National Republican., 1878-01-10
The Tramp Problem.

by invitation Of the Prison Reform AssOca-
ton of Baltimore, q. II. GRIFFITH, under whose
auspices was held the recent Maryland Tramp
Convention" as ii was pOpularly though rather
cOntradctorily called, we attended its SESSIONS.
Besides inquiring into the question pressing
in the agricultural districts, "What shall be
done with the tramps?" there was en-
ultcrior motive controlling President GRIF-
FIFTH and his official associates in the
call of the convention, viz: Secur.
ing attention to the Importance of their
general work of prison and almshousu reform,
the pressing need Of which, in the rural por-
tiOns of Maryland, was SO startlingly un.
veiled by DIR. CHANCELLOR, not long since, in
his much criticised but, we fear, all too true
allegations Of neglect and of even cruelty in
many of the prisons asylums and poor-hOuses.
In this latter respect we think tho papers
read before the convention, and the discussions
thereon, could have hardly failed to give a
new impulse in the right dircction-that is, in
procuring additional legislation and creating u
public sentiment 10 sustain the execution of
its results.
We wish we could say.as much of the practi-
cal results aimed at on the tramp question.
The difficulty that seemed to confront the
great body Of the more rural members, and
those from the city of Baltimore alike, was
how to discriminate between tramps out of
work and sincerely in search of 1t, and
actual vagfhnts, and sncak-thievcs, and
malciactors, tramping around the coun-
try with no better purpose than
seeking what they could pilfer from the hard.
working farmers, with hearts full of violence
in instances alarningly frequent, promptings
TO deeds striking terror into isolated or unpro-
tected households OF course nobody would
wish to punish where pity was deserved, and
il was generally agreed that mercy should be
made to prevail over justice in all cases where
what the criminal law defines as a reasonable
doubt, sht arise as to the actual condition
and motives of the tramp, 1t was agreed or
all hands that the individual liberty of loco
motion along the street or the country road
ought to be held inviolable, and with
this also the liberty OF asking for bread
by the hungry when the alternative
was TO beg or steal.
In cases of actual vagrancy, ascertained be
yond the aforesaid reasonable doubt, there wa
a call for some more swift and certain mod
uttainablc. In this direction of though
among the members of the convention, ii wa
startngly painful to see developed and hinte,
at, aud even favored by some without disguise
the revival of an institution of which, east
ward Of us at least, the little State Of Della
ware has long had the unenyied monopoly
the whipping post. From all that W
caught the legal bearings of thi
tramp problem was that there was law enougl
already on the statute-bOoks of the State, an,
that the real want was public sentiment sutii
ciently organized or concentrated in tn
rural districts to enforce it-tha Is, to inhu
cnce the courts, inferior magistraCy and po
lice to u prompt and uniform enforcement
This Mr.. HINCKLEY made plain by citing
law twenty years old, drawn by himself
With their trained vigilance, the old Tenn
erance Guard of Baltimore such as Rev. A. l
Gross and JAMES b. MANNER, had not iilile
to see and proclaim intemperanco as the bot
tom fact of the tramp nuisance in most case
and local option" laws, such rs had bee
voted into law, and are now bcin
enforced in several of the count,
most beneiicently, as the most readil
applied remedy for trampism. In this dreC
ton Of thought We are ready to attest, fror
observation, that the tramps are as n generI
rule, timid men-their courage having d.
parted with their self-respect-and that but f'