Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-10-30

a yagrant Is Man Who Don't Work.
A Definition That HIS Hard I'm Sari.
observation-disclosures and Land Val.
San Antonio. Tex, News.
James Bailey, an old negro, was ar
raigned this morning before the record
er, charged with vagrancy. His homer
called Uncle Bailey before the Judgment
desk. and said:
Bailey, you are charged with yae.
rancy. What have you to say-guilty or
not guilty?"
Il don't know whut dat vagency is.
l has fits every moTnin' eff dat's whut
yoS are talking bout replied Uncle Jim.
"A vagrant is man who don't work"
replied the recorder. DO you plead
guilty or no. guilty?"
II pleads guilty. Dat is. / pleads
guilty to the work / does amt va
gent eff does has fits"
why were you sleeping in the back
yard of Mr.. - last night, when the
police arrested you?"
Case it was er viting lookin' piece OF
groun' to sleep on. en- it didden look like
dar war envy chewranchelers dar. / slep
very comfortable tel dat der perlice
come en- disturb my sleep Der groun'
were as sof as er fodder bed"
The recorder dismissed the case with
a kindly admonition to Uncle Jim TO
never again use the sky for canopy and
the earth for a pillow.
The above is taken from the Times OF
Wednesday last. 1t is quite sermon
in stones" SO to speak 1t is paradox
ical object lesson e., if you just look
at the incident critically. You will
notice the poor '-niggah'' begged the
honorable court to acguaint him with
the definition of vagrant. He was
promptly informed that a vagrant was
a man who didn't work" May be so,
but even his honor would be afraid to
swear by that definition, first, last and
all the time. as it were OF course he
would. for what would some of the lead
ing citizens think who would have to
plead guilty If his honor's definition was
right The crime that the old man had
committed was the awful one of using
the sky for canopy and the earth for
pillow" Even that would have been no
chine had not the foolish old man for
gotten that the earth does not belong to
every body by long shot 1t belongs
to mighty small few. Theoretically,
and ofttimes practically, those few levy
tribute on the unfortunate for the use OF
their earth.
Have you ever seen the picture of a
sultrv summer nights scene at the docks
in New York City? If you have you
can recall it wildly; If you have not
will say that more heart touching
thing could never be depicted BIZ an ar
tist. The hundreds of poverty stricken
men, women and babies, compelled to
leave their sheoi-like tenements for
lack of air, lie pell NELL at the docks
like cattle. Ii You were in New York
and were to ask an ordinary citizen who
these people are. ne would most likely
tell You they are Migrants They are
rarrants because the Almighty forgot
them when he gave out all the choice
corner lots
In the issue OF the same date above
the Times says that .'intervie VS. with
well informed citizens on real estate
are ALWAYS interesting" Cne OF the in
terviewed on that day predicted an adj
vance of 100 per cent in city land be-
fore long. Interesting news. that, es-
pecialiy for men like Uncle Jim In
feresting in another way. too. II shows
we have well started on a road. at a
certain turning of which we shall come
across the ''vagrant factory" in full
blast
For full grown and healthy paradox
commend US to the average daily news
payer. In one place they will be full
son1ely adulating the mechanic and the
various horny-handed, commiserafiny
their position in life. etc, inventing all
sorts of schemes to attract moneved men
to build factories and build up the city;
in another part of the paper they viii,
metaphorically, sing pRans of glad.
ness because land has gone up 100 psD
cent