The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-13
THE TRAMP PROBLEM.
What Shall Be Done with the Ever
Present Homeless Wanderer.
Boston Advertiser.

Boston Advertiser.
a question which is troubling good
many or the towns near Boston is as to the
disposition to be made of the tramps who
pass through these villages in their Jour
neys to and from the large cities of this
commonwealth In some instances the
question has grown to be serious one for
the taxpayers and the houSeholders The
manners and methods seen in the tramp
fraternity are not such as to CONNIE nd them
to the general charity of thoughtful citi-
zens large proportion will not work I'M
less forced to, and will even employ threats
to gain what would not willingly be given
them. From time to time, also, reports of
robberies and other criminal acts, which
seem almost certain to have been commit
ted by the tramps, are published in the
daily press.
The proposition that these men be arrest
| ed ana forced to do certain amount of
work has been considered, and the plan
tried in some localities. but the net cost to
the taxpayers has been found to be SO
heavy in certain instances as to deyelop
strong public opposition to this plan For
these reasons the tramp problem has grown
to be a serious one, and much satisfaction
would be expressed by the public generally
If some perfectly feasible and economical
way to get rid of the tramp nuisance could
be offered and adopted.
In this connection, therefore, it is inter-
esting to note that the sociologists are al
ready turning their attention to the tramp
problem, and, as an indispensable prelim-
mary to it's solution, are securing statistics
and facts which demonstrate the classes
and characters of the men who are to be
found in the great army of tramps The
word army used in this connection can
mar 9e called exaggeration as some of
that the number of tramps in the United
States is between 10000 and $4,000.
1t is too often the case that public senti-
ment regards the tramps as mere wrecks
unfit for much useful labor, and yet it is a
fact that the majority of the American
tramps are in the prime of life and are in
very good health. as rule. Professor Nc
Cook, of Trinity College, in a recent address
on this question: stated that only 81 per
WI n iS Of f;c-
tics were CLEANED, claimed in the dead of
winter while the grip was raging, to be in
bad health; that, SO far as his experience
went. the tramps are robust and capable
physically of large amount of manual
labor, and that certainly neither their age
nor their health is a bar to their working,
although the most of them have been out
of work for months.
In an inquiry made among large number
of tramps. 81 per cent. declared that they
took to the road because they were out of
work; bur only one man claimed that ma
fact as good many people think. that the
majority of American tramps are foreigners.
So far as statistics show, 65 per cent. of
the tramps in this country of American
parentage. hardly II per cent. being Irish,
nationalities in all are represented in con-
siderable proportions. Nor is ii a fact that
the tramps as class are utterly illiterate.
as nearly 70 per cent. are able to read and
write
among the wandering fraternity is about
equal: but in the case of voters. the great
majority go to make up the class of float
ers'' that. employed by unscrupulous
managers in fraudulent elections. The tramp
who votes has little personal interest in
the party for which his vote is cast: and
merely sells himself to the highest bidder
Only about per cent. of the tramps are
reported as married; about per cent more
are widowers, and Z per cent. in all are
reported having children. About 80 per
cent claim to be willing to work for the
food which they ask About "a per cent
admit that they beg. when they cannot
steal ii; and about SIS per cent. are found
to have little scruple in regard to the Illegal
appropriation of other persons property
The proportion of tramps who do not use
LIQUOR Is so small to be hardly worthy
of consideration.
II is practically certain from the investiga-
ton already made that even if permanent
work could be found for the tfamps who are
willing to return to honest labor, the tramp
question would still remain unsolved. AS a
rule the American tramp only works when
he is forced TO do The solution of the
tramp problem therefore would seem to lie i'm
enforced labor, were it not for the fact that
this solution has yet only proved itself to
munities that have undertaken to solve the
united effort were made throughout the State
equally distributed At all events. in the
Southern States. where tramps are usually
turned over to the chain gang to work in
the streets and roads for the benefit of the
public. tramps are. as a rule. not abundant.