The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-07

and appropriate money for state aid, and In the bill they gave the governor the power to name three commissioners pro- posed in the bill.
 | After the good roads bill was introduced, the governor and his leader. Senator Lusk, began opposition, claiming 1t was uncon- stitutional to appropriate none. for in- ternal Improvements, notwithstanding many other precedents had been pointed out where the state had appropriated money; and at the same session of the legislature Governor Conner, Senator Lusk and others passed bill approprating s25, GOO for the Jamestown exposition. This Is an illustration of Governor Corners in- consistency.
 The Alabama Good Roads association held that if Governor Conner and Sen ator Lusk were sincere in providing economic transportation for the people of Alabama, and the constitution prohibiting. as he and Lusk claimed, the state from appropriating any money for the upbuild- ing of our much-neglected country roads, so that the boys and girls could get to the schools the men and women to the church, then it was the solemn duty of the governor and the legislature to enact a law so that the constitution might be amended, and that the state would aid the counties to improve and provide a
 
 The Alabama Good Roads association followed up the measure, and hence they had Senator OVerton who Is one of the executive committee of the Alabama Good Roads association, to introduce the pro- posed amendment to the constitution of the state.
 Every ton of fertilizer hauled from the steamboat, the railroad or the merchant, in the average haul of 10 miles over the present bad roads, costs 25 cents ton per mile An average haul of 10 miles from the railroad station Is $2.50 per ton. If the roads were made good, such as the amendment to the constitution pro- poses then the cost to the farmers will be 10 cents per mile, a saving on every L ton of fertilizer to the farmer of $l 50. Statistics show that about 100000 tons are used in Alabama a year. This Illustrates only one item. an absolute loss to the farmers of 6o0,O00 per year.
 Last year the cotton crop of the state was 11OO,00o bales. The loss on every bale of cotton that was hauled over the bad roads of Alabama was 34 cents On account of the bad roads we have In Alabama this was another loss of sS74,OO0 to the farmers
 It Is estimated that the farmers sell about 800 900 tons of cotton seed, and on account of bad roads they lose $1 50 on every ton hauled over the neglected roads of the state. This shows another loss of $750,0
 These three farm products are an ex- ample of the enormous tax on the farm CTS of Alabama, and if Governor Conner is sincere in wanting the cheapest transportation rates for the farm prod ucts, he should not oppose the upbuilding of good roads President Alderman one of the greatest southern educators, said at a good roads convention in Louisiana f1,ot I,a 1, l,te life to the cause of education. and he wanted every child to have a common ed- ucation, and he believed that the first step toward accomplishing general educa- tion Is to build good roads. Good roads improve the school houses, give better class of teachers and a longer session of the school year, and very much larger attendance of the children. This is the experience of one of our greatest leaders in the cause of eduea- tion--Mr Alderman. The great Charles Sumner said that the common improved country road would do more for the cause of education and human activity and the upbuilding of the schools and religion than any other agency. The convict is the road-builder. The best and most economic way to construct roads is with convict labor. Where they are properly managed on business prin ciples they will build roads cheaper. At the same time 1t Is the more humane way to treat them, and their labor is for the benefit of all the people. Nor do they come in competition with the manufac- turer who has to hire free labor. Statistics compiled for 1905 show that I convict manufacture in cigars, clothing, 1 shoes, furniture, tinware, harness, lum- | Der, coal iron turpentine and other prod | ucts equals over $34,00O,O00. This is an example of the competition to free man. ufacture and free labor. I have known instances where a convict doctor took the place of free doctor and was hired for less than H cents per day, a convict l saw-filer took the place of a free saw filer at less than 75 cents per day, con- vict bookkeeper took the place of free bookkeeper at less than 75 cents per day. and I could enumerate many other cases in my Investigations which would show the harm of convict manufacturing plants in competition with those that hire free labor, and the injury to free labor itself. Many states in the last few years, through the agitation of the National Road Association of the United States, of which I have been vice president for several years, have enacted laws prevent ing convicts from making cigars, furni- ture shoes, harness and in fact anything that comes in competition with the free industries or the honest wage-earner The state of Virginia has recently passed a law forbidding any convict to work for any private parties or public cor poration, and about two-thirds of the people of the state favor creating high way commission and giving state aid to the upbuilding of roads. Sorry to say Alabama Is one of the backward states. Every mile of good road built will en- nance the value three miles each side of the road constructed, and about 4000 acres of land to the mile will be benefited. That will increase in value from s to $20 per acre; besides it would build up the waste lands with happy and contented homes, dotted on every hand with pros- porous farms and commercial industries, thereby adding to the tax value and the income of the state and counties.
 This is the economic investment, and no labor or money spent will pay a larger return on the investment or afford more happiness to the child, woman man or the faithful servant of man-the work animal. And good roads will build up the country schools and churches.
 JOHN CRAFT,
 President Alabama Good Roads Associa-
 tion.