The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1874-10-21

IRAMPS.--COme months ago, couple Oh
tramps were arrested near this city, on sus-
picion of stealing. One had been seen in our
city on two or three occasions, and he was
questioned as to the reason therefor. His
answer was that he was travelling around and
had found that Lambertvile was good
place to stop in" From the number of
tramps that visit u.s. we infer that others be-
sides the one above mentioned have learned
that it is "good place to stop in." We be.
lieve in the broadcast charity but at the same
time we disapprove of encouraging profes.
sional vagrancy. Ifthe suggestions contained
in the following article, which we copy from
the Morristown Jorseyman, were adopted by
our authorities a great many lazy fellows
would doubtless give our city the go-by -
The modern tramp has certain characteris-
tics watch, in dealing with him, it is well to
take into account.
First. Tramping is a profession, to learn
which and practice successfully long expert
ence is necessary.
The old tramp has almost reduced it to a fine
art He has his routes and knows just where
he will get a square meal and good lodging.
He makes his trips regularly, and avoids those
places which turu him the cold shoulder. He
knows how often to make his appearance in
each particular place without being impris-
oned as a vagrant-
We all admit that the times are hard, y
but it must not, as a sequence, be taken for
granted that every tramp can find no work.
On the contrary, should we assert that nine-
tenths of I'LL tramps would not work could
they possibly avoid it, we would be stating
nothing more than the truth.
Work he hates. 1t is the bctc n0tr of his
existence. and he spends his life in lodging it.
Your professional tramp will walk miles bare
footed in the snow, wet and hungry, rather
than perform an honest days work, and the
exceptions are rare that he ever reforms his
ways.
Of female tramps the above characteristics
hold good, and a woman is always found ac-
companed by one or more men.
Having learned his pecuiarities we are the
better able to know how to deal with him.
He is a very expensive fellow, and if we
are to go on housing and feeding him at the
present rate from now until next April, the
bill will have assumed large proportions, and
it will take respectable per oentage of our
taxes to liqu'date the same.
In the first place, we propose that our city
authorities take immediate measures to find
work for these fellows and make them earn
their board at least. A little over that would
be well for the city and work no injury to the
tramp. We assume that if he is set at work
in short time the numbers applying for help
will have been materially lessened.
Perhaps the most practical way is to set him
at cracking stone for matchmaking our
streets, in which case we can stand it as long
as the tramp, and if he still continues to come
by the hundred each month"; we shall, in a
few years, have our principal streets i'll fine
condition and at small expense. II he stops
we'll In either will
have worked out the problem to our advan-
tage.
We understand that Paterson and Eliza
beth have adopted plans similar to those above
proposed, and that the results are highly sat
isfactory.
We respectfully recommend these sugges-
tions to our City Fathers, who, we doubt not,
will find some practical method to deal with
this fast increasing nuisance.