The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-23
OPPOSES CONVICT
 LABOR ON ROADS
D. w. EAST WANTS TO KNOW WHY THE SYSTEM WAS ORIGINALLY ABANDONED IF IT WAS SUCH A GOOD THING.

To the Editor of The Age-Herald.
 .sThe working of convicts on the pup lie roads is not practicable nor prohl- able. because it will cost the county too much to build stockades sufficiently saie on all the roads on which they Will nave to be worked. It is not safe to try to keep the convicts in such tents or stociS- ades as the county will be able to ahoro' for in the first place, they will be get ting out and running away, which was the case when they were worked on the roads before. And they will have to DC let almost entirely loose during worN hours along the roads and in the woods' which will be very unsafe, especially so in the rural districts, for the women and children. Then there is the expense Of the great number of guards that Will De needed to control and hold them, and the l expense of feeding and clothing them' also adding to these expenses the JOSS l of the revenue which the county Is no" receiving from the convict labor In the mines. and the cost of all the tools, teams and appliances that will be necessary for working the convicts, which will nave to be furnished by the county. All these expenses added together will make It "a 1 very expensive labor indeed and It would nut the county to a cost of building the | nublic roads by eonvicts at a price that would authorize any good practical con tractor to take the work, and do- the same with free labor. that could allow the county a good per cent off, and nave a living price left for themselves.
 q mention this because know that the county cannot derive any revenue from convict labor on public roads, much less pay a revenue And, as for the bulk or the public roads having been built by ;, convict labor. as has been stated, say i that 1t is an absolutely misleading propo- sition for 1t is only a small portion or the public roads that were built by con vict labor. For while the roads were be- ing built by convicts there were also quite A number of the roads being built also by contract. As the Board of Revenue i had the facts and figures before them, both convict road building and free labor 1 road building, why did they allow the l convicts to be put back in the mines? | q am very much surprised to hear l some of our great financiers and experi- enced road builders come out and say ] that our convict labor is so much su- perior to our free labor. If this is not a spat in the face of every honest labor 1 ing man in Jefferson county, then l do l not understand their proposition. And l I suppose, that in order that the work 1 ing men who are free laborers should come up through the convict camp with | fa.. f1a at laa ha l they may attain to that high standard 1 of the laborer as Is represented in the l convict laborer, as they say that it takes l two of the free laboring men to equal one l convict laborer.
 q think 1t would be of interest to the
 public if we could hear from some of the men who have worked convict labor
 on the roads of Jefferson county also
 the men whose business it was to keep up with the expense of working convict labor on the public roads. And if 1t was l such saving and profit to the county, l let them tell us why they did not keep
 them on the roads while they had them there And I believe that these gentle
 men, who are practical business men,
 after making a thorough test of work
 ing the conviets on the public roads in
 Jefferson county at two different periods
 in tho past. will say that 1t is neither
 practicable nor profitable. I thing the
 voters of this county should weigh this matter thoroughly before they make up
 their minds as to just who they will
 vote for for Board of Revenue from the | fact that this is matter Of very great l importance to the people of Jefferson
 county. We should not only select men
 of financial ability. but also men of prac- tical judgment and experience. for this
 office, for We have not a position held
 by the officers of Jefferson county that
 has more responsibility than that of a
 member of the Board of Revenue.
 ID. w. EAST" l Birmingham. February 22. 1908.