Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-07-08
vAGRANT MIGRATION.
A Disagreeable Fact that Cannot be
Ignored.

In a thinlY populated country, says
an English review, the sturdy beggar
is real power. If he times his visits
well and is careful about the houses to
which he pays them lie can be pretty
sure of finding no men about, and
when that is the case he may reckon
upon frightened if not favorable listen
ers. If his indignation at getting moth
ing takes the form of assault OF robbery
he is well away ON his journey before
any help comes, and when he is once
ont of sight there are few or no means
of arresting him.
Migrants ore pleased to find them
selves the objects of public solicitude,
and they show their gratitude by max
ing diligent use of the accommodation
provided for them. Vagrancy is fact
which cannot be ignored, and if it is
not dealt with by public machinery it
will be dealt with, with worse conse-
quences, by private machinery. 1t is
the existing of the lodging houses for
Migrants and the knowledge that he is
sure of nights lodging when he gets
there that prevents the vagrant from
being much more formidable person
than he is. 1t might be supposed that
if these lodging houses were closed he
would be forced TO take himself off the
road. But there will always be two
causes prompting men to vagrancy,
whether they find shelter provided for
them or not. Want of work is one of
these causes, love of wandering is the
other. The migration of labor from
one trade to another is inevitable so
long as one trade is prosperous and
another depressed Indeed, the ecopo-
mist Is always anxious to promote it as
the natural means OF giving relief to
glutted labor market. Without this
migration there will be constant
scarcity of worhmen in one district and
constant scarcity of work in another.
Vagrancy is simply the method by
which this migration is effected The
skilled artisan may avertl by rail to a
place he has fixed on beforehand, but
the laborer has neither the money to
pay for ticket nor the same confidence
that he will fluid work when he gets to
his journeys end. His mode of travel
ing and his notion of getting employ
meut are of a more primitive kind He
uses his own legs, and he hopes to earn
something as he goes along. The love
of wandering, which is the second great
cause of vagrancy, may be less re-
spectacle motive than the desire TO get
work, but it is an equally natural one
There will always be young men to
whom TO sit still IS an intolerabie burden.
They want more excitement, more
movement, more variety, than is to be
found III any one Workshop. They wish
to see something OF distant places and
unknown people. Their idea of life is
to be kind of industrial Ulysses, not
passing Their time i'll pure idleness, but
taking work now in one place and now
in another. 1t is quite certain that va
grants, whether their search for work
is prompted by inability to find it at
home or by an uncomfortable desire to
look for il abroad, will find themselves
in want OF lodging or meal. If they
cannot get this at a public lodging house,
they must get 1t from the charity OF
those whom they meet or pass on the
road. The abolition of these lodging
houses would be the signal for vast
increase of mendicancy all over the king
dom.
The mere sight of a tramp would be
q source of terror. because il would GER
tainly mean that he WIS going to beg
you, and very probably that if You re.
fused his demand or complied with it
bat imperfectly, importantly would
quickly pass into insolence or violence.
L Is possible, indeed. that if the whole
community were To unite in refusing to
give relief of any kind to vagrant, no
matter how great might be his need,
tine practice of wandering would at last
have to be abandoned. But then there
is not the remotest chance that any
such compact will be entered into
Distress, starvation and weakness are,
and, it is TO be hoped, will always re-
main, unfailing titles to pity and help.
II tire well to-do ever come to disregard
them, we may be sure that the poor viii
will not follow their example. The i'm
mense abuses to which mendicancy is
open make it matter Of real import.
ance to remove as far rs possible both
the necessity for asking aims and the
disposition to grant them.