Judsonia weekly advance., 1915-03-10

advantages or the plan, dnu many are studying the system as applied in other states.
 Colorado has been using convict labor for the last seven years So successful has it proved in this state that others have modelled their laws and plan of operation after those of Colorado and the governors during their annual conference at Colo rado Springs last August spent much time In studying at first hand the wonderful highways that Colorado has built by convict labor. Twenty four governors made up party for trip of in spection over the Colorado Springs-Canon City highway and the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean road in Ute Pass two of the most perfect mountain roads in the United States and two of the best examples of tho results of convict labor.
 The Colorado springsCanon City highway is one of the best examples of scientific road building in the state; perhaps the country. For distance of twenty miles south of Colorado Springs the road winds around the foothills and mountains, practically the entire roadbed having been cut out of the hillside and in many places blasted out of solid rock. For the remaining twenty-five miles to Canon City the way is over foothills and through undulating country. Besides being mar vel in engineering, the road is one of the best scenic and picturesque in the West, passing 1t does through Red Rock Canyon, Dead Mans Canyon and many other mountain beauty spots. It cul- inmates in the far-famed highway to the top of the Royal Gorge and the unique and spectacular Sky Line Drive, at Canon City.
 The road averages eighteen feet In width and is perfectly crowned and drained Although 1t or fers succession of climbs, skillfully the engineering work done that heavy grades have been eliminated and the motorst is confronted with only grade as high as six per cent.
 Ute Pass is of the historic gateways of the mountain country and down its sides centuries before Columbus discovered America, the Ute h. dians had worn, with soft mocassined tread, plainly distingushable trail In building the first road the range to freight supplies to Lead vile Aspen and the other mining camps, the white followed the trail of the Indian. few years ago the main portion of this road between Manitou and Cascade entirely rebuilt by con- vict labor It has been pronounced most spen- did example of road building. It has wide well crowned roadbed surfaced with disintegrated granite from the mountain sides. Grades have been reduced and although the road overcomes an elevation of 1,125 feet in distance of five miles the climb is gradual and is easily negotiated It is the Ute Pass road that the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean highway enters the mountains after striking straight across the plains or central Colorado to Colorado Springs and Manitou. Thence it continues westward through South Park over Tennessee Pass down the valleys of the Eagle and the Grand rivers to Grand Junction and the Utah line.
 Pueblo county also has employed convicts to ad- vantage and notable piece of road is the stretch just north of Pueblo on the road to Colorado Springs. Garfield county, the western slope, last year engaged 50 convicts for period of four
  Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean highway west of Glen wood Springs and now engaged in rebuilding the road through the Canyon of the Grand river Weld and Larimer counties in northern Colorado, also have many miles of splendid road to show for the work of convicts during the last two years
 Wherever tried the results have been satisfac- tory This applies especially to the benefits de- rived by the convicts themselves. Under the Colo rado system, the convict is allowed ten days of his sentence for each month of labor on the roads. This is in addition to the usual reduction for good behavior Besides in Colorado, the employment of convicts on the roads has been singularly sue cessful because the cost of building many of its mountain roads would be almost prohibitive if the state were compelled to construct them under or dinary conditions. The entire country has reaped the benefits of Colorados pioneering because IL has been able to open to travellers from all sec tions of the country some of it's most splendid mountain scenery: it has furthermore set the ex- ample tor many of the other states in the adoption