Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 March 1915 — Page 3

BUILDING ROADS by CONVICT LABOR

SOOD roads advocates are giving increasing attention to the question of the employment of convicts in road building. Throughout the country state good roads associations are adopting resolutions favoring the adoption of the convict labor system. Good roads organisations and advocates are discussing the merits and dis--4 advantages of the plan, and 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 Btate that others have modeled their laws and plan of operation after those of Colorado and the governors during fheir annual conference at Colorado' Springs last August spent much time in studying at first hand the wonderful highways that Colorado has built by convict labor. Twentyfour governors made up a party for a trip of inspection 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 resultß of convict labor. The Colorado Springs-Canon City highway is one of the best example| of scientific road building in the state; perhaps the country. For a distance of twenty miles or more 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 a marvel in engineering, the road is one of the best scenic and picturesque in the West, passing as it does through Red Rock Canyon, Dead Man’s Canyon and many other mountain beauty spots. It culminates 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 averaged eighteen feet in width and is perfectly crowned and drained. Although it offers a succession of climbs, so skillfully was the engineering work done that heavy grades have been eliminated and the motorist is confronted with only one grade as high as six per cent Ute Pass is one of the historic gateways of the mountain country and down Jts sides centuries before Columbus discovered America, the Ute Indians had worn, with soft mocassined tread, a plainly distinguishabfe trail. In building the first road across the range to freight supplies to Leadvllle, Aspen and the other mining camps, the white man followed the trail of the Indian. A few years ago the main portion of this road between Manltou and Cascade waß entirely rebuilt by convict labor. It has been pronounced a most splendid example of road building. It has a wide, well «qrowned 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 a distance of five miles the climb is gradual and is easily negotiated, It is over the Ute Pass road that the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean highway enters the mountains after striking straight across the plains of 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 advantage, and * notable pjiece of road Js the stretch just north of* Pueblo on the road to Colorado Springs. Garfield county, on the western slope, last year engaged BO convicts for a period of four years, rfnd they have. Just completed work on the Pikes Peak Qcean to Ocean highway west of Glenwood Springs and are now engaged in rebuilding the road through the'Canyon of the Grand river. Weld and Larimer counties, in northern Colorado, also have many milea'of splendid rt>ad to show for the work of convicts during the last two years. Wherever tried, the results have been satisfactory. This applies especially to the benefits.derived by the cnnyicts themselves. Under the Colorado system, the Convict Is allowed ten days off his sentence for each month df 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 successful because the .cost of building many of its mountain'roads would be almost prohibitive if ,the state were* compelled to construct them under ordinary conditions. The entire country has reaped the benefits of Colorado’s. pioneering because it has been able to open to travelers from all sections of the country some of Its Boost splendid mrniiitAin scenery; it has furthermore set the example for many of the other states in the adoption

of some system for the employment of convicts on state and county roads. In speaking of what can be accomplished in the way of road building by the use of convict labor, Thomas J. Tynan, warden of the state penitentiary under whose supervision (file work the last three years has been done, recently said: “The benefits in this or any other state from a broad and scientific system of convict road building can scarcely be estimated. Basing our figures on actual experience we are confident that we can construct in the next ten years more than' five thousand miles of the very finest roadways for less than $500,000 and this without adding anything whatever to the burden of the taxpayers. "During the period of ten years the internal revenue fund of Colorado should amount to $2,000,000. After deducting $500,000 for road construction, the remaining amount should be wisely expended In bridge building, road repairing and for similar uses. Add to this the financial assistance from the different counties, and it would enable us to construct not* less than 10,000 miles. It can be done in Colorado. Why Bhould not the same conditions apply to other states under more favorable conditions where the roads are naturally better and where cost of construction would not necessarily be so high as in our mountainous sections? “To illustrate better the great saving to the taxpayers on this class of work and its possibilities, let me quote a few figures from one of our road camps. JDuring one month we worked 35 men on the road not including the camp help. The number of days employed was 24%. Each of these 35 men rendered to the state, labor equivalent in value to $2 and $3 a day. The labor for each man cost the state exactly 25 cents- per day. Had thiß number of men been employed at the regular standard of wages of say $2.00 per day per man, the cost of wages alone would have been $1,632.50. Each day’s work thus represented a net saving of at least $1,75 per man. The total cost of all the work for the 1 month, including salaries, care of stock, feed for teams and cost of equipment was $515.15, or 47% cents per day per man. When theqp figures are considered no one can doubt for a moment the economy of building roads with convict labor. The roads are carefully and thoroughly inspected by competent engineers who testify to the completnesß and high character of the work. ‘What is the incentive for the men to create such great work?’ is a question often asked Coloradoans. It is just this: the man who is allowed to leave the prison for the road camp has practically seen the last Of prison life if he conducts himself properly; his food is better; his clothing is better; his self-respect is preserved and he is taught selfreliance and sustained application. He earns an additional ten days-a month during the time he works,- which very materially reduces his sentence. Eliminating the policy of armed guards, the men have been placed under skilled and competent overseers and guarded only by their word of hoUor not to run away. They remain faithful and loyal to thAir pledges. The success of such an honor system was instantaneous; the plan has worked out better than its originators expected. During the last three years we have had more than one thousand individual prisoners in /he convict ckmps. These men without guards—some 300 miles away from the prison—have created a national reputation for loyalty”. Less than one per cent have violated their pledges and made sue- ' .j,..

