The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-05-23


session from March, the time am in
augurated. until / go out of Office
(applause).
VIII Carry Out the Laws.
Now. the duties Of the chief execu-
tive. Our forefathers divided our
government into three distinct
branches: the judicial. the execu-
tive and the Legislative. 1t is the duty
OF the chief executive TO carry out
the laws inaugurated by the peoples
representatives. the legislature as
sembled. and want to Eay to you
that should / be elected 1 will carry
out those laws. and / Will stand and
advocate the principles that are in
this platform, which propose to give
you synopsis OF. should be elected
governor
For Good Roads.
One of the things that / said that
I stood for was good roads (applause).
No state needs good roads as bad as
1 the good state of West Virginia. and
l want to say that should be elect
ed. will do everything IN my power
to bring good roads into the state,
The agricultural sections of the state
are being neglected; and our farmers
look upon the condition with great
deal of woe and dissatisfaction; Why
Because, after they produce the pro-
duct, where have they the roads to
carry 1t to market? In the county Of
Mcdowell. when / was elected q
member of the county court, not one
yestige or sign CT road could ycu
find in any mock or corner; our jail
was being flooded with prisoners;
they were being incarceratcd within
the walls, eating their heads off, go,
ing down into the taxpayers pockets
| Immediately went to the crimina
court judge and asked him If he
would sentence the law breakers Il
work upon the public roads, and hi
, told me that he would be pleased Il
do SO. The result was that bough
two portable jails, three complete
outfits of road machines, rock break
ers, steam rollers mot political steam
rollersl, and what has happened IL
Mcdowell county today? Forty-fv,
miles of good macadam road. and tht
only cost to the taxpayers was fol
few guards to guard the prisoner.
while they were working, and tina
work is going on today (applause)
| propose, II am elected governor
to institute the same principles il
building good road from Hancoct
to Wyoming county through the state
building lines which will connect II
the different sections. and make i
one good, big turnpike, so that The
farmers can get in and ont and carr,
their products to market; and 1 pro,
pose to build these roads by the per
sons who are incarcerated in tn,
penitentiary, sentenced to certain
period of time for some offense thai
they have committed; and at the
same time l think / can show you
where We can solve great problem
which has been confronting the state
and people at large in this great ma.
ton of ours relative to the reforma.
ton of criminals.
Reforming Conricts.
Suppose you take young man who
is in the bloom of life, who has Just
passed into manhood from his
adolescent state, and through some
fit OF temper he has committed some
overt act. This young man has COM
mitted an offense; the judge has sent
him to serve term in prison; in
other words, the law made by man,
as represented by the legislature,
says that this must be done. SO the
courts carry out the mandates of the
law; this growing man is sentenced
to the penitentiary. He has not been
associated with criminals who are
hardened, criminals who have com
mitted offense after offense, and who
absolutely prefer to be in the pen
litentiary, or prefer to be in jail in
stead of being citizens. If you take
this young man and associate him
with that class of people, what is go.
ing to be the result? You are not
going to reform that man, but you
are going to make him a hardened
criminal. If we take that class OF
men that belong to the state and put
them under the direction of the office
Of the commissioner OF agriculture
and permit him, with the proper kind
of law written upon. the statute
books, to have complete plenary au-
thority to build public roads in the
state. | submit to you would 1t not
be better for the farmers and citizens