Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-05-16
WHO. MAY Be CALLED rsAmps7

A Correspondent objects to the Popular
Application OF an Obnoxious Term.
Eds. Press and Dakotaias:-With your
permission l desire to express myself with
reference to q term which it seems is almost
too unfortunately applied to the lsborlng
classes. 1 am induced to do SO from what l
noticed in your issue of yesterday, respect
ing what was said concerning a young man
named Cook, now singing in the choir in
the Congregational church, assisting the
Temperance revival, who is called an "e1-
tramp" Now. I am credibly informed that
Mr.. Cook paid his way to Yankton-that
after arriving here he obtained employment
As a wood chopper, and that he is respectfully
connected.
But to proceed, the word tramp has q
harsh, disagreeable sound when it is SO
promiscuously applied alike to honest poor
men and dissipated thieving poor. 1t is
admitted that many lazy sots, sneak thieves,
and indolent paupers are to be found roam
ing over the country, seeking opportunities
for the commission of crime, but it is also
undeniably true that many honest, hard
listed and Industrious young men leave home
and 60 elsewhere seeking employment. 1t is
also true that employment has been harder
to obtain during the past few years than at
any other period since the close Of the war.
Many young men are obliged to leave home
in order to lind employment to support their
families, and hence we find hundreds Of
young men ia Dakota who have been advis-
ed ito 60 west." We of the west have in
vited them here, and when they get here
and cannot get work we call them tramps.
How many Of our richest most respectable
and prominent men were once tranps if
every poor mar who leaves home nova
days is a tramp. Horace Greeley was q
Benjamin Franklin was a tramp;
Simon Cameron was a tramp; Abe Lincoln
a tramp Andrew johnson was = tramp;
A. 7. Stewart was a tramp; and according
to the modern Interpretation Jesus Christ
was a tramp.
I must say again l detest the word as it is
too frequently used. If a man is a thief
or a vagabond, call him athief or ~vagabond,
and not = tramp. The term tramp seems
to be used as a designation without stopping
to draw the line of distinction bet xeen such
men and the vagabonds, who, like the 1sh-
malites Of old raise their hand against all
men, the banda of all men being raised
them.
Yankton this spring has been filed with
young men seeking employment.
Many Of them have gone up the river, OBJ
work in steamboats,. Some, have
gone to the country and others have gone
to the Black Hills. Have these men COM
crimes? 1t seems not. Life and
property have been as secure in our city
this spring as ever they were. Our jails
are not full Of thieves, vagabonds and des-
p~eradoes. If it is a crime 10 be poor and
unfortunately out of a situation, then, in
deed, we have many criminals and il every
man who cannot go into business on capital
Of his own, is a tramp, then indeed We have
many tramps.
l do not defend the vertiable tramp or
chicken thief who will not work, and who
has not au honest or manly hair on his
head, but I do claim that We are too gener.
al in characterizing all who come here in
ragged coats and empty pockets as tramps
1t seems those who haye been 80 fortunate
as to attain or amass the almighty dollar
in the mass have come to regard the ole
lines
"Doll liars and dimes! Dollars and dimes!
An empty pocket $ the worst of crimes"
As q maxim Of golden merit and profound
truth, 1 believe We have but few genuin,
tramps in Yankton, though We have many
poor men. Let us distinguish between mel
and thieves, and not be warped in our esti
mate by broadcloth on the one hand o
Kentucky jeans on the other. "P"
webster says a tramp is a "foot travel
err" and there dismisses the subject. Ii
former years the term was almost exclu
sively applied to q class of printers VIII
wandered from town to town, earned o
begged a little money at each printin
Office which fell in their way, and, like th
wandering Jew, moved on. forever. The
were usually ragged. impairment, indepeu
dent aad careless of the future. They wer
the heroes of the hour in each composin
room which was honored with their pres
ence. The boys" would gather about o
their long legged stools and take in all th
Experiences" of the wonderful travele
with keen avidity. But the glory of th
printer tramp has been swallowed up in th
general adoption Of his profession by q
sorts of %yagabonds and roRues and our poi
ton of the world has come to look upo
n this class of people as something to
. placed in shackles on sight and held und,
strict surveillance IS 6 precaution again
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