The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-05-08
CRIMINAL VAGRANOY.

not lunatic or q criminal, has perfe
natural right to go where he pleases, stay
g. long as he pIeases, and do what he please
~ subject to this condition alone, that he hur
AT no one in his rights, restraints no one in b
!" liberty, damages no one in his interest
causes no loss and awakens no fear. Let it
" conceded, too, that organized society hes tt
right to protect itself from injury and intrl
= sion, from infection and corruption, from in
position and fraud, from actual and prese1
"A damage and from what threatens damage
Both Of these concessions follow from tn
), natural right in each case, and both are tn
b. inevitable conclusions from the logic @
: justice. But how are they to be reconciled
What answer may society, represented by
government, give to the ragged rover wht
q has no visible means Of support who take.
! whatever is given to him and whose certain
anticlpations of the future seldom include q
wholesome meal or a nights sleep under
shelter? When the vagabond refuses to an
swer impairment queries about his status,
or to prove to the citizen that he has means
OF subsistence, or to tell the patrolman
whence be comes and whittier he goes, but
afiirms that he is free man and is doing ex-
actly what he pleases what are citizens, the
magistrate and the law going to do about it?
1t is very wrong for society to NEEDLE with
the rights or abridge the liberty Of ffeeborn
man who commits no offense; it is quite
unfair for the magistrate to clap into Jail
| m " In "a ha "a !.
also far from right for the organized body of
| society to allow its members to be imposed
upon by the vile, the mischievous, the cor
rupt and the idle.
Vagrant laws are strictly enforced In old
countries. Warehouses;, jails and prisons
stand open for such as have nothing and still
refuse to try to earn a living. The vagabond
who strolls into an English village is at once
under the surveillance Of an officer. If he
tarries long or bsgs, or fails to give salts
factory account Of himself, his journey is at
once suspended and he is imprisoned as |
vagrant. In some of our older States similar |
police regulations are enforced, otherwise |
their streets would be thronged with mendi-
cants and vagabonds.
In prosperous times New Orleans, owing to
her position, has been but little annoyed by
peripatetic pauperism or ragged and destitute
wanderers. Our local police regulations and
Dur State statutes against vagrancy were not
aabitually enforced. Semi-decent mendicants
we're generally tolerated, and some of the t
class were much encouraged by our charitable
inhabitants. Seldom was a sober vagabond t
lrrested, examined and calaboosed, because a
Without apparent means of support. It t
eemed to be tacit rule with our magistrates q
% treat vagrancy as misdemeanor only on 9
he presumption that the vagrant made his y
ubsistence by theft. p
Since prosperity has taken its flight from a
lew Orleans, leaving diminished means and {
Employment, but leaving all Of our large pop p
laton, the number Of persons who possess fl
bsolutely nothing has increased enormously I
he city has twenty times as many paupers Il
ow as it contained in 1860. The most of b
,ese have been brought to their present sad n
ondition by the want of employment flew
the poor whites and great many of the al
Dor negroes came here in search of work and W
I'VE been disappointed. There are a great di
any cases Of meritorious pauperism, so to 70
'eak, or OF distress resulting from misfor-
ne and not from vice. They would relieve II
emselves by work if they could find the work
do. They would 60 elsewhere to get EN-.
oyment if they had the means with which trs
get away. Many Of these are eager to find pc
netting to do and are aoxiously waiting for in,
tier times. These are not Migrants, even str
ough dependent on charity. They are To- he
be dealt with as enemies of society, but mi
ght to be treated with due consideration of III
III mlsfortunes VII
But there is a considerable number who are lik
,abonds from choice, who beg rather than AL!
rk, and who will pilfer if they get a is
ance The presence of these people is the
lsance and q misdemeanor. Society has lie
absolute right to guard itself against them, mo
even to expel them and exclude all who are ana
8 them. eto
1t this hour, when our citizens have de- is
nds upon their stores and purses far be- wa,
I'd their ability to honor - when the it ,
anized efforts aud means of the charitable nm,
hardly sufficient to keep the worthy and is
eiins ifoia iamine' IL IS we'll TO consider sys!
duty under the law towards vicious, ado
picious and dangerous mendlcants and The
abonds. Giving rations and money to DOW
b at this time is equivalent to taking will
I'D from the mouths of starving women and and
ldren. In justice to the deserving poor rate
vicious and vagrant ought to be driven off. Ir
MOTHER OPERA PERFORMANCE is announced -.
tomorrow night by Mesdames vercken, Ri.
-. -. NJ, -. "'o.'' Bele
Of Messrs. Momas, Van Huffien oo.,,
Chol and Of the members of the orchestra -,
chorus The performance will consis: of p;
eze.tl's popular two act opera Of "La be ,