The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-07-17
The Tramp Nuisance
From Ills. State Register.

The legislatures Of the states and the |
authorities Of cities and towns have exer-
cised themselves greatly to find remedies
for the tramp nuisance. For long time |
past the country has been filed with able
bodied vagabonds. who go from house to
house in the cities and towns and IN the
country, demanding food, and often con-
Quoting themselves with as much insolence
as if they were privileged class, whose
right it is to live upon the labor OF the
honest and industrious Not much has
been done as yet for the cure of the evil,
nor is it likely that much can or will be
accomplished to that end by law, but as
the system originated 10 the decay of in
dustry and dearth of employment, it may
be expected that the return Of prosperity
to the country will mitigate.if it does not
entirely remove it.
There is, however, another form of the
tramp nuisance from which no relief is
possible, except such as can be afforded by
the influence of an enlightened and healthy
public opinion, that is the political tramp
nuisance. In the United States, it has
become the custom of all the incumbents
of all the important public offices to tramp
the country over, year after year. They
do not, like their ragged .rufhanly brethren
above spoken of, 60 from house to house
begging their way, but they take the pro-
perty and money of the people and devote
it to their own uses, In utter contempt OF
law and decency, or they move and live at
the expense of the railroads and steam
boat lines, who in turn charge it up" to
the business Of the country. The great
tramp of the age is General Grant; when
president, he was on the wing for large
portion of his time, and on his present
grand tour, he has the services of
the public vessels and she diplomatic
and commercial agents of the United
States wherever he goes. MIR, Hayes
his successor, has followed his example
to some extent and travels free, taking
with him his family and retiuue of de.
pendent oficeholders and friends. All
the members of his cabinet, and many of
the chiefs of bureaus, go to and fro over
the country, drawing their salaries and
leaving their duties to bs performed by
subordinates, and the general of the army
and the lieutenant general, under the pre-
tense of tours of inspection, organize
corps Of sisters, cousins and aunts and
traverse the continent at the public
charge. Senators and members of the
house of representatives too, organize par
ties of pleasure to take in the watering
places on the Atlantic or the pleassu,
mountain resorts of California. They
christen their iunketings committees of
Investigation" and make appropriations
from the treasury to pay their hotel bills
and other personal expenses, and wherever
they go they investigate the quality OF
the liquor they drink and the food they
consume, and upon some fraudulent pre-
tense or other charge the cost to the pub
lie. Political tramps are of no party
The president vetoes nobody's proposition
to appropriate money to pay the expenses
of a commission to spend the hot season
? comfortably, and the auditors of the treas
, ury can always find authority to pay the
expenses Of an official pleasure trip
This shameful abuse, which originated
mainly with the Grant administration, tina
allowed Sherman and Sheridan and othel
military pets to make the s0ur of EUROPE
y under pay, and wasted hundreds Ct thous
e ands of dollars, expended to promote tht
= personal comfort and pleasure of officials
9 needs correction at once. Il grows wors
!, from year to year, and infects all parties
- and has already become so common as t
e be DC longer disgraceful. Here is some
thing for the democratic party to do,