The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-01
Vsgrancy-The Law.

Editor Morning NetOs: l see that "Tax-
payer" wants something done for OF to the
IDLE negroes who curse the city with their
! presence. They are something Of a nuisance,
no doubt; they must live some way, either
by begging or stealing. All nuisances caa
| be easily gotten rid of if the law but be en-
forced. VaRrancy is a nuisance, a danger
GUS nuisance, and there is enough law TO
| meet all vagrancy cases Of all kinds. Here
Is the law on the subject; vagraucy as de-
! fined by law:
/. All persons wandering or strollinC
about In idleness, who are able to work and
have no property to support them.
All persons leading an idle, immoral or
protiigate life, who have no property to
support them, and who are able TO work
and who do not work.
.. All perSns able to work having no
| property to support them, and who have
not some visible and known means of a fair,
honest and reputable livelihood.
4. All persons having a fixed abode, who
have no visible property to support them,
and who live by stealing, or by trading in,
oartering for, or buying stolen property.
AND all professional gamblers living in
ldieness shall be deemed and considered va
grants and shall be indicted as such; and it
snall be lawful for any person to arrest said
Migrants and have them bound over for
trial to the superior court or any court
having competent jurisdiction, and upon
conviction, they shall be fined or i'm prisoned
or sentenced to work on the public works or
roads for not longer than year.
such, Mr.. Editor, is the law, and il Is
plain, pointed, exact, precise and particu
lar. All that is needed Is simply to enforce
it; the material is here to work on at any
moment Looking for work is 10 excuse,
Tor every vagrant is looking for work, If
you ask him or her. The question is what
to do, how to do it, when to do it and by
whom to do it, The question is easily an
swered. Let the mayor have several thou
sand cards struck of with the vagrant law
printed upon them. Head the card "A
Notice-A Warning" and hand a card
to every negro man and women
seen on the streets who say
they are looking for work. Give the cards
to the policemen or appoint two or three
persons who will make it their business to
distribute them. The very beginning to en-
force the law will rid the city Of many idle
negroes. They will put back to the country
from whence they came and stop looking
for work in the city. Hand the card to the
idle negro with a few words of warning
when next seen loafinR around, and the hint
will impress his mind that the city is not
very safe place to hunt work from month in
to month out without getting it.
IL the mayor will throw the same energy
and judgment be has done in closing the
drinking shops Of the city on Sunday. he
will soon create panic among the idle
negroes Of the city. A few arrests and con-
viotions will do the job effectually-have up
few of the idle dude young negro fellows
and make them show how they live, what
property they have, and their means Of SUD-
portland a terror will seize them pretty
soon. "Where there is a will, there is a
way" and the vegrant law Of the state
covers all the ground necessary. Further
comment is not necessary. r. NJ. o.