Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-01-30
THE TaAMP.
The Disease Of Mendicaucy "a Result
of the War;
y. WHIrNORE.
Publisher and Proprietor


of the War.
scribner's Monthly.l
An English paper in some recent
utterance, reminded the American
nation of the appearance of an un-
mistakable evidence that it is grow.
ing old. 1t possesses "the tramp"
The war left with us, as war always
leaves in every country, great
number of men utterly demoral-
lied. The hard times have cut
them loose from remunerative
work, and they have become rovers,
nominally looking for employment,
but really looking for life without
it. They have lost their self-respect,
if they ever had any, lost their love
Of steady industry, lost all desire
for independence, lost their sense Of
manhood and of shame, and have
imbibed the incurable disease of
mendicancy. We mistake the ma
ture of the case entirely, if we sup
pose that better times and fair
wages for all would cure these men,
land relieve the country Of their
presence.and their support. Lepro-
sy is not more incurable than men
delaney. When the disease has
once fastened itself upon a man
when, through long months or
years, he has willingly and gladly
lived on the industry of others, and
roamed around without home
he becomes a hopeless case, and
nothing but the strcng arm Of the
law can make him q Self-Supporting
man.
Tho same is true of the dead
beat, who is only "the tramp" of
the city. lie is not SO humble a
man rs the country tramp. He
dresses better and supports him
self by different methods. lie is
the man who wants to get to Bos-
ton or Baltimore, where he has
frie Ids. He is the man who has
inst arrived from tile South, having
run as far as New York to get
away from the yellow fayer or
whatever trouble may be in pro-
gress there at the date of his appli
cation. lie is the man who wishes
to get money to bury his wife or
child. Or, he is about to receive
funds, hut is in starving condi-
tion, and wants something 10 assist
him in "bridging over" If yon
happen to have blen born in Ver-
mont, he comes to you as a YER
moateF Perhaps he comes to you
because yoa end be happen to have
the same name. There il no end
to the lies he can tell and does tell,
We heye some very genteel and
high and mighty dead-beats in New
York, who never stoop 70 beg, but
rise to borrow, and forget u gay.
We know Of one woman here,
claiming to be productivity literary,
who apparently lives well Og the
funds which o bright and sweet
faced daughter bOFrows for her.
Now all these people arc hopeleRsly
diseased. They can never be
restogel to sound manhood and
womanhood. What is worse than
all the rest they perpetuate their
mendicancy through their famllies.
So we have the tramps and the
deal-beaIs, and the regular old
fashioned paupers, and they are all
alike, with some exceptions, per-
haps in favor Of the regular old
fashioned paupers; for aoy and
then there il one of these Yhc,
much against hig viii, has been
forced by circumstances into pau=
perism. The one fact
which we wish to impress upon the
people and upon Legislators in this
article, is that the evil which we are
describing and commenting apon is
not one that will cure itself, is not
one that will be cured by returning
national prosperity-is not one that
will be cured by driving tramps
from one State into another; and is
a hopelessly demoralizing mental
disease. 1t must be taken hold of
vigorously and handled efficiently
and wisely. There is not month