until said bastile was re- moved.
 Humanitarian Argument.
 I notice that some advocates of nav ing convicts work on the public roads take the humanitarian side of it. l agree with them on that, but l do not thlhk that the convict. if he had his eholce, would court the public gaze on public roads except as better means of mak- ing his escape But, to go back to the subject in regard to the comparison or free and convict labor; l have shown that each convict earns for Jef1efson county S2l.90 net per capita per month, or $3S. 40 per capita per month, gross, where he is now. If We transfer him to the county roads we transfer man thal will cost the county SSS.40 per month. Now the free man We can hire at Ma per day and only pay him for every day he works. or say for comparison that he works every working day G6 days) Tn the month, at S1. D per day, which would make $32. .50 per month; then he IS So.p per month cheaper than the convict.
 As to the comparative merits of both men as laborers, l do not want to dls- cuss that; l will leave it to the intelligent voter and taxpayer. It is indeed sad commentary on free labor to compare their thrift and energy to that of an unfortunate felon, shackled, without hope or ambition, and his only incentive 10 work the fear of the lash at night
 I think I have clearly shown the fallacy of putting conVicts instead of free labor on our public roads. Evidently great many who advocate putting the convicts
 a xNrn F-a the contract referred to above, exist ing between Jefferson county and the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad com pany and which does not expire until December 31, 1909, although these facts were published very often in the daily papers. Would it be right to break this contract if we could? I do not know of any class in Jefferson county who would be more benefited by removing the convlcts from the mines and placing them on the public roads than the miners, yet knowing the miners as l think 1 do, l do not hesitate to state that they would not ask us to break contract whether written or verbal. Their high sense of honor would cause them to respect a contract whether written or verbal and they would appreciate the position of the members of the Board of Revenue, who feel that the contract made with the Tennessee Coal, Iron and 4,ailroad company is binding. The aforesaid con- tract is a written one, and bonds given, l hence no chance to break it or put the convcts on the roads before January 1, 1910.
 True we have a clause which we may take advantage of, when the weather will | permit us to do so, ito take not less than 1 20 nor more than 50 abebodied convicts" and work them on the public roads at any 1 time.
 Roads Not So Bad.
 1 Now a few words about the present 1 condition of our roads and the system 1 under which they are worked In the l first place, all this cry a bout bad roads
 is a good deal like that mad dog' cry once uttered everyone takes it up 1 and repeats 1t; many without investiga- 1 tion Y ou sober minded men pause and 1 think of the kind of weather we have 1 had this winter; rain, rain, rain, and l with all the bad weather and rain since | last October, the roaus are in fairly good | condition. Now, they are not all mac I adamized, nor will they be for some I time but the leading roads are in fair | shape right now
 ! Take the road from Birmingham by l Irondale and Trussville and on to the
 county line at Argo, it is all macadamized 1 and in good condition except aboqt a l mile and a half, which we intend finish l ing as soon as the Weather will iper-
 m.. qo-,,e road from ESst Lake thrA,gh ,,I ut l".o pus aGhalkviile, claJand on to the peq orns sseo n 'qt 5ooor rr- springv e is in good supseu peq eelllmFssSsef fr ap North sU n1ar' Rir usnolua IIlq eql lss Rrp5 Iepa,rea i,1 . at It