The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-08-22
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THE PEOPLES FORUM ::
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WORKING coNvlcTS ON ROADS

| NllSOu, ohld, nus 40
EDITOR ARDMOREITE:
! note that several articles nave re-
Gently appeared in your Peoples
/ Forum" column relative to good roads
and their maintenance.
Now it is an easy matter to build
good roads and pixies on paper, but
to use the means at hand and make II
worth something to the people and
tax payers generally is different
proposition. | have noted carefully
every move made towards the good
road work in this county and have
never seen so much real good accom-
plished in the same length of time and
with the same outlay of expense to the
taxpayers as has been accomplished
in our neighborhood by the county
road gang under Mr.. Z. A. Stringer.
This road work done by county con-
victs in payment of fines certainly
beats having them in Jail an the coun-
ty paving for their board, and speaks
volumes for the wisdom of our board
of county commissioners in the man
agement of our county's affairs.
Some people object to any system
of labor penalty in payment OF fines on
the ground that the money should be
collected for fines and paid out to the
tax payers for road work under the
supervision of road overseers. Still 9th
ers object on the grounds that it is
wrong and not in line with public SEN
timent in regard to humane treatment
for our prisoners.
Now as regards the first objection
urged. there is two sides to the pro-
position. In the first place everyone
knows that it is an impossibility to col
lect a large majority of the fines i'm
posed in our county, and | have never
seen any far-reaching good done on
our roads with money spent in that
way and most of our fines have to be
lain out in Jail with board and keep
thrown in for good measure, all at the
expense of the tax payer. AS to the
second objection will say that | have
noted carefully the method of handling
, the men on the county road gang, and
: have talked both with Mr.. Stringer and
the men under him, and must say that
, the methods used are entirely satisfac-
: tory both as to humane treatment and
as to results in labor performed at the
} very minimum of expense to the coun'
5 ty and the lasting good to roads being
worked | regard it as unfortunate
= that our county is not financially able
2 to double or even treble our present
5 force of men and teams on the road
| gang, so that the work now being done
| could be enlarged upon and reach
+ more of our almost impossible roads
+ in the different neighborhOods of the
Dr.. county, for the question of good roads
= is a vital one and affects every busi
| ness or vocation in the country, and
since il has been demonstrated that
! our prisoners can be maintained or
4, the road gang cheaper than they can
be boarded at the Jail and made tC
, perform a service of such vast benefit
to all, believe that our commission
, ers ought to resort to any means with
IN, Ia, Of 10 ~ to fan ill1
more of this work to the people.
+ note also the contemplated work on
, the roads by state cOnvicts and am
heartily in favor of it, if same can be
done along the lines our county con
victs are being worked, and under
competent and humane supervision
sor | am convinced that if we ever
have permanent good roads in this
county, ii must come from a well di
rected force with proper equipment
and good teams, supervised by com
petent men. think our present board
of county commissioners are fully
awake to the situation and will do all
in their power to help make and keep
good roads for the work they are now
doing with the small force and equip
ment on hand certainly proves. their
competency and all that is needed to
insure us good roads is more laborers
more teams and more equipment, for
we have the men that are amply able
to conduct the work
II. L. CARMICHAEL.