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, INP.

cessful escape. Communities no longer fear to have our convict camps established near themWe have made manhood as well as money by this healthy, hearty outdoor labor. We have built the prisoners up both physically and morally. Men discharged from our road camps do not have the prison pallor, the physical weakness and the hesitating, hang-dog appearance of the typical discharged convict. They are bronzed, sturdy, healthy, efficient laborers and are in demand as such. About 20 per cent of those we have sent out upon the completion of their sentence have made good. The other 20 per cent have mostly found their way back into prison elsewhere. In his last biennial report Warden Tynan had the following to say with reference to the financial side of convict road building: “Our largest item of labor performed by the convicts was, of course, the road work. The prisoners have been employed in' the construction of roads in Mesa, Fremont, Larimer, Weld, Boulder, Jefferson, El Paso and Pueblo counties. They have built 157 miles of good roadway and’ a great deal of this has been blasted out of solid rock —that in Mesa county being the most difficult and heavy work ever attempted by our men. “Owing to the fact that it was impossible to get from the various counties the cost of material, such as cement, lumber, steel, corrugated culverts, powder, tools and supplies, other thap actual labor used in road and bridge building we are enabled to give you only the labor cost to these different counties for the work of the men. This work has been done at an average cost to the different counties of 32 cents per day per man; and as this cost includes Sundays and holidays the cost of labor of these men' to the counties for the two years, or 731 days, would be $36,725.44. We have worked twenty-one state teams and the feed for these teams cost the counties S2O per month per team, which would amount to $10,088; making a total cost to the counties for labor of $46,805. The average labor cost for the 157 miles was $298.12 per mile. 9 "It lp hard to estimate the immense value of these roads for the reason that the work in Mesa county alone would have cost, with free labor, not less than $25,000 per mile, as the rock in places had to be blasted for 75 feet in order to get a proper roadbed. In this work it was necessary to drill holes 25 feet deep and to drill three depths before the roadbed was reached. So you can see the magnitude of this work. The work in Ute Pass, in El Paso county, was done through solid rock for six miles, all blasting. The work in Salt Canon and Parkdale Hill, in Fremont county and Ingres Hill, Cherokee Hill and Thompson Canon in Larimer county have been very expensive work, because of the blasting. This necessarily would have been very much more expensive had it beep dpne with free labor, and the counties would have been forced to pay big salaries for drillers, blasters, powder men, masons and cement workers. Not counting what the contractor’s profits might be and not including any skilled labor, except blacksmiths, cement workers and masons, and estimating the cost of free labor at $2 per day, by eliminating Bundays and holidays, we may count 132 men working 210. days at $2 per day which would give us a labor value Of $16i;040. We have worked an average of twenty masons and cement workers, which would have cost the counties $5 per day, and would have amounted to $61,000. We have averaged five blacksmiths, whose labor is estimated at $4 pOr day and this would have amounted to $12,220. Estimating the value of 21 teams at $2.50 per day per team for 610 days, it would have amounted to $32,025. At a low figure the, value of the labor of these men and teams would’ be worth to the counties $266,285. Add to this-a depreciation of state equipment, $2,000 and the interest on state equipment $2,000 and you can see that this labor has been worth to the different counties $270,285. The difference, between what the free labor alone would have cost .the public—namely, $270,285—and what the labor of out men actually cost them shows a labor profit of $233,479-50. However, this labor did not compete with the tree labor of the state, for the reason that the counties could not otherwise have afforded to do this work.”

