Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1893-12-21
The so-oalled Tranp Megsage.


question arises as to who these men
are that are being arrested and sem
fenced to work upon municipal rock
piles-whether they are professional
Migrants or whether they ARE crimi-
nails in the eyes Of the law simply be-
cause of unfortunate circumstances.
The following from the Chicago
Times serves to show to what class
they belong in that city:
"As a result of systematic visitation
among the destitute of Chicago by a
committee of Hyde Park citizens a
bureau Of relief has been organized
and opens this morning with head
quarters at 1924 Superior avenue.
The plan Of the committee in charge
is to cover q district from Eighty
third street to Eighty-seventh and
from the Baltimore & Ohio railroad
on the west to the lake, In this dis
trlct there are over 1000 families in
abject want who were formerly sup
ported by employment in the Illinois
Steel works, whose doors have been
closed for many months. The COM
mittee has made a thorough canvass
Of the South side, and expects to be
able to olothe, feed and provide fuel
to the destitute Of the district laid
out.
1T was a queer, melancholy pro-
cession, this troop of the city's miser-
able. There were all sorts and con-
ditlons of men, the out-and-out hobo,
the young shabby genteel stranded
after the fair, the paralytic on
crutches, and the shame-f faced laborer
out of a job. BY far the most of the
men belonged to this latter class.
That was easy to see. They came
sullenly and silently and not with the
voracity Of beggars. Some Of them
looked more thin half ashamed.
"All Of them looked hungry and
cold as they slouched awkwardly up
for their portions, There was no
crowding or pushing, no loud talk;
indeed, nine out of ten of the men ate
silently and departed without a word.
They did not go at the thing with the
easy, confident air of professional
beggars The part did not seem to
fit them. Once in awhile a fellow
who looked as if he might have money
in his pocket sneaked in and grabbed
at the lunch"
And this from the Ottawa Com,
Bulletin shows how it is in Kansas:
"The A, 0. U. w. man who was ar
rested here for vagrancy, taken before
the police court and fined and put on
the rock pile, came to the city in
search of work at his trade, that Of a
laundry worker Failing to find work
and his money beng gone, he asked
the sheriff for place to sleep over
night which was given, and to his
surprise when morning came, instead
of being allowed to go on his way, he
was arrested, fined and imprisoned,
and ordered to work on the rock pile.
"lhis is his story and, If true, there
ought to be more searching investi-
cation, in true, Christian spirit, Of
those who are brought before the po-
lice court, as to their condition and
their object, than there was in this
case. We do not know how many
have been unjustly imprisoned for
simply being without money, while in
search of work and asking for a meal
Of victuals or a bed for night. This
is no crime under any Of our laws
and ought not to be treated as such.
Such men are not always vicious
tramps. and caro- should be taken to
make q proper discrimination"
Many similar instances could be
given from papers all over the state,
but the above sufficiently establish in
the main the character of the people
who are unable to obtain employment
and are consequently branded by the
leading republican press as vicious
tramps. In times like these, good
honest workingmen are made tramps.
II is q forced condition over which
honest toll has no control. The gov
ernor is making no plea for the lazy
vagabond or criminal, though the en-
emies OF the peoples party are en-
deavoring, for political capital, to
make it appear that every man in
Kansas who is out OF work is a crimi-
nal or q vagabond. The press out
side Of the state as well as the nom
partisan papers within our boundar-
les commend the message very strong
ly. The Kansas City Journal has
the following to say Of it:
eve picked up the papers yester-
day and from the headlines of the dis
patches expected to read sensation
from an official crank. But after
reading the circular of Governor
Lewelling to the police of Kansas we
could only feel gratifed to know that
our cruel treatment Of the unfortu-
nate poor had received from one state
executive a proper rebuke. What
ever literary or other criticism may
say of Governor Lewelllng's utter
ances, his protest against law imposed
idleness and destitution being treated
as crime, does him honor"
The Kansas LeUer, the leading pro-
hlbitionist paper of the west, says:
gsrha o;pot1Ioe sa Ibo Grak r,oor,.r,o H., !