The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-09-01

The Mayor and the Chief of Police
after inspecting a mile and half
road making by the city prisoners
pronounce it one of the best, IL not tn
best. pieces of road in the state.
Mr.. Barlow says that this road /
perfectly graded, high in the center
widened a good ten feet, with prope
drainage facilities on each side, AM
ought to last for twenty years witt
occasional resurfacing.
AS to the expense of this sort o
road making, the chief makes the fol
lowing statement:
"Since January l we have worked
an average of 25 men daily, accom-
plishing probably rs full days of work
or a total of 1876 days work. W.
maintain the prisoners for n cents
day each, so our actual cost for labo
for constructing the mile and a hal
of road has been about $516.25. ADJ
to this $40 to $50 for powder and wea
and tear of equipment, and you cal
still figure a two-thirds saving owe
the expense of road constructed b.
hired labor"
We call especial attention to this
excellent showing, because there hal
been in the past very great and
very unreasonable prejudice agalns
the employment of prisoners in an!
work that might be done by the FREE
labor of the community.
Much of the prejudice against prison
labor is due to the assumption that the
employment of convict labor in any
sort of gainful occupation or necessary
of Ind n throw
regular artisans out OF work.
No greater delusion could exist
Take the present case by way of illus
tration. Have any road makers beer
thrown out of work by the fact thai
the city prisoners have successfully
laid a piece of good road? Certainly
not. The regular road makers went
right on, and there are enough roads
needed in this state to employ all the
regular road makers we can possibly
provide wages for and all the prison
ers of city, county or state for the
next quarter of a century.
So far from preventing the building
of roads, the fact is that single
good road laid down by any kind O.
labor is an example and an induce
ment for the laying of other similar
roads.
The only thing that limits and pre-
vents the making of good roads is the
inability or the unwilIngness of the
people to pay for them and II they
can virtually secure a good road fol
nothing, as by the employment OF pr1s
on laborers, who must be fed ant
clothed whether they work or not, why
should the people not be ready to &C
cept a piece of good road as mere
gift?
1t sometimes happens that a stretch
of good, firm road, of rock or gravel
is made by nature itself, and is freely
used by the traveller. But we have
never heard of anyone advocating the
destruction of any piece of natura
road on the plea that nature herself
by constructing it for us free Of al
cost, had thereby thrown the roat
makers out of their necessary an(
usual employment. Yet it would bt
just as sensible to reject or to destro!
a road formed free by natural agencies
as to refuse to let city or state pris
oners make roads for us.
In another sense, the proposition
amounts to simply this Shall thu
prisoners support themselves = shall
they, while serving their sentences
work for their living, as other people
must, or shall they be supported il
idleness and at the public charge? TIL
mere statement of the question carries
it's own answer; yet many have STUN
bled on this plain proposition, AM
have in effect argued that prisoner
should be supported in idleness; tina
free and blamelcss men and womel
should be compelled to labor and pa,