Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 May 1895 — Kentucky's Highways. [ARTICLE]

Kentucky's Highways.

A papor on Kentucky highways, containing a full history of the old and new system of road building in that State, prepured by Major M. H. Crump, member of the National Advisory Committee on Roads, has been made public by the Agricultural Department. The improvement of public roads was begun in Kentucky in the early part of the present century, and to-day few States, it is said, can boast of a better or more extensive system of macadamized highways. Kentucky passed its first road law Feb. 25, 1792. It was very similar to ttiat of Virginia, which was In turn an adoption of the English road law that has prevailed for ages. One section of that law compelled all male laboring persons 16 years and over, except masters of two or more male laboring slaves, 1G years or more, to work on some public road. Few States, the paper says, liavo been more liberal in promoting public improvements than Kentucky, especially in the matter of highways, railroads and waterways. The State has somo 2,000 or moro male convicts in its two penitentiaries, a portion of whom aro being worked by contractors In trades which come more or less in competition with free labor. In this day, when so much is being said and written against such competition, it bohoovos the lawmakers of the land to devise some method by which such a body of ablebodied men can bo required to support themsolves and at the same time render valuable aid to the Stato. No bettor plan has been suggested than that of working the prisoners on nublio highways. Several States have already begun this. Some work has been done along this lino in Virginia, as well as in North Carolina. Arrangements may be perfected for letting the prisoners by contract either to counties or to congressional districts. .This is a question of vital importance to the Stato of Ken tucky.