Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-10-30
HIGHWAY LEADER
FLkYS SO-CALLED
CONVICT ROAD BILL
President Washington State
Good Roads Association
Points Out Defects in 1ni-
tiative Measure No. 10
PRIMARY & SECONDARY
HIGHWAYS NOT NAMED
Under Strict Interpretation, Fe.
male C0nvicts Might Be
Compelled to Work on
Roads Same as Men

Initiative Measure No. 10. the called
"Convict Road Bill" is 50 crudeiy DRAFT
fial details, that it would be folly for the
voters to adopt it November Srd accord
ing to clyde L. Morris, president OF the
washington State Good Roads Associa-
ton, who is carrying on an active cam
paign against the measure. Pupncity
Of the measures defects would insure us
defeat" asserts Mr.. Morris
For instance, section one requires that
EVERY person confined in the state PEN
itentiary or the state reiormatq6ry t,,:, y:
designated by law as primary ana Sec
Three objections to this section are:
1st. The word male should be inserted
before the word person: otherwise women
prisoners night be sent to the rock PIE
End d.'''' The ' possibility of the intermingl-
ing of convicss from the state penitentl-
AIRY and INN ties of our state reformatory
makes possible the qualification OF all the
states excellent reformatory Legislation.
3rd. This section provides that the law.
II passed, shall apply to those highways
ondary roads, but it does not designate
what the primary and secondary ROADS
shall be. .,
mary and secondary highways. the meas
ure does not overcome the So called pork
barrel feature of the present method as
the present primary and secondary hlgh-
ways are designated by legislative ENACT
ment (Chapter IS, Session Laws, IBID,
which is subject to repeal by our ,eg'sia-
any road az IA primary or secondary high
way is possible.
BiIT' provides for sentencing convicted
persons to convict camps without passing
them through the penitentiary or reform,
By Which such Prisoners can be returned
to the penitentiary or reformatory should
the highway work be abandoned or given
mp for lack of funds or for any other rea- .
son. 1t might be construed that on this
technicality, convicts could be freed when
such an occasion arose.
In general the measure makes the STATE
Highway Department construction de-
partment which necessitates great ex-
penditures for equipment IN the way OF
slips. drills. shovels, powder, etc
The depreciation in and duplication OF
equipment viii be great fin ia GA ioss
wherever public money Is expended upon
equipment, particularly road machinery
1t also provides for the building OF Stock
AIDES from the highway funds.
The law, if enacted, will mean the en-
ployment Of large number Of engineers
guards, cooks and others by the State
Highway Board. With we believe. will
make possible the building up OF strong
political machine.
The opportunities for petty graft in the
purchase of equipment and materials un-
der this proposed law are far greater thar
under the present method of distributing
state road funds. ,
In this connection, it is well to recall
that an initiative measure, adopted by
the people, cannot be amended except by
their vote-a slow method The above
defects, therefore, could not be corrected
by the next LEGISLATURE. After the meas
ure has been a law certain number of
years, the Legislatu re might amend the
measure.
1t costs the state more than 100000 to
have measure initiated. II would cost
r. similar sum to amend any measure.
legislative session
100000. Three times this sum is the
cost to the state of voting upon the nine
measures submitted to the people TINS
year