The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-31
An Act to Provide for the Custody and
Reform OF Naginnts.

The great and growing evil of trampa is
attracting much attention. but no more
than the importance OF the subject demands.
Migrants have multiplied with a rapidiiy
which is alarming. In parts of the rountry
where Il few years ago there were only a
few dozens there are now hundreds and
thousands. The whole number in the United
States has recently been estimated. al
though the figure seems incredible, as high
as a million.
Legislation il looked upon as n panacca
for every kind of social ills; and il j. pro-
posed now to pass new laws in our OWN
State as the remedy Tor the very serious
evil Of Nagrancy. A law is rule The
proposed new law is to make uniform ami
universal certain system OF treatment OF
tramps or Migrants throughout the State
oi New York.
We Will first comment on some Of the de-
tails OF the bill which has been introduced
into the Legislature; ANA then We will pro-
coed TO consider the broader question
whether the proposed troatmcn, itself is the
best that can he devised because, ii II j.. it
should be made rule and put ia thc bind
ing and permanent form of a statute.
The bill provides for the creation of q new
Office that of Superintendent 81 Work
houses. The salary Is To- br SlOl0 year.
with clerk hire and travelling expenses, mot
exceeding 5000. This Superintendent. with
the appreciation Of the State Board OF ha-i-
tics, j. To- hire two or Moro huiNius- AMI nl
them up for warehouses. The number that
may be hired is unlimited. In manX cplIi-
ties ii would not be praci icalrto nira. hui .d-
81. %
that is to say, for prisons in reality. without
50 much lifting upa- would Joe nearly cquiNu-
lent to buildin. them anew. The cxpcn-,-
Of these worlin0u-cs are to ne paid hy The
state. They would undoubtedly be very
heavy far in "Nccs- of their income. ON a
first conviction vagrant cannot be- com
nitiod for over sis months. so contract
wori Is t. be- Ic.!olmol. or course. with q
large part Of ,hc -rntrur.s $50 hrief nad n,
labor let out hy contract, tia" Worhh,a-,-
cannot reasonably hroAror,ed to prove sull-
sustalnil-s ul anything like IT,
On u third ur amy Subsequent conviction
40 time j., 10 We specified tor which tn,
Nlgraut shall be Detained. | ndcr TINS pro-
Vision II man or woman may, for mrr,
Nagrancy, without trial by jury and under
commitment hya Single mas l. rate, be- inn
prisoned at hard labor fer life 4 tern
which could not he iiupo.cd upon him by q
jury. on conviction, fol scarcely amy felony
Ne come HOW to the consideration OF the
general plan Of this bill for the treatment o
Migrants.
On the subject Of yaglancy generally q
good deal uf valuable information may b,
derived from llr Annual Report Of the Chic
Detective of Massachusetts. recently pub
ii5hed. Two amateur truul,- were sent oui
- him last summer to study by intilnat,
association and cooperation the Ways of Tia,
real tramp. They spent three weeks il
travelling about the State in company viii
Nagrant-, numbering from single one ui
- high a. twenty. One day they met Z
gang Of thilty-thrcc, who informed then
that a. many "A, four hundred were run
'caled ia the woods. in anticipation Of N
upporllnilytl join in a strife ON the Boston
and Albany lmiruad. Ali these tamp
huhsi-tcd principally and almost wholly b!
theft. OF the entire nunlhr ra-puutrgol h.,
these two amltrurs ia their travels. unl!
two manifested any dc- iro or c>,u. willing
hess to earn am honest living by work.
Assuming the tiamps whom Those twodr
''ilN'N l'i III VIVA W iH'l'hi' lll' t'H'lu
rAnIActcrui the class, it would seem tuat
instead Of an increase oiricnoly and uusai
MorkhoUsc- what is required j. an incroa-
Of officers, detectives and others 10 arrc-
aud prosecute criminals, and a di-crolional.
power at least, to punish in the Stat
prison for petty larceny These men wcr
iound, almost without cXccption dcpraNcd
wllul, deliberate criminals. They ha'
~icptcd q life Of crime from choice. tn
State prison is the appropriate place 70
such criminals Under the improved sys
tom q management Of these prisons the
haybe made ,clr--apponing 1t would b
much better to send the thicying tramps {
such an institution rather than ton count
~olAAouse. These wolAAoVses would pyoy