TO PREPARE AND USE VEGETABLES

AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT EXPERTS GIVE REBULTB OF BTUDY AND EXPERIMENT. SOME PLANTS EATEN RAW i ————■nHFre*h Vegetables an Essential Part of Man’s Diet —How Waste Can Be Avoided in the Compounding of Baiads. (Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) Fresh green vegetables are generally relished and form a part of man’s diet whenever they can be obtained. Such vegetables may be called salad plants though it Is difficult to classify plants according to the uses to which they are put, for almost all are used for mady different purposes. Lettuce, for example, a vegetable which in this country is most always eaten raw, in Europe is often cooked, and thus it becomes a potherb as well as a salad plant. Water cress, though often used as a salad, is sometimes used simply as a condiment. Peas,, beans, potatoes and vegetables such as spinach, which are most commonly served as a “vegetable,” are often put into salads. In spite of these difficulties in the way of classification, we may include under salad plants those whose leaves and stems are usually eaten raw with a sour dressing, and define a salad as a dish consisting in whole or in part of vegetables, either raw or cooked, mixed with a sour dressing. Salad dressing usually contains a fat as well as an acid. Housekeepers often claim to know and care little about salads, but those who dig wild Jerusalem artichokes in the spring or start the early peppergrass or radish to serve as relishes at the table are providing salads for their families; or, again, those who prepare the cold vegetables left at noon, such as “greens,” with a dressing even of salt and vinegar for supper, < make salaas. Fresh cucumbers with vinegar or other dressing are salads Just as much as are the more elaborate dishes. Balad: a Food To Be Eaten With Balt. The derivation of the word salad shows it to mean a food to be eaten with salt. It would be better to keep near to this original meaning rather than to go to the extreme Of some housekeepers who. in their search for novelties for their tables, build up salads from strange combinations in ornate forms. The distinctive salad plants are very succulent; that is, they consist mainly of water. Hence, they are especially refreshing in warm weather. As a separate course they are a pleasant contrast to the heavier dishes of a formal meal. They also serve to prevent too great concentration of food, and thus aid in the digestive process. Upon the valuable saline properties of these raw plants we are Just beginning to place a definite value, though evidently these were recognized by the instinct of the people of the far past. Why Dressings Are Used. Fat is a compact food and, weight for weight, is about two and a quarter times as valuable as protein or carbohydrate for fuel in the human body. A tablespoonful of oil would go farther toward supplying energy for keeping the human machinery running than a large head of lettuce. Over all the world people have Instinctively added a condensed dressing consisting mainly of oil, bacon fat, or cream to the salad plants bulky with cellular tissue and water, and have eaten such salads with meat and bread supplying protein and carbohydrate, and thus have secured a fairly balanced ration. Modern study of bacteriology Indicates that pagan and religious ceremonies of purification by fire and water had definite value for healthful life in this world. Water cleanses to some extent, but only through intense or long-continued heat is complete sterilization and freedom from bacteria and parasites secured. Therefore great care is needed in the selection and preparation of foods which are not to be subjected to heat. Cress, lettuce, and other salad plants, carelessly cultivated and handled in the market and half cleaned in the kitchen, may transmit disease, as may milk, raw oysters and other animal foods. The fashion of cutting across a head of lettuce or celery, though it may give each person a fair share of the choice and less tender portions, cannot be recommended, because it is practically Impossible to cleanse the axils of the leaves, the groove* where they Join the stem. All such plants should he separated in their natural divisions and washed in more than one water, individual attention being given to hollows in stalks or leaves. Sand is unpleasant, but less harmful that? other things that may be left behind after washing; its presence, however, Justifies the suspicion that the washing was not thorough or carefully done. Vegetables such as spinach, which are difficult to free from grit, should be washed in a number of waters, and lifted out of the pan each time in loose handfuls before the water has been drained off. In this way the sand and grit has an opportunity to sink to the bottom of the pan, while If the vegetables are left In it, part of the sand at least is again distributed over the washed leaves. Green vegetables should always be

