Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-02
Employment of Convicts.


Carolina and other parts of the south you
find gangs Of men in grindy black and
white striped suits cleaning the streets
and repairing the highways. A great
ma jority of them are colored. but there
| are usually a few whites who appear to
! receive the same treatment. And guard
| with a gun is omnipresent in addition to
| the boss who directs the convicts what
| to do The sight is repulSive to one who
| is not accustomed to it. and it doesn't
seem Just to publish the disgrace of
petty offenders. The people here are so
accustomed to it that they don't mind
| it at all and don't see why it is any
worse to punish an offender by working
| him in ''chaingang in the open air
| than in locking him up i'm idleness to
| serve sentence of Imprisonment. In
| deed the humanita rianS argue in favor
! of the chain gang system as advanta-
| geous both to the community and the
| convict. In the first place. the taxpayers
are saved great deal of money. that
would otherwise be paid for labor. 1t
costs only 10 cents a day to board and
| clothe convicts. Including the wages of
watchmen and guards whereas the free
| labor would cost at least a dollar or a
dollar and quarter a day if hired.
| Indeed one of the strongest arguments
| that has been brought against the pro-
| hibition law is that it reduces the num-
| Der of men in the chaingangs and thus
| deprives the different municipalities and
| counties of the labor they require to keep
| the roads in order and the streets clean.
Winter Visitors to Augusta.
| Augusta has quite a large winter popu-
! lation from the north, and more and more
retired business men are coming here with
| their families for the winter. There is
! quite a colony of rich widows also and
other people of wealth and leisure. Some
of them have erected handsome man
| sions: others rent houses for the season,
| and there are two fine hotels which are
| so crowded during the winter season
that IT is always we'll TO engage rooms in
| advance:
There is a country club back of the
| city with a restaurant billiard room.
ballroom and all the etceteras. sur
rounded by one of the finest golf links in
| the country This is the center of social
/ activity and the scene of golf and tennis
tournaments. horse show and various
| other diversions devised to kill time.
There have been several prominent Wis
itors in Augusta this winter Rob-
ert LINCOLN has a house. but has lived
very quietly. Maj Wells OF ST. Louis.
| John D. Crimmns and John 3. Nc
Donald of New York. the man who built
the subway: Isaac Seligman. the banker:
W. j. Boardman of Washington. and
other equally wel-known people are seen
on the golf links every day. and Mr..
John D. Rockefeller has been here all
winter with his wife. grandchild. little
| Matilda Mccormick: Dr. Fl. F. Biggar OF
Cleveland, his physician; Mr. Rufner. his
| secretary and three or four servants
He has spent much of his time playing
| golf and goes around the course OF
eighteen holes regularly every day usual
" in the morning. In the afternoon he
4 usually takes ride with his wife and
| grandchild in his automobile. He goes
M and down on the street cars like Other
people in the most democratic way and
nobody pays any attention to him He
has no detectives to watch him and
there doesn't seem TO he any occasion for
the presence of his physician. although
I suppose, DR.. Biggar needs a holiday as
much his friend and patient
Rockefeller Hearty Eater
Mr.. Rockefellers fellow-guests do not
place much confidence in the stories they