The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-18

(Exclusive Service The Survey Press Blu
 reau).
 The American people have been waste ful and prodigal in the use of the things which nature has so bountifully provided This Is seen in the destruction of our for ests, the decrease of our water power, the waste of natural gas, the lack of in telligent regulation of our streams, the slaughter oe beneficial birds, the loss Of fertility to our farms. Conservation has become great issue.
 We are coming to learn that the i'm provement of our natural resources Is also conservation This includes reclaim ing and improving land. draining swamps, damming streams, digging canals and preparing road material of stone, brick and tile. Establishing and maintaining ideal farms. typical wood lots and model forest reserves are valuable efforts in conservation. In the thinly settled DOT tions and the mountain districts of much of the United States an unlimited amount of work can be done.
 For this work we have in this country a large leisure class, class that is com pelled to live in likeness, while the rest of the population supports them. Prac- tically all the inmates of our country jails are idle. That is the reward given those who, often Intentionally violate our laws. The system is bad and conditions are often worse. Altogether there is no more foul blot upon our civilization than this.
 Productive labor is essential to the proper treatment of the prisoner. It is necessary for his betterment. Do we in a fain- way estimate the possibilities of the employment of certain prisoners in many lines of conservation of the water, the land and the forest? How great the results may be in draining swamps, i'm proving our land, increasing our crops preserving or replacing our forests or making and preparing road material wt | cannot comprehend. In many parts ol the country such work could be done by selected convicts living in open camps or they could be emfsoyed upon large farms and the public exhibition of con victs avoided where public sentiment re- quires.
 In this we should not have to work 1T | the dark Tn one state after another practical experience has been gained Convicts crush stone for roads in Illinois California, Nevada and Utah, build roads in California, Georgia, Virginia, Louis lana and Washington. In Washington | they cut away the heavy forest; in Mas sachusetts they are engaged in reclaim { ing the land; in New Jersey in clearing the soil. in Rhode Island in removing boulders from productive earth; in Min nesota and Louisiana in draining th' land: in Ohio, Kansas and California fl improving their farms. At Michigan City. Ind, the prisoners reclaimed trac of swamp land among the sand dunes The southern states have taken the lead as their favorable climate makes possi ble in the employment of prisoners about 90 per cent of whom are colored both upon public roads and state farms Some of the latter contain 12,000 and 13,0O | acres.
 The working of convicts upon the publi highways in the northern states is no advocated. There it has not proven prac ticable The longer winters, differen coalitions. the expense of srasstorting supporting and guarding prisoners whicl | would aggregate as much or mon tna | the value of their work are all e'fns it. Our people are not accustomed ,o tn | sight of working convicts and arme' | guards; they would not approve of tn public punishment of prisoners along tn highways.
 There Is scarcely a prison in this couu