looked over carefully to make sure that any inferior portions, insects, or other things which are undesirable are removed. The quality of vegetables may be greatly injured by insect peeta and plant diseases. If the plant suffers very severely from such enemies, it cannot make normal growth, and so> all or parts of it may be Inferior. For Instance, green peas or string beans from vines badly attacked by insects or by some fungous disease do not attain full perfection Obviously, leaves used as greens are of inferior quality if worm-eaten. Insect pests and plant diseases can often be controlled by the use of Insecticides and in similar ways. If such things are used there Is all the more reason for washing vegetables thoroughly before preparing them for the table, to remove any hellebore, copper salts, or other substance used in treating the plant, which may adhere to it. Salt in the water will aid in drawing out parasites if they happen to be present.. There is distinct advantage in washing all salad plants in running water, especially for the removal of insect* from lettuce. After washing several times and removing Imperfections, salad plants may be kept In a cool place like a cellar or refrigerator for some hours or even a day before using. After draining off the last water, wrap the leaves or stalks in a cloth or put in a clean paper bag; this is more effective than keeping them In water. During the cleaning process it i* advisable to sort out the coarsest portions to add to soup materials; the next best may not be attractive to serve by themselves, but can be cut or shredded for combination with other materials, while the best of all — the heart of the cabbage, celery, or lettuce —should be served in the least elaborate way with salt or a simple dressing^ Save Waste in Making Balads. No plan for serving salads should be encouraged which leads to a waste of food material. If it is desired to use the outer portion of a cabbage for a salad bowl, any adhering dressing may afterwards be washed off and the cabbage used for a scallop or soup. The outer leaves may be cooked for greens or soup. Many materials may be combined with the cabbage, celery, and lettuce —raw apples, radishes, or even canned fruit, such as pears cut in slices or cubes. Lettuce is generally recognized in this country as the main dependence for salad by itself and in combination with other foods. There are many varieties, adapted to different conditions, but all may be classed under two general heads—the cabbage lettuce, where the heads are solid and compact, and the cos lettuce, where the leaves are long and loose and less delicate than those of the other type. Romaine is an example of cos lettuce. There are also varieties with blanched centers and curly varieties with dark-tinged leaves. Chicory may be cultivated for salad, and Is more desirable when blanched. Endive, which is nearly related to chicory, is another useful salad plant. The corn salad or lamb’s lettuce is a small plant often found in city markets. Sorrel, wild and cultivated, some young and tender seaweeds, and many mild-flavored plants or weeds may be used as raw salads. Others are better for partial cooking, even If served cold as salads. Celery in its wild state is an unpromising if not harmful vegetable; by cultivation, and especially by blanching its leafstalks, it has been made a popular salad plant, and haa been thought to have certain medicinal virtues. The fibrous outer stalks and larger white leaves of a bunch of celery should be reserved for soup making. Some of the larger stalks, too stringy to sdfrvo whole, may be used in salads if cut in quarter-inch slices, or if too tough tor that, may be cooked after cutting and added to soups or served with white sauce or toast. The tender inner stalks should be seared plain to eat with salt. Sometimes the groove In the stalk is filled with prepared cheese. The center of the root Is a delicate morsel. Leave* and root may be dried to flavor future soups.

Well Recommended.

A young country Scotchman and Me sweetheart went to Glasgow for a day's outing. After spending the morning looking round the big shops and the center of the city, the young man suggested that as it was near one o’clock they should look wit Iter a suitable eating-house to get something to eat. Having spotted a likely place, they entered and took their seats at a small table, and when the waitress came for their order the young man asked for a sixpenny meat-pie. This was brought in due course, and he started eating it with evident relish. The girl waited a little time wondering very much where she came in. At last, in sheer desperation, Mia said to her companion: “Is the pie good. Jock?” “Good?" replied Jock, “I should think it is; it’s ripping! You should get one.” *• ' - ■

In School Days.

When Walter Scott was a boy hie teacher asked him to give the part of speech of the word ‘with." “It’s a noun," said young Scott “You are Tory stupid” said, the teacher. “How came you to say such athingT “I got it from the Bible, sir," said the future novelist, stoutly. “There’s a that tmya “they bound Samson with withe.