Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-06-29
ARMY or Thieves and LOafers Forty
Thousand Strong.

rRoM paper recently read before the
krmers' Club of Banbury, IN England,
gather some significant but repulsive
is in regard to vagrancy, an increasing
in England. From the days of Queen
zabeth vagrancy has been recognized
crime, and various statutes have been
(cted for its suppression. Imprison-
nj, whipping, and even death have been
bounced against the violators of these
utes. but the evil has gathered head
in spite of all. Sir Matthew Hale
nsiuns one Suffolk assize in which thir-
warrant gypsies were condemned to
lib md executed. A statute Of George
amended by one passed in the present
gn divides these public nuisances into
se classes: First, idle and disorderly
fsons; second, rogues and vagabonds;
hrd incorrigible rOgues; aid strong meas
les we're enacted for their suppression.
be allure in this legislation is seen in the
bid increase OF Migrants, from 11,0OO in
rs to %, $50 in 1858; to $4,000 in 1866,
d TO 10000 in 1868. These figures do
form any part Of that million OF pau
rs whose support constitutes one OF the
Esrest taxes upon British resources.
the character and habits of the vagrant
Institute study of painful interest, mark
as it does, the outcrop of fundamental
tal evils in the English nation. He is
hybrid between pauper and criminal,
kded in dirt and misery, and carly per
tied in every bodily, mental and moral
kulty. A Darwiniaa student Of zoology
ght detect in his finished embodiment
evil the rapacity of the wolf, the idle.
(ss of the sloth, the cunning OF the fox,
gstesque humor of the monkey, and
e sbominable odor of the skunk. His
hole career is deliberate and settled
brpose to wheedle living out OF the ia
Is.y and thrift of others. His counter
poverty and disease impose upon the
arpest Of observers, yet beneath his
thy rags he often conceals large sums OF
pney, which he has levied as contribu-
bns from the ill-directed philanthropy of
public. Arascal ofthis stripe, on being
hrched, was found to possess over 500
money and savings bank certificates OF
posit, yet he presented most pitable
Be of Wretchedness. They swarm over
ery county in England, and contribute a
bst aggravating annoyance to all the in
strious classes.
These Migrants are called traznps. Near
all the burglaries, highway robberies,
d large proportion Of the petty LARGE.
Is Of the past eleven years in the rural
|unties have been traced to this villainous
bss. The expense entailed upon society
/ their operations 10 enormous. From
e Judicial statistics of 1869, it appears
|at 29,1S6 Migrants were proceeded
Bainst for vagrancy, while 704 were in
tted for various other criminal offenses.
the 40, 900 English Migrants, the aver
q daily subsistence of each costs the
|untry not less than Cd, amounting to
900 per day, or 81, e25, 900 per aanum.
peir larcenies are July as much. For
(lice and discipline they require an eKpen-
Pure over and above what would be other
se required of over $4,000, 900. AT
hst $l5,OOOOOO then is annually levied
(on the productive industry OF England
the operations of this army Of thieves.
army of soldiers of equal numbers,
Ny armed and equipped, could be main
ned by what 1t costs to hold these
lsses in such state Of repression as to
|able decent people to live in the country
| all.
This evil is traced to injudicious chart
Is, both public and private, to intemper-
zee and improvidence, to strikes among
f trades unions, and to other causes.