The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1918-04-27
BUILDING OF ROADS
Former County Engineer
Utilizing ConvictS
for StateWOrk

Walla in building state roads under
the honor camp system has been the
work of Walter Bowen, formerly en-
gineer of Stevens county, during the
last three years. Mr.. Bowen has been
unusually successful in handling men
under this honor system and his ex-
planation of the purpose and method
of carrying out the system is inter-
esting.
THE purpose of building roads and
using state prisoners under the honor
camp system is not one of gain for the
state said Mr.. Bowen, who has been
in Colville with Mrs. Bowen for the
last few days visiting old friends. "the
idea is not to build roads working con-
victs because there is an opportunity
to do so. The purpose is to get them
away from Walla Walla and give them
a chance to work and earn little
money for themselves and get a start
on a new life, going away from the
camps healthier and better men. A
large percentage of them make good.
Most people have a wrong idea of
the system now in use in this state in
handling prison labor. They have IL
the old system large stockades were
built in which the prisoners were kept
when not at work and they were al
ways under guard while working and
while in the stockades. The expense
of these buildings and guards were
very large. The men We're driven hard
and there was no incentive for them to
work. This old idea gave way to the
honor system
1.-THE men who are put into these
camps are usually those who have
served a major portion of their SEN
tence and whose conduct has been such
to qualify them to he sent to such a
camp. IF their sentence has been quite
severe, it is sometimes cut by working
in one of these road camps. Only men
who want to go are sent, no one going
against his will. Only in extreme cases
are men returned to the penitentiary
from these camps; when they have
worked a certain time they are re-
leased by the superintendent and par
dons are sent them by the governor.
"There are no arms in the camps,
neither in the hands of the superin-
tendent in charge of those men. They
there is no attempt to discipline them
They must be on their good behavior
or go back to Walla Walla. The men
have no guards and they are paid fifty
cents a day for every day they work,
besides receiving their clothing and
good wholesome food
"And but one man ran away during
the last year" said Mr.. Bowen. "rhe
men are allowed liberty within rea-
sonable distance from camp, but they
are not allowed to go into the towns.
There has been no serious trouble in
the camps I have superintendent. or
course. there are few fist fights and
a few trouble makers, Just as there
are apt to be in a regular contractors
camp"
Success Due to Personal Interest.
When asked to what factor he would
attribute his success with these men
he said that it was the personal inter-
est he took in the men and the i'm
preston they had that he was never
too busy to talk with them about
themselves.
"They seem to feel the necessity of
talking to someone besides the con-
victs," he explained. "and to tell some
one about their lives and how they
came to be in the position they were
in. Some felt that they had been un-
justly treated and others felt as
thought their punishment were just,
but they had been influenced unduly
into committing the offense. They
wanted to talk it all over. 7 spent all
my Sunday afternoons and evenings In
talking to the men and they wouln
often wait their turn to talk things
over with me-
The men were allowed to play base
ball and other. games in their leisure
hours and were supplied with books
from the state travelling library to
read The people from neighboring
communities often kept them supplied
with magazines and papers. One could
not tell by the camp, the mems cloth
ing or appearance that the work wa,
being done by men from the state
prison. 1t looked no different from the
ordinary contractors camp. The men
in charge were the superintendent, the
timekeeper and clerk, and the foremen
in charge of the different crews di-
recting the work.
The cost to the state is no less than
with free labor and this is for several
reasons One is that the transportation
of the men from Walla Walla must be
paid. They receive all their clothing,
their food and medical attention ann
fifty cents each day they work Then
there are men among those who come
who are not accustomed to this kind or
work and scarcely know pick from
shovel. Then, too, some of them are
not so rugged as they were before en-
tering the institution. That invari-
ably the men begin to gain in weight
and health after coming to the honor
camp, was a statement made by Mr..
Bowen.
The idea. however, of the law pro-
viding for this kind of labor, was that
If it could be done without more ex-
pense for the state, it would cut down
the expenses of the penitentiary ana
give the men a better start on a new
life 1t costs just about as much as
free labor would, but it accomplishes
a good purpose, and has been wonder
fully successful. The honor camp Is
hobby of Governor Lister of this state
and he has done much to further their
success.
Mr.. Bowen has superintended these
camps in building the road from Water
,,tyJa 20 Carball,y onot af abouf