The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-27
Well Attended Meeting of
Citizens Interested in Sub
ject Held Yesterday
CONVICTS MAY BE PUT
TO WORK ON ROADS
Meeting Composed Largely of Good
Roads Advocates H ere the Past
Week-Permanent Organiza-
ton Will Be Perfected

To take the convicts of Alabama out
of the mines and out of the hands of
private individuals and corporations,
was the object of a well attended and
Alabama citizens at the Morris hotel
yesterday noon. No organization was
formed, but such action will be taken
at another meeting to be held in Bir-
mingham June Ia. Capt. Frank s.
White, Sr.. presided over the meeting
yesterday.
The single aim of the movement SO
far is to get the convicts of Alabama
out of the mines and away from the
control of private corporations. Moth
ing has been or will be announced at
this time as to the next step in regard
to whether the convicts shall be worked
on the roads or what use shall be
made of them. Unofficial Indications are
that the working of the oonvicts on
the roads after the system now in
vogue In Jefferson county will receive
the Endorsement of the movement
Good Roads Advocates Attend
The meeting yesterday was largely
composed of good roads advocates who
have been in Birmingham attending the
convention of the National Good Roads
federation. W. B. oliver of the univer
sity law school at Tuscaloosa called the
meeting to order and moved that Cap
tain White be made chairman. John
w. O'Neil of Birmingham was elected
secretary. Speeches were made on diff
ferent phases of the matter under dis
cussion by Chairman White. Mr.. Oliver,
Mr. O'Neil. Thomas L. Cannon of St.
Louis, John Craft of Mobile. w. C.
Davis and Tom Long of Jasper Judge
j. T. Kelton of Blount county, ]. A.
Rountree, Robert Gam of Admission,
president of the Alabama Trades coun-
Gil; J. r. Kennamer, Alabama president
of the United Mine Workers; Judge j.
j. Ray, j. Fl. f. Mosely of Birmingham
and others.
On motion of J. A. Rountree, Chair
man White was authorized to apopint
committee of any size he desired to
draft an address to the public of Ala
bama. Captain White stated after the
meeting that this committee would be
named within the next 10 or IL days
and that as soon thereafter as a meet
ing could be held the address would be
made public. 1t is probable the ad-
dress will be issued inside of about
two weeks.
Take Conyicts From Mines
A permanent organization will be
formed when the meeting Is held, June
IA. No name has been decided upon
or any of the other particulars which
can be given out at this time. The or
ganization Will be for the lone purpose
Of getting the convicts out of the mines
and putting them to some other use,
which will be determined later.
The plea of the leaders of the move
ment is that Alabama is making har-
cened criminals out of many of her
wayward citizens who otherwise could
be reformed and made into valuable cit
liens, and is doing it all by the har-
dening influences and bad features
connected with the working of the con-
victs in the mines Many of these con-
viots, the speakers yesterday declared,
are country boys who are not adapted
TO the mine work and are often perma-
nently injured or even killed. oftener
r'ade into hardened criminals and never
reformed.
Mosely Makes Charges
Mr.. Gam of the Alabama Trades
council Mr.. Kennamer of the United
Nine Workers. Mr.. O'Neil of the JEFF
forson County Good Roads association,
and others stated that their organiza-
tons for some time had been working
for the taking OF the convicts from the
mines. Mr. Mosely stated that hun
dreds of the convicts were being beat
on to death and Chairman White stated
that the people of Alabama would be
unbelievably shocked IL they could
learn TO their own satisfaction the true
state OF affairs in regard to the treat
ment of convicts in some of the mines
OF the state.