The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-18
Would Remove Competition With Free Labor At Many
 of the Big Mines
CONNECTS USED TO RAISE
 FEES FOR OFFICE HOLDERS
Plan Works Well in Pike County, Ala bama, and Practice Is General in Mlssissippi-WelI Known Men
 Interviewed.

Taken at random, there seems to be an unanimous sentiment in favor of working the county convicts on the county roads among business and professional men of Birmingham. Among those who were seen was B. H. Cooper. q don't think our convicts should be hired out in order to raise fees for offceholders.'' he said.
 "The county ought to put the conviets to work on the public roads to make room for more free labor. It is unfortunate that both the state and county dump so much cheap convict labor in here, for where the corporations are allowed to use con- victs instead of free labor, they do in- justice to every man outside of political offices. They harm the merchant, be- cause 1t takes from him the trade of the man who spends, the man who produces. Competition of convict labor with free la bor is not American. I don't believe the people ought to elect members of the Board of Revenue who persist in hiring out convicts
 Jefferson is too rich county for the plea to be made that she must hire out unfortunates in order to sustain her gov oFnIn6nt. II I0e Tee system were aDOl- ished that plea wouldn't be heard.
 Other counties in Alabama are work ing convicts successfully, notably Pike county. I had talk recently with the Senator from that district, and he told me that the use of convicts, even under pres ent state laws, was much better. They use @ portable iron stockade and in build ing roads the difficulty of moving is very slight. The percentage of escapes is no greater there than in other places, nor is it so In Mississippi where the convict system is general, and the criminals of the worst sort are worked on farms. Still further, the road worker would be far healthier than the convict worked in the mines"
 w. P. G. Harding, president of the First National bank, said: q have seen the around Savannah, and the system seemed to work out first rate. went automobil- ing all around that country and have seen very few better roads in my life While there may be objections. speaking gem erally, favor the proposition"
 R. M Goodall had this to say: 'The plan seems feasible. If the operators can make money l don't see why we should not make money, out of the convicts. The corporations make fight for the con- victs every year, as they consider 1t a profit to use that kind of labor. The county should make use of this profit herself.
 "The plan has worked excellently in other states. Most of our Jefferson coun- ty roads were built by convicts; why not continue to use them?''
 Said F. M. Jackson: q think the con- it is to our advantage. Sometimes it might be better to hire them out for 1t is entirely owing to the length of the term and the nature of the convicts Where you can use number of trusties and moveable camps, I think it would be ad- vantageous.
 If the criminals under six months sen- tence were used in constructing new roads exclusively, so they would not have to be moved too often, know the cost of con- struction would be much lower On the other hand, it might be better to continue the use of free labor where repairing is done"
 Sam Earle of Earle-Terrell said '"The big money with our convicts; l don't see why we should not. It looks like a good thing, and 1 say push it along"