El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-10

- YER the crest OF a ridge, one
morning last fall. shot the first
- of mile-long string of automO-
biIes. muddy from the sIoughs of Vir-
gfnia strained in every bearing from
climbing the ruts of the Carolinas- Inc
first Glidden tour TO take the sOuln-
ward route had struck hard gong an
the way from Jersey City, ana the
tourists were tired of pIling up penal
ties in axle deep mud and pumping
their heads through the autOmOOlie
tops on the .thank-yOu- ma ans upon
the drier hills. But on this morning
they swept down the ridge and over
new steel bridge, 10 roll out upon a
highway smooth as glass, 40 feet Wlde'
stretching ahead like boulevard
"Oh, where are we now asked a
woman passenger in car toward the
front of the procession
The owner Of the car took off his cap
You're in the old red hills of Geor-
gia." ne answered. My own state, and
I'm proud TO say It. you'll nave
road like this nearly all the way to
They swept round a curve. and the
chauffeur. stranger to the state,
checked the car invOluntarily at nov
q sight At the side of the road STOOD
a company of men in black and white
stripes picks and shOvels in their
hands. a rock crUsher Gathering be-
hind them. The labOrers had paused to
"
the three men in the background, with
cigars between their teeth and rifles
on their shoulders. seemed willing TO
hUmor their charges in their whim
What a horrible sight exclaimed
the woman. with a shudder. What
are they doing here2'
Building All state Roads.
You have Just been praising our
road" answered the Georgia man
Those convicts built it. And they are
building them across all Georgia. from
corner to corner, from the mountains
to the sea Within 10 years there
won't be d village without its bOule-
ward to the county seat. or a five acre
farm without good road to market
/ paid a visit TO my old country home
q few months ago. When 1 was boy
I thought three bales Of cotton made
heavy load for a pair OF mules to maui
TO the railroad on this visit I saw
one pair haul Il bales. and it didn't
hurt them a bit Georgia has walked
up
The story of Georgia's new road sys-
tenn is the story of three newspapers
and the automobile It is the story or
a war. against the most strongly in
trenched organization OF capital ever
known in the south. the convict lessees
IL brought on the hottest fight that
the LEGISLATURE has ever known. with
q long investigs tiOn and an extra ses-
sion But il meant millions 10 the
state-even more than the campaigners
realized, besides good roads for the
people
Relieving Old System.
For 40 years GeOrgia's convicts had
been sold by the year to the highest
bidders. 10 labor in coal mines. saw
mills and the turpentine camps OF the
southern portion OF the state. The hOr-
rors OF the system had found their way
into the magazines, refOrmers had de-
nounced it, but the convict lessees had
grown rich upon their gains and COM
manded tremendous influence ine poll
tics No newspaper had been bold
enough 10 fight the lease system until
in the summer OF 1908 the Atlanta
Georgian Waged sinElehanded in the
legislature a battle which in six weeks
brought about an investigation. a re-
port OF the evils of the lease system.
an extra session OF the assembly and
new law wipinE il out Of existence at
the end OF the following March.
What shall we do with our con
victs2" demanded the defenders of the
lease plan. We have no penitentisry,
we have no use for their labor. They
will eat the state into bankruptcy"
A lank member from southern Geo
EIa rose in his seat
Mr. Speaker, I drove Is miles 10
reach my train for Atlanta this morn
ing, and il took me five hours 10 whip
my poor nag through the mud. Put the
cOnvicts on the roads They need EN-
Constructive Work of New Law.
That. indeed. was the correct answer.
Even the advocates Of the law did not
realize that the constructive work OF
the new law was as important as the