The record-union., 1893-10-28
Treatment of the Tro,,,,,

treatment of the Tramp.
EDS. RECoRD-UNIoN VIII vou per
NIT me through your "Everybody's Col
umn" to hurrah for newspaper? Ifs
say, Three cheers for the Tulare Regis
ter -
Copied in your paper of October 18th,
under the heading of Migrants. y and
the question of "What should be done
with the professional class ?'' after a
common-sensee exposition of the situation
ana The assertion that ''it is a State ques-
tlon, and the State must take hold OF it"
IL goes on TO say: 'Our suggestion is
that California needs a State reform
schooI Tor petty adult offenders and pro-
IeSslonal vagrants. 4 section of go acres
OF good agricultural land suited to wide
range of products, and located as near as
practicable to the principal State institu-
uons, with convenient means Of trans
portaton, should be purchased by the
State. a high fence should be built
around, strictly military rule applied,
ana al the professional tramps and petty
Offenders Of the State placed there, in
stead Of in County Jails."
This certainly would better our condi-
ton as people claiming to be civilized,
and is proposed step in the right dlrec-
ton, but want to propose few amend
ments.
Leave out the high fences and make it
thousand acres near the centers of each
OF twenty counties lor more for starter;
provide durable and comfortable quarters
Tor all who can be worked on the land;
have a superintendent, elected by the
citizens Of each county, but under State
control, with reasonable compensation,
and endowed with sufficient authority to
enforce the rules; let people come and go
as they please with perfect freedom; take
OIL the chains n N-ao and fDn XVnQlZ-
minded which disgrace the Nation which
boasts of its liberty and freedom; pay
these men something, perhaps in proper
ton to what they can do, but not to eX-
ceed one-half the price paid for similar
work elsewhere; allow no Intoxicating
liquors to be used on these farms or to be
sold within reachabIe distance of the
occupants, have these farms located so
that a man can get to one of them from
any part of the State without starving,
and let the people stop giving anything
to those who beg. / believe no law
would be necessary for this, as people
only give when their sympathies are
aroused.
send the needy sick to hospitals, the
criminals 10 prisons; and let the tramps
and VagTants work or Starve, as they
please, but give them a fair chance for
the option. They would have no eX-
cuse under this arrangement that they
could not get work; and the unfortunate
workers would be thankful Tor a place
where they could get another start IN life.
The small wages paid would be an in
ducement for all to try to support them
selves elsewhere, and if they failed they
would still have refuge where they
could live without committing crimes.
I believe this system, if carried out,
would in time reduce our criminals to
very small number.
I yVOuld have no nUUiSlmpQt other
than the law prescribes for crimes; but
simply enforce as a rule, she that will
not work, neither shall he eat" Turn
away the man who is able, bat viii not
work, and let him travel until he is will
ing TO work. | think IN q short time
there would be very few such.
1 can imagine reading rooms, con-
veniences for amusements, and even
music, and other civiliZing influences,
attached to these establishments.
I believe such institutions would be
self-sustaining after they were fairly
started. Perhaps sOmo revenue might
in time be derived from them.
1 can foresee the disadvantages of
probable scarcity of labor at times and
surplus at other times, but the low wages
paid is a partial offset to the disadvantage,
and it might be partially remedied by
transferring from one farm to another,
and by using surplus labor on the de-
StldD1C SOOQ Itdtt DLOJtCt
These establishments would be depOts
for IabOrers where everybody who
needed employees could obtain them.
] think one such establishment in
every county would be needed, and
though the cost would be considerable,
the property should be worth its cost, or
nearly that, at any time, and [ believe its
benefit to society would be worth ten
times the outlay required.
Shame on the nation, and the people Of
nation, which or who has or have no
better remedy to propose for what has
been called the tramp nuisance than the
order to move on"
Driving them from one locality to an
other is simply brutal selfishness. If the
above proposed system is paternal gov
ernment, then l advocate paternaI gov
ernment II no one has a better remedy
to propose than this. 1 call on all Christ
ian churches. Catholic and Protestant, to
use their influence in behalf of this
Preachers and teachers of Christianity,
don't spend all OF your efforts in solicit
tude for the welfare of the souls of your
church members and the world outside
The Great All Father is competent to
take care Of them, but initiate your
Master, Christ, who fulfilled his mission
on earth by caring and teaching others to
care for the welfare of the body, assuring
all that the spirit of love is q passport to
the Kingdom Of Heaven.
Christians outside OF the churches who
without knowing 1t, or under other
names, accept and practice the doctrines
which Christ taught, l call on you to as
sist in this way, or any better way, to
abolish brutality and selfshness, and
help to accelerate the progress OF man
kind toward civilization, and I promise
you, if successful, the reward in this life
Of living in a community where indi-
vidual liberty, equality in justice and
universal fraternity are not meaningless
words, and / also promise you the ap-
provaI of conscience. NJ. A. BURKE.
Sacramento, Cal.