The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-02-13
THE TRAMP.

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minds for the last few years, with
out presenting a practical remedy.
The professional tramp cannot be
moved by an appeal to his higher
nature-because he has none. Self
respect with him is dead. He is on
ly to be reached by the denial Of the
object of his vocation-the means to
live by it. If his daily broken bread
and meat is denied him he must
needs look around for other work to
do-some business less suited to his
taste and inclination, perhaps, but
one that will relieve the public of a
burden by transforming a "dead
beat" into self-supporting man. To
be successful, this remedy must be
universal and applied without ex-
ception. The specific seems inhu-
man; the great curse needs heroic
treatment. 1t appears merciless
the tramp shows mercy to neither
friend nor foe, and why should he
receive it? He is u%nthankful nine
ty-nine times out of an hundred
eating of the peoples bread, and
cursing the people if it be not of the
best, for your professional tramp has
epicurean tastes. He is a danger
GUS element, as the numerous MUIR
ders and outrages little less than
murder proves. He is dishonest,
every one of them, for no honest mai
will persistently eat his bread in the
sweat of another's face. He is q
vagabond, generally, and hence has
no claim upon the sympathy of the
people. He is a thief, in the major
ity, and hence should be ostracised'
He is a foot-pad, a highway robber,
a cold blooded murderer in many
cases, with his hand against every
body that stands in the way of his
cupidity or his beastly or his bloody
desires, and hence the hand of every
body should be against him. Teach
the. tramp by constant and universe
denial of his appeals for bread, thai
the business-for it is a business
doesn't pay, that the reward ISM
commensurate with the labor ex.
pended, and he will quit the trade
for something in which there is moro
pay. He may conclude to turn his
undivided attention to stealing. The
damage to the public is no greater
than when his time was divided be
tween the two callings. But there
is an advantage in this-he will b.
caught some time, and the law viii
take cognizance of him as q THE
which might not touch him as +:
tramp.
Senator OWENS seems to have look
cd at the business in this light
and has taken tie bull by the horns
so to speak, by introducing into The
Senate the bill below as a preyenta
tive. The application of this RENE
dy is not unchristian, though to thu
reasoning and sympathetic it may
appear So. The tramp nuisance j!
an ulcerous sore, unsightly, offensive
and dangerous, and the knife mus
be applied to it:
SEC. l. Be it enacted, that an,
person, not being in the place il
which he usually lives, or has hi
home, who is found going about beg
ging, and asking subsistence b,
charity, shall be taken and deemed
to be a tramp.
SEC. 2. That any tramp who shall
enter any dwelling-house, or shall en-
ter the yard or Enclosure about an,
Westinghouse, or shall kindle an,
fire on the highway, or on the Ian,
Of another, without the consent c
) the owner OIL occupant thereof, Q
| shall be found carrying any firearm
or other dangerous weapons, OIL sha
j, do or threaten to do any injury
the real or personal estate or proper
ty of another, shall, upon convictio
| thereof, be imprisoned in the pen
: Tertiary for not less than one yea
+ nor more than five years.
SEC. 8. That any person, upo
! view of the offence described in TIL
. act may apprehend the offender, an
take him before a Justice of til
Peace for examination.
Sec. A. This act shall not apply
e any female or blind person.
+ SEC. 5. This act shall take efe'
and be in force from and after Ma
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