Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-07-07
ReeStabliSh Prison Ad-
jacent to Some Big
Rock Supply
And Then Sell Crushed
Stone at Cost to
All Corners
Madison, June Is

Assemblyman V. H. Cady has
made a most significant suggestion
I respecting convict labor and good
roads. It is the result apparently of
the great binder Irvine fight in the
legislature. In that notable contest
he voted in favor of the Irvine propo-
4 sition, but now he believes a better
method of employing convict labor
1 and one of more general benefit to
the public is practicable In short,
he would build a new prison next to
some great, rocky bluff, using all
male convicts at breaking or loading
stone and sell the product at cost
rate to every community wanting a
supply.
THE good roads question is one in
which / am deeply interested said
Mr.. Cady, "and so are the people I
represent. There are many miles of
macadam roads in my district con-
structed by local authorities, and the
people are anxious to see the good
work go ON. ! confess that | am not
as well informed in relation to this
important subject as l should like to
be, but l find many men much better
/ informed on the subject Of good road !
than l am and they are not by any
] means agreed as to what is the proper
! course to pursue. But | have a sug-
! gestiOn to offer.
/ Now that the state purposes to EN-
/ bark in the business of building sub
! stantial macadam highways. would it
not be well to consider the advisa-
| bility of having material prepared by
] the c3nvi labor of the state9 There
has beer much talk Of late about
! giving TIE prisoners something to do
that would inure to the benefit OF the
state, and only recently about half
the members Of the legislature voted
to approlT ate approximately half a
million dollars to complete and put
into operation a binder Irvine plant
at Waupun that would employ less
than 100 men. The feasibility of the
/ binder Jwine project was one upon
which honest men dinered. but here's
proposition that ought to appeal to
all who would work prison Labor to
the limit. What's the mater with
setting all ab1e-bodied conYicts at
work breaking stone to establish
macadam roads? In this way the
cons ruction Of good roads would
progress more rapidly than otherwise.
because the state would receive the
benefit of the prison lohar. and the
money appropriated would go a long
ways farther toward furnishing regu-
lar employment to our working peo-
pie in construc ing the roads after
the stone had been prepared for that
purpose than would obtain OF course
If the prison labor were not thus en-
gagged. Tt ere would be a greater de-
mand for workingmen to construct
the roads, a larger number employed
and better wages paid. This is one
of the branches of industry in which
the employment of prison labor would
net interfere or enter in direct com
petition with our regularly employed
workirgmen. engaged in similar EN-
p'oymenr for there would be plenty
Of work fo~ all
But how would you get the pris-
oners TO the stone?" was asked.
81 was just coming to that" said
Mr. Cady. "You understand me.
that this would necessitate the re-
moval OF the state prison: but even
so, would not such removal be in the
interest Of true economy? Under
existing conditions the work has to
he brought to the prisoners at an
enormous expense, taking the bind
er tw'ue proposition as an example
say construct the prison in
a locality surrounded by or ada.
cent 10 an inexhaustible supply of
quartzite rock. with advantageous
transportation facilities, ard yor
bring the prisoners 10 the work with.
cur great expense, after the prison is
once established. There are any
number of places in the state suitable
for the location of the prison where
tae supply OF stone is unlimited and
whore there are excellent railway
facilities for the shipment Of the
crushed product Take Ahlemans, for
instance. in Sank county. the, quarries
81 which are famous the country over,
and where everal varieties Of stone
0re produced in inexhaustihle quan-
titles There are numerous other
points where the supply of stone is
ample and the facilities right. I
simply mention Ablemans because /
know the conditions there. The
splendid uuarries at Berlin, Mon,
tello and along the shores Of Lake
superior might also be considered, /
However. a central location is desir.
able The railway getting the haul.
ing Of the vast OUTPUT Of the prison
crusherv rrohsblv would ~ ready 70
buy the site and present Il to the
state L certainly would prove a /
sigh'y profitable investment sD-elv
'be~e are sterile. rocky worthless