Omaha daily bee., 1884-12-17
THE FRONTIER TRAMP.
How Stranded GrailalSS Live Without
Money,

Poverty - Horace Greelcy's
Mot. 49, Mexican Cheap
LaDor-The want
of Capital.
FL Paso CTexas) Correspondence of the st.
Louis Globe Democrat.
-"Beg your pardon, sir, can you let
me have two bits2 / want to get q nights
lodging"
1t was outside the door of a brightly
lit sll.night saloon on San Antonio street
that your correspondent was stopped by
this abrupt salutation. The moonlight
~effulgence of the numerous electric lights
would have made o pin on the sidewalk
visible, and gave him ample time to take
stock of the applicant. A slightly built
man of about 80, dressed in an old and
glossy suit of black, that, to use the COM
monplace, had seen better days"
A face that spoke Of culture and refine
ment, albeit brutalized by piggish bristles
and rendered coarse by over-indulgence
in strong drink. The old black diago.
nal coat was buttoned close up to the
chin, as though to hide the dirty linen
beneath, and a worn SLOUGH hat formed
his headgear. 1t was in such a state of
d%ilapidation as to recall the ballad of
Paddy McFadden, who was
greasy and fat,
And the hair of his head
1t stuck out through his hat,
Such was the ensemble of The man who
came west to the boundary of two repub-
lies, to hold out his hand to the passing
stranger and beg two bits for his nights
lodging. Drowning mon, wdo have been
rescued, tell US that in the few moments
that elapse between the surcease of pain
and absolute oblivion, their whole lives
seem to pass in review before them, and
as my fingers sought the coveted % cents
so seemed to pass through my mind sad
thoughts of the increase of misery and
poverty the wide world over.
THE TRUE C~osMoroLITE.
Poverty, / think, is the greatest COS
mopolite. l have seen it chased as a
crime from the streets of our great cities
in the United States; l have seen it cell
ing its miserable match boxes Containing
matches that never would or could ignite)
az an excuse to escape police persecution
in the London streets; l have seen it
picking up the garbage around the Halles
Central in Paris; summing its brass badge
on the Piazza de Spagns at Rome, and
yet more recently blocking the entrance
to the Cathedral of chihuahua. But surely
| thought this southwest that Is always
asking for immigrants ought not to have
healthy men standing round the streets of
her towns asking for almr. In this con-
%nection l should remark that this applica-
ton for 1.-TWO bits" wac only one of a
dozen to which the visitor to Ell Paso is
subjected nightly, and that the only cure
the authorities seem to have for the evil
Ia to roundup tho poor devils like cattle
and drive them out of town with a force
of mounted officers.
l thought | would interview the man
who wanted two bits for a bed, and 30
dropping half a dollar into his out
stretched palm | asked him to take q
drink. Seated beside a warm stove and
under the influence of shot Scotch"
my tramp became quite communicative
and required little urging or the part
of the interviewer to unlimber his
tongue.
Il suppose you're going to commence
with the usual cant about why don't | go
to work and the rest of it," he com
menced. ITO hear you fellows talk
about industry and energy, one would
imagine that all a fellow had to do was tc
go right into the first store and ask for 6
job to get 1t. Well, you Just try it, an6
you'll find that your industry is moi
wanted and your energy is wasted on the
desert air"
"But I'd imagine" broke in your cor
respondent, that a man of some cul
ture, education and address would sooner
or later drop into something good ant
keep it without much trouble. Yot
seem to be that kind of a man."
"Well, sir, if instead OF being a college
graduate l had been a graduate from
carpenters bench or a blacksmith's shop
| would not have been begging tonight
The only nan that has any solid guaran
tee against starvation to-day is the me
chanic. The land is overcrowded will
colleges and universitiea of all kinds grad
uating young men who are absolutel,
!, worthless at best and precious little list
anywhere. There are so many youp!
men that can do nothing but clerk tina
there are 800 for every n vacancy, anc
wages have sunk to starvation point. Ii
mining districts the business of assaye
used to be a good one. Now every stat,
. university is turning out things by tn
hundreds that pass as mining engineer
and assayers, and their pay is less thar
any good miner can earn. This hold
true of the professions generally, all 0
which are full to overlooking. Abou
. two years ago | had a good situation in
, store at Tucson, but owing to dull time
1 got let out. l hadn't much money, bu
| started,for Silver City, but found moth
|, ing. / tried Deming with the same re
= suit, and then Lake Valley. My none.
. had given out and was glad of any job
. | tried to get on as surface laborer at tn
= Sierra Grsnde mines, but there wer
. hundreds of strong, able laborers who
. of course, cut me out. Men who EN-
ploy laborers always select the stronges
men they can get, a fact that the fellow
!, who, parrot-like repeat Horace Greeley
cry Go West, young man, Go West
8 seem to entirely ignore. From LAX
Valley to here i beat my way over tn
r Santa Fe line, and l have now been i
s Ell Psso about three weeks"
"How have you managed to live"
HEAL LIVING.
: "Oh, it's wonderful how little a ma
u can live on when he's forced to it. Loo
. at these fellows up inthe Arctic, how the
gotalong on their sealskinpsnts for month
before they took to cannibalism. don