The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-02-01
CONVICT LABOR HAS
BUILT FINE ROADS
AROUND CHARLOTTE
Engineer In Charge Writes In
teresting Letter About Fin
est Reads In the South
PAYS TO GO IN DEBT 70
BUILD FINE HIGHWAYS
Beginning In 1881, Political Differences
Caused Much Friction In Mecklen-
burg County, and Hard Work
Has Eliminated Strife.

In reply to a request, The Age-Herald is
in receipt of a letter from Samuel t
Stowe. superintendent and engineer OF
roads in Mecklenburg county, North Car.
DINA, where there is a system of roads
surrounding Charlotte that is unequaled
in the south.
They are famous for their beauty as
well as fine construction, and an express
sion such as follows, from the engineer
in charge, is invaluable:
ITO the Editor of The Age-Herald:
I'VE have no printed matter at present
bearing directly on bodybuilding. VIZ
commenced macadam road construction ir
Mocklenburg county, North Carolina, in
the year 1881, in very crude, ignorant
manner, and experimental until 1891, be-
fore we began to build permanent, modern
roads. Political differences were our great
trouble in our own ranks, democratic;
in short, each official thought he knew
what TO do.
I'VE had too many ignorant road build
ers. Ten years gave us experience and
knowledge, and we began to employ COM
DtltIt titn, ItSdIul u pllcS, ciio "
experiment with all kinds of road ma
chinery and to study and watch our re-
suits.
About 1891 we organized a second con-
vict force and equipped same with good
management, the most experienced we
could get, and put the whole under an en-
cheering basis, and we began to gel
- 70 ora
still experimenting, and improving in
some way all the while for the general
bctterment of the cause.
1--WE have two convict camps, consist
ing of about rs convicts each, that we
keep on the long extension lines to the
extremes or county limits. We begin all
of our roads at Charlotte, Is in number
We grade, bridge and macadsmize from
IA to 10 miles each year with these two
grading or convict camps.
I'VE have third force, a convict force
of about 40 convicts, whose mission is to
keep in repair the macadam roads under
our convict system. We have also q
fourth repair force, consisting of free
labor working on the same principle. We
can not get convicts enough, hence a re-
pair force by free labor.
1--WE have now 1870 miles of macadam in
the county and about 30 miles in the city
Our macadam roads cost us from $500 tc
$4,000 per mile, the general average being
from $500 to $4,000 per mile, including
bridging and masonry. This estimate Il
IN convict labor basis
Cost of convicts.
"Our convicts cost us about AZ cents per
capita per day. This includes plenty Of
good clothing, board tobacco, medical at
tention, supervision and buildings. Free
laborers on one of our repair forces cost;
us 81. % per capita per day of 10 hours.
"our convict is almost worth two free
laborers; no comparison in the labor
granting they were on equal cost basis
Get every negro in your state on the chain
gang, if you can, and go to building roads
and I think you will agree with me that
the negro problem will be nearer solved
then than when they are citizens of 1eis-
ure and liberty.
"Our jailors' fees are 45 cents per capita
per day, for boarding prisoners, and we
do not get any benefit of his labor at all
On the roads we get his labor and main
tenance for cost of AZ cents per capita
per day, and he is worth $1.25 per capita
per day, in short, the county realizes a
net profit of So cents per capita per day
by working them on the roads. By keep
ing them in Jail they cost 10 cents per day
II yna,ld ,4f tnx
any roads. Or in short, $50 convicts OF
prisoners in Jail idle would sink the coun-
ty, at 45 cents, $s7 so per day, $2625 per
month or $31 500 for year. Say $50 con-
victs at the same cost per capita per
day, or month, while on the gang would
be $31 800 per annum. Say net profit OF
SIS cents per capita for $50 convicts for L
months would be in round numbers, on
30-day basis, $4,000.
"Your cost to maintain and operate your
convicts will not exceed the cost given
above; if it should, it will be a lack of
proper management. When your people
consider the fact from a business stand
point that $50 of your worthless negroes
will bring you a revenue of about $4,000
per annum, and give you good roads,
and reverse your proposition, while in
Jail they cost you about $4,000 per an
mum, and no roads, it does seem to me
that they should sit down and listen to
reason for one hour and think where
they are at.
81 do not favor class legislation against
the masses at all, but do say, of all peo-
pie on the face of the globe, the farmers
and working class of people are the ones
who should favor good roads movements.
First, because the fellow who has the
money and property is the party who
pays this road tax, and not the poor devil
who hasn't anything. Second because the
farmer or laboring man is direct bene-
ficiary from all points of view. The farm
ers get to furnish teams, material and
feedstuffs for the construction work. lie
gets a per diem for himself and gets a
road for himself practically at the other
fellows cost. Still he does not want to
put debt on his children.
you can say to those wise Isaacs, so
long as they will follow the intelligence
and wealth of the county or state they
will not suffer under oppressive debts.
Embarrassment of Property.
Everybody is helped, all land values
are increased, rural mail routes are estab-
lished and will reach remote rural dis
tricts, telephone systems are promoted
along the lines of macadam roads,
churches and schools flourish, residential
improvements are noticeable, and civilian
ton is apparent on every hand. Time
consumed in marketing farm products is