The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-05-31
Ghe 99ailg ArgHs.
A Collision at Cincinnati.

There was a lively episode In the grave
discussions OF the social science convention
on Friday. The committee on ''Tramps
and Tramp legislation" of which Mr., E.
b. Sanborn. of Massachusetts is chairman,
made a sensible report dividing tramps
into three classes:
'Fsrst-The honest industrious poor. who are
either seeking work or travelling on foot to some
place where they expect to find friends or kindred
Second-The shiftless often Incorporate, or un-
ger witted poor, who wander about with no sui
neient excuse. but also with no vicious purpose.
IhsFd-Phe vicious and criminal poor who take
up tramplng as profession or an available re-
source, with no intention of working in any hopest
pursuit II they can avoid it,
These three classes, in the opinion of the
committee, are constantly sliding into each
other with steady tendency 10 the increase
of the second and third classes. but it was
also asserted that positively vicious and
dangerous tramps do not exist in great
numbers except 10 the neighborhood of
large cities. In country places the Migrants,
1t Is SAID, are not, as rule, of class nrone
to commit depredations either on persons
or property. In fact Mr., Sanborn and his
associates painted the devil of modern eco
nomists in unusually bright colors, attribut.
ing the crimes which have brought: so
much obloquy on the name of tramp to a
few reckless villains, Just as q handful Of
financial desperadoes in good standing
| have made Wall street a name of i'll. repute
10 the land The report gave an account
also OF the Workhouse bill, which failed to
become law in this state, and of bill
providing for the arrest and classification
OF Migrants, which failed to pass the Mas
| sachusetts legislature. and finally wound up
with commentator that the system put
IN operation with great success at New.
burg, under which house of detention is
established to which all tramps are forced
toresort and from which incorrigible tramps
can be sent to public institutions to earn
| their living, should be generally adopted.
All this appeared too mild and gentle to
Mr.. Him ball, of Massachusetts, who pro
| claimed his opinion that all tramps ought
to be treated as culprits and put to hard
labor upon scanty fare. Upon which up.
rose the terrible Sam Cary and poured into
the ears OF the astonished social scientists
the convictions Of the Nationalist of the
wild, free West. He depicted the stagua-
ton of business and the ruin of the work
| lngmansand laid the responsibility for this
dreadful condition of things upon the con
traction of the currency. He sneered at all
nhilanthropical schemes for affordlng relief
TO the poor man by charity, and intimated
that the poor man ought to take relief by
force, saying, "tor his part, if he were in
the poor mans place. sooner than acce pt
such relief, if he should meet such man
as Mr.. kimbal on his way he would de
'mand from him portion of bis surplus. ~
The horrihed wise man of the East hastily
got IN and left the hall Yrofn ,tiuu thos
| this kind of thing was below the dignity OF
honorable aud fair debate, which no doub,
it was. But social philosopher should
not be oyersqueamish. Sam Cary is o
morbid symptom and ought to be patiently
studied. MIR. kimball should have gone
| to his hotel and put his valuables in charge
of the clerk, aud then returned to wrestle
with the expanded Cary as with a surgine
balloon till he had punctured him and lei
| out the gas. In the process Mr.. Kimball
| himself might have learned thing or two
more than he now appears to know.-N
7. Horld