The daily gazette., 1877-06-06

years experience has shown them that in
union there is strength, and growing
consciousness OF strength has made him
impudent and aggressive. They have
robbed where they got a chance. They
have burned farm houses and barns.
They have poisoned cattle, and they make
no limit to their demands where they
think there Is neither a man nor a shot
gun handy. What the result of the tramp
organization may be no one knows, but
it is quite certain that unless some strong
effort is made to exterminate tramps life
and property beyond the city limits will
be in danger-a danger increasing every
year. Iir p-
NEW YORK TRAMP WINTER QUARTERS
In the winter time large number of
tramps find lodgings in the police station
houses of New York, and the Committee
on Crime, appointed by the Legislature
in 1875, speaks on the subject in the fol-
lowing terms: pu' 1fI. 80 f.e.
Every station house in the city of New
York receives nightlya large number of
dodgers of both sexes who spend the
nights within the station house. No
doubt some of them are deserving and
suffering poor. Many others are tramps
Of the most worthless character and the
most vagabond habits. The tramp nui-
sance is attracting great deal of atten-
ton throughout the country, and beyond
all question, large numbers of these va
grants come to New York and ''revolve"
from one station house to another, living
during the day on beggary and petty
pilfering. But one way OF dealing with
this class of the community has been
found effective, and it is to make them
work for their lodging. The genuine
tramp has an intense horror of work, and
the very suggestion of it causes him to
fee to other parts of the country. The
honest poor will be perfectly willing to
pay with their labor for nights shelter /;
and, in addition, the city might very
properly provide those who labor and
lodge with them meal. The work that
they could do would undoubtedly be the
cleaning of the station houses, and, to
some extent the cleaning of the streets.
This suggestion is enforced and recon-
mended by the testimony of several of
the police justices and other experts.
A LEGISLATIVE EFFORT AT REPRESSION
This suggestion of the Legislative COM
| mittee to have the tramps do work in
duced police captain to make the ex-
pertinent, and the result was a revolt
among the lazy scoundrels. Mr.. Hamil
ton Fish, Jr, who was in the State As
sembly when the report of the committee
was presented, prepared bill bassed on
the recommendations contained in it,
The bill provided that pauper tramps
should be housed and fed by the poor
commissioners of the several counties,
and that they should be made to work
and compensate the State for lodging and
board The bill was amended and finally
ordered to third reading, but Governor
Tilden returned it without his signature
refusing to crowd honest labor out of the
market by resolving the State into
pauper workship. After this veto the
matter was never again brought up,
though efforts have been made from
time to time during the recent session to
procure some legislation against tramps
| TRAMPs AS VOTERS.
Some idea of the power of tramps as
an organized body may be gainsd from
the following facts published in the
Herald of April %, aud the fact may ex'
plain why it was SO difficult to obtain an
enactment against vagrants. A Herald
reporter was sent ttoinvestigate the Kings
County Poor House and his report of the
| Investigation, which was subsequent to
that of a white-washing commission, con.
tains the following paragraph
1t is rumored about the township that
a certain gentleman now at Albany owed
his election to the pauper vote. 1t was
ascertained, after diligent inquiry, that
paupers were marched down to the polls
and voted in a body, all, of course, voting
for the same candidate, and, it is alleged
under the supervision of Mr.. Murray the
overseer. 1t will be seen at once that
this vote is very valuable in close con
test, and, consequently, would, if the per.
son directing it was sordidly inclined
bring good price. Probably some OF
the paupers had gone out on summer
tour at the time of the committees visit
Their names, it is limited, may be kept
on the books until they return next win
ter to the warm atmosphere and lazy life
OF the almshouse. In that way Their
residence would be kept good from one
election to another and for time indefi-
nite But what becomes of the money
appropriated to support the tourists? Is
it sent to them to help defray the sum.
mer's travelling expenses? And, if so
does Kings county know how kind it is?
IN. Y. Herald.
1