Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-04-27
The Portland Plan.

Ahe fortlanQ Plan.
Unlike San Francisco, Oakland,
Omaha, and several Cther cities. which
have temporized with the organized
system OF heggary known as the In.
dustIial army, Portland, Oregon, has
adopted plan which seems to meet
all requirements for crushing the
movement in lis incipient stages, and
it IL quite apparent that if it had been
generally adopted in time would have
completely paralyzed an uprising
which is now exciting considerable
alarm.
The Portland plan is to refuse alb
solutely any aid to the army" as an
organization, but to open the door to
labor Tor every member who applies
Tor work. After one day OF bewilder-
ment, in which the plan was adopted
oil other cities OF feeding the tramps and
sending them on their way rejoicing to
forage upon the next community,
which had the effect of budding local
organization and starting GOO more
men from California in that direction.
the error was discovered and speedily
corrected. The city authorities stopped
the free supply of food, the railroads
refused free transportation, and it was
resolved that the visiting and local
tramp contingent should be stopped
and dealt with there. They were left
by common consent to the city board
of charities, and As the Oregonian
tersely states it, the scientific prin-
ciples of charity were applied to the
problem OF organized beggary." They
were not fed or coddled, but given to
understand that they could earn the
food they ate and the clothes they
wore, by labor on the streets, or the
alternative OF places on farms in the
country. Citizens were urged not to
extend aid but to refer all applicants
to the Board of Charities. Public sem
timent responded to this reasonable
demand, and the question of what was
to be done was solved. The army
could not get away; they could get no
food without working for it, and the
logical result was that they must work
or starve. The plan is working ad-
mirably. The professional tramp, who
is constitutionally opposed to labor,
struck out for communities that were
not organized against his methods,
those who are willing to labor will be
absorbed in the true industrial army
OF the State, and best of all, no other
community will be harrassed by their
insolent demands and our authorities
at Washington will be relieved to
some extent of the perplexing problem
what to do with the misguided people
who imagine that their foolish plans
will have the slightest effect on either
Congress or the Executive branch OF
the government. The army at Port.
land is breaking up, and it will not be
many days until it has resolved itself
to its original elements.
A few such examples as Portland
has afforded would have disposed OF
the whole trouble, but unfortunately
all communities, like individuals, are
not constituted alike. In some the
selfish trait predominates, and the first
and sometimes the only impulse is "a
avert q calamity without thought a.
to possible results upon others. When
! the news of the ovation the tramps re.
ceived at Omaha was telegraphed fal
and wide, it aroused latent impulse
, in the minds of many who were halt
ing between two opinions to 60 on 9
/ grand picnic and pose as martyrs in 6
E cause they have been led to believe
: may be subserved by the highway
: mems method of securing a living h,
r believes the world owes him.
There are doubtless some WORTHY
}, men in the Industrial army, but the!
are adopting course which will soor
result in the elimination of whaI
! good there is in their character. No
+ body can associate with the vicious
: and depraved without corruption, ant
! when one joins an organized system
- of beggary. it shows that the principa
}, barrier - self-respect - has alread,
q given way to the incentive. 1t is .
j sin to allow men who might remain
t honest mechanics and worthy crafts
a men to become contribution to tina
: nomadic element which has Away
: been q menace to good order and ,
e disgrace to our boasted civilization.
1t is peculiarly unfortunate that tn
q Portland plan of dealing with this evi
i had not come earlier in the movement
e 1t would have presented q means o
. dealing with it which does not seen
to have suggested itself elsewhere. 1
8 is the honest, common-sense way o
dealing with the matter, and nigh
have obviated the consequences tina
i may follow before this chapter il
closed.