The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1913-07-23
CONVICT LABOR


the latter on the roads, is the
opinion of X. G.. Terrell, Com
missioner of Roads. While convict
labor on the roads is not cheap
labor, he says, including in the
estimate the cost of arrests and
convictions, yet since the convic-
tons will be had whether the con-
victs are worked or not, the re-
turns to the public as a whole and
to each private individual will be
so great that there is no compari-
son with this means of employing
convicts.
The practicability of the system,
he points out, has been thoroughly
proved in other States, and the
healthful outdoor work, the train
ing in road building, blacksmith
ing, running engines and machines
and the iniative required for this
character of work, which is lack
ing in the shop work inside the
prisons, are all to the advantage
of the prisoners, who, moreover,
are given to feel that they are
doing something to requite society
for the wrong they have done it,
whereas, in inside shops at wages
so small as to be no compensation
either for their effort or their
keep, is degrading in some of it's
aspects.
The advantage to the public, he
declares, is almost inestimable.
A genuine synthetic system of
county roads, built according to
the plans of engineers and under
their supervision, is possible.
AS TO GUARDS
Commissioner Terrell said:
Convict labor for the building
of public roads is being used very
effectively by a great many of the
States at present. In order to
employ economically convicts or
the public roads, it is necessary to
have camps of more or less a per-
manent nature, and a sufficient
number of men in the camps to
warrant the operation of the
camps is also necessary for econo-
nay. The least number that can |
be employed successfully is about
twenty, and preferably more.
In many States of the Union
the honor system is used, and it is
not found necessary to keep armed |
guards oyer the convicts, or cause
them to wear stripes while en-.
gagged in work on the public high.
ways. However, the honor sys
tenn works only with limited
number, as is shown by the Stats
tics from various prisons over the
country. In most prisons we find
the "trusty" convict, who is per
mitted to 90 to the city. pass il
and out of the prison daily. This
same privilege can be extended to
shorl-term prisoners working on
the highways, so long as they are
treated as men and given to under |
stand that abuse of the privileges
will extend their prison sentence
and place them behind the walls |
instead of having the freedom of |
the country.
DANGEROUS PRISONERS
The class of prisoners known
as the dangerous prisoners" it is
necessary to guard constantly.
These prisoners could be success.
fully worked inside of a stockade
in the quarries and in crushing
stone for road building and would
eventually become experts in the
handling of stone from the
quarries, through the crusher,
and loading cars and trucks for de-
livery to the highway. Still
others of the dangerous type nigh,
also be taught TO run the engine
crusher. steam drills and other
machinery necessary for the sue
cessful preparation of road materi-
ais, as they would at all times be
nndar onard Soma Of than, oould