The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-11-12
TALES OF THE TRAMP
CLASSES, HABITS AND DolNeS OF
THESE TRAVELLERS.

Statistics Mixed with Conclusions and
Opinions Investigation of Professor Nc.
Cook-No Reference to the Temporarily
Unemployed.
Whether the word tramp" originated
in England or America is not known. 1t
j. freely used in England in common con-
versation, but has no place in the statutes
IT Great Britain or Canada 1t made its
appearance in the New Jersey statutes in
1875, and by 1899 IS other states had adopt
ed It, The tramp himself rcpudiates the
name and habituRlly substitutes for 1t the
word "bum' and fastidiously divides his
guild into "train buns. who travel on
railroad trains; "pike buns, ~ who travel
on foot; "shovel buns" who affect city
life, and "religous buns, who frequent
the gospel missions. The train buns are
regarded as the aristocracy of the fraterni-
ty and rejoice in the additional appellation
of "hobosn
The travels of tramp take n much
wider range than most people would sup
pose. Several of them have been found
who claim to have visited nearly every
state and territory in the Union, and their
exact knowledge of the geography and Of
tIt TullTbdu llntS DoIe OUT Inc HSseFIlOn.
One reason of this is that the ranks of the
tramps are often recruited from the rail
road brakemen, and this is proved by the
tender regard which the brakeman always
exhibits for the tramp In not only permit
ting him TO stow himself away on the
trains, but frequently in feeding him also.
Massachusetts, which is the only state
that has undertaken to collect the stats.
tics of its tramps, entertains ,529 of them,
and If they are found in other states in the
same proportion to the population the num-
Der In the United States is 45,S45, which
is 10 900 below the current guess estimates.
Among these is limited number Of fe-
male tramps, whom their brother tramps
call "petticoat bums," "magpies' and
"bags."
| Careful Investigations lead to the con.
clusion that AZ per cent of the American
tramps have trades or professions, 4 / pei
cent are unskilled laborers, SO per cent are
weavers, one in 90 of them Is under 2C
years old, three out of five under 35 year,
old, as out of 100 under 40 years old. Only
SO per cent of them in the winter of tn,
grip claimed to be in Ill health, 49, pei
cent claimed specifically to enjoy goot
health. In answer to the question, "Why
did you take to the roadf" So per cenl
complained of a want of employment, SOME
were "tired of work ~ some wanted tc
"see the country some charged it &c
drink, and per cent declared their inten.
| tion never to work again.
of American tramps SO per cent are OF
! American nativity, and then follow Ire
land, England, Germany, Canada, Nor.
way, Sweden and Scotland. More than 90
per cent are unmarried, and less than 10
per cent are unable TO read and write. The
fact is that in intelligence and education
the average tramp is not appreciably diff.
ferent from the general population. In the
winter 32 per cent of them manage to get
sick and TO live in hospitals. Others are
migratory and walk down south in Octo-
Der and return north regularly in April, as
the railroad men can testify. OF those
questioned 90 per cent say they beg their
food, o per cent that they beg and work
and per cent that they beg and steal. II
is estimated that it costs 5000 year to
support tramp and 10000, 900 to sup
port all Of the tramps in the country for
one year.
Only per cent of tramps confess that
they have been convicted of crime, though
80 per cent freely admit that they hav,
been convicted of drunkenness. They re
gard things to wear and things to eat n:
common property. But felony is confined
to the few, assault being the felony com
monest among them. IL is rare thing
that they carry concealed weapons. Som'
of them complain Of the criminal tenden
cies of others. whom they characterize a,
"mean enough for anything. They claim
that It Is the train buns that disgrace tn,
whole calling by their crimes.
A circular relative to tramps that wal
mailed to 35 chiefs of police elected som,
interesting information about them ant
about the way the tramp nuisance was ol
should be treated Twenty replies said tha
they furnished lodging to tramps withou
any condition of cleanliness and 22 that NJ
conditions of work were prescribed. Six
teen said that the same tramps returne,
frequently; 3, occasionally; 10, that tn
same tramps did not return. Twenty sew
en- said that the applicants were always re
ceived, that they were liable to be arrest
ed and that they were imprisoned IL the
: returned too often. Twenty-Five put tn
able bodied tramps at from 90 TO 100 pc
cent and only 3 put IL as low as 80 pc
cent. Sixteen thought It advantageous I
lodge tramps, and ls were Of the opposit
opinion. OF the 10 who thought II advan
tageous favored It on humanitaria
grounds, 2 because small per cent wer
! deserving, o ON grounds of public policy,
for the protection of property and for tn
protection of the person.
As to the treatment Of the evil, IL @
: these chiefs recommended compulsor
work, 9 confinement corporal punish
, ment l the shotgun, l severer laws, tn
= enforcement OF existing laws, furnishin
employment, 3 believed in the workhous,
l thought encouragement ought to be r'
fused. Not one advocated moral measures
o not apparently because they attached n
e importance to moral measures, but becaus
they regarded the tramp as impermeab
y TO them. On the other hand, moral mea
:, ures, when tried, have generally been III
) successful. Nagabondism grows out
% idleness, intemperance and uncleannes
/ and moral means are usually a poN
L erful remedy for such habits. But forcih
u restraint appears to be necessary In &
~ first instance Yet as long as tramps a
ie left to roam at will, restrained only by
III occasional and spasmodic enforcement
the vagrant laws, it would he an immen
= advantage II soft hearted people would !
- frain from giving them money, for, I
most without exception, Il goes for dril
ny or worse. The person who will give al
u beggar coin just because IL seems too ha
10 refuse him ought on similar grounds
give razors and guns 10 madmen and CHI
-r dren.-John j. McCook In Charities X
view, -
o. Natural soap.