Connecticut western news., 1883-12-19
IRREPRESSIBLE TRAMPS.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE FOR THEIR
 SUPPRESSION.
Duty DevOlving upon Every Community
 An Organized Police.

A Duty Devolvine upon Every Community An Organized Police.
 From Harper's Weekly.]
 The cruel and almost inconceivably ferocious murder of Mrs. Maybee and her daughter in little village of Long Island, and other equally mysterious murders which have lately shocked the community, have brought the problem of the s'tramp'' before the country in the most startling manner. Every one familiar with rural or village life can readily understand the conditions which make such deeds not only possible. but, within not very long periods, almost certain. The scattered population, the isolated dwellings, the peaceful habits, the want of any organized or efficient police, with the existence of class of wanderers, idle or half idle, and often criminal, spreading themselves over the country-these are the elements of the situation from which spring with con- siderable regularity petty thieving, out rage, assault, burglary, highway rob- bery, and murder, most of which go un- detected and unpunished.
 'Tramps," for the greater part, are the overflow from city life. Their ranks are recruited from the vicious, the lazy, and the unfortunate, who driven from the haunts of organized society and the police, become, as their characters and habits incline them, beggars, thieves, or caiminals. The greater number are simply idlers, strolling from place to place, begging 8 dinner here, break fast there, a lodging in some outhouse, or sleeping c lG belle etoile, and living on the offerings of hen roosts or corn fields. These are merely the drones of the great human hive, who drag out in filth and disorder their miserable lives.
 But with these are the men of criminal instincts and habits, fired with brutal lust, hungry with the greed born of dis sipation and drink, reckless of life, their own or others, and trained in the terri ble school of self-indulgence of our large towns. Woe to those who may meet them in the lonely ways, or may extend to them the hand of charityl Their trail across the woods and fields is scribe, in comparison with which murder itself is less terrible. And it is to one of these that the rustic household may at any moment be opened when the ragged costume, the unshaven face, the sum- burned hands, of the sturdy beggar ap- pear at the doof:~It is'with this ele- ment that society must make up it's mind to deal.
 The obvious weapon with which to deal with it is police force. The average vil- lage or country community will shrink from this. The suggestion to them means an organized force of blue-coats, with sergeants and captains, and the omniscient and generally useless detec- tives. But this is not necessary. What is needed is small force of mounted men, young, active, alert, with just enough organization to enable them to act together, and enough discipline to secure fidelity. Their chief function
 would be prevention rather than either detection or arrest. Patrolling the country roads frequently and rapidly, keeping a constant watch on suspicious persons, appearing often in the more secluded and exposed places. they could soon make it extremely dangerous for the criminal classes. An intimate and
 familiar knowledge of all persons with legitimate occupation is easily acquired in country neighborhoods, and that solves one-half the difficulties of police
 work. A criminal is really far safer in the dense populations of the cities than he could be in village with such an or ganization, since in the latter he would
 necessarily be marked man, and could
 hardly move from point to point unob- served.
 Such force should be organized in every county, or it might with advan tage be made State force, outside of :: the larger cities. Its members should be carefully selected, with absolute free , dom from political interference. They should serve for life, or as long as they were faithful and capable. They should have graded increase in salary, or pro. 3 motion, according to length of service and superior merit. They should be l we'll mounted, uniformed, thoroughly instructed, and well offered. They should be pensioned for disability in the service, or on retirement for honorable Q cause, according to service. These re. A quirements, which are of value in any
 force, would be essential in this, because Q of its peculiar nature, and the necessity Q of securing the best men at the most : economical rates. Properly managed a such force would practically put al a end in short time to the worst evils ot l. which is not entirely feasible. The fact that the tramp is practically unknown 1T V the ''tramp'' and there is nothing in it the 4 outer districts of New York city, some Q of which are as strictly rural as tht r heart of Long Island, is due to tht Q mounted police of the city. and thil I, could be applied in modified form il every community,
 DRY AND WET-South Carolina has
 local option law which applies tO incor