The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-04-05
ROAD R ! !! | WORK 0 ( FOR Or
co on Nc; URGED Ct: |
Uncle Sam Goes on Record IN
Favor Of Much Discussed
.
System. # ;
PRISONERS HEALTH FACTOR
Government Highway and Health tx
4. perts See Big Benefit to Men So
Employed, as Well A. to
the Public.

Uncle Sam has gone on record as ar
advocate Of the employment OF convict
labor on the public roads. y
| J. =. Pennybacker and II. S. Fair
banks Of the office of public roads OF
the department of agriculture and DR.
w. r. Draper, of the public health
service recently collaborated on bull
letin which set forth the. ideas OF the
government experts on thessubject.
This may sound like an old story"
said Mr.. Pennybacker, chief OF the d.
vision OF road economies, in discussing
the interest taken by his office In the
subject, and it is fundamentally but
until recently its mostEimportant and
promising angles have been lost to
sight. ~
employing convicts on open air
work is by NO. means a radical depar-
ture from established methods-from
Iong-established methods, may say.
There are numerous references in his
tory to the employment of prisoners on
the public works Of the ancient king
dOms and almost invariably these
works were performed In the open air.
In fact, the practice of indoor labor Is
of comparatively modern origin, and
dates back no further than the devel-
opment Of the workh0use in the six
teenth century, while the penitent1ary,
as 1t is now known, is product OF the
nineteenth century.
In America perhaps the earliest
record of the employment Of prisoners
on public works Is to be found IN an
enactment Of the Virginia colonial as
sembly of 1858. l might trace the his
tory of convict labor throughout the
ensuing years to the present and the
facts would prove that outdoor labor
Of many forms has been widely agi-
tated for convicts at all times In the
life Of this country.
Objections Arc Overcome.
$50 you see we are not setting forth
an original idea. Yet, when we recon-
mend the utilization Of prison labor
to maintain and improve the road sys-
tens Of the country, we do say that
IL road work by convict labor Is un-
dertaken with proper attention to all
of its possibilities, the results will
succeed in quellins the many Objec-.
tons that economists and criminolO-
gists are raising everywhere. Our
scheme has. of course, its objection
able features, but Il full consideration
of its advantages and drawbacks seem
to show that such employment might
be provided for at least part 0f the
prisoners in all the states with good
results.
Il think that the advantage which
carries the greatest force Is that road
work Is undoubtedly more healthful
than any form Of employment provided
in a prison shop. Hard manual labor,
in close touch with fresh air and sun
shine, is universally recognized as
most beneficial, while continuous dwell
ing within doors Is most unnatural
life and can exert no marked good
effect upon any of the states prison,
ers. Prison statistics show that a ma
jority Of prison inmates are Of the la
boring class and their habits Of life
kept them out of doors. This being
the case, outdoor work would ma
terially fit them to -t.ke- their .Slcccs In