The record-union., 1895-01-17
SACRAMENTO WAS RIGHT.
The San Jose Mercury, referring to
the frightening of tramps from Sacra-
nlento, says:


the frightening of tramps from Sacra-
mento, says:
The wisdom of Sacramento's policy, viewed
from Sacramento standpoint cannot be
questioned. But it is unjust that other locali-
ties should be burdened with the Oftscouriugs
OF that city. Sacramento has no moral right
TO protect herself at the expense OF Stockton,
San Jose and other cities, and 1t Is no remedy
for the tramp nuisance to drive those vaga-
bonds from one town TO another, regardless OF
the general welfare. Sacramento has iailS
and courts, and laws for the protection of her
citizens. To drive a beggar, or a thief, or q
thug from town is not to punish him. Such
course simply lnhicts punishment upon inno-
cent and, perhaps, unprotected people else
where whom the beggar and the thief and the
thug Will proceed to raid.
Several other of our interior contempo-
raries have taken similar position re-
garding the matter
The statement of the Mercury is in
error because it proceeds upon the as
sumption that the tough element driven
out belonged here. Admit for the sake
of the argument that there is neither
moral nor legal right for one community
to dump tramps upon anot her commu-
nifty. what then? The tramps expelled by
threat of legal punishment-for be it
borne in mind that no force has been
used-were not in all cases, perhaps,
driven TO this city, but they came here
from other communities. They did not
belong here and were strangers, to the
last man.
Since then they were not ''the off,
scourings of Sacramento" the argument
falls to the ground. The reason these in
corrigible loafers came upon US is near at
hand and not difficult to find. They
came because we have heretofore so
patiently borne with their kind.
Fresno scared her tramps away with an
offer of work omething over year ago,
and a large body of them then descended
upon other communities, only a few
leaving the State. Some other towns
drove out theirs by energetic enforce
ment of the laws against vagrants. Oak
facedly sent them direct to Sacramento.
Sacramento, then, acted upon that uni
versal law of natural right which the
Mercury itself invokes-she protecte
herself. There is no moral or legal obli-
cation upon the taxpayers of Sacramento
to support in jail the offscourings of other
cities. Had not the people OF this city
been so merciful, kind and forbearing
these rascals probably would not have
docked to us. To continue the merciful
policy meant to announce to all the State
that the Capital City is a hopper into
which all other communities are invited
to pour their "offscourings."
We took money out of our treasury,
which we had no legal righ. to do, and
fed an Industrial Army, 30 called. loaded
cars for it with food and sent it on the
way it desired to GO. Then Oakland sent
us gang numbering hundreds, and we
fed and kindly treated that lot for many
weeks, and finally induced it to leave
without threat of violence or of enforce
ment of the law. Still another flock de-
scended upon US, and for more than a
month we fed, housed and clothed it, and
at last raised money for it also, which
some of its leaders stole, while its COM
manding officer developed as an ex-con-
vict and an embezzler, and was put into
prison to serve his sentence.
All our kindness resulted in inducing
other vagabonds to swarm into the city
and annoy our people. Along with them
came thick fringe of toughs, burglars
and murderers. They stood our people
up on the highway; they throttled oug
citizens by day and by night; they as
saulted our women and children, and
stabbed our men; they finally brutally
committed the fourth of series of hor-
rible human butcheries
Then the people of Sacramento said
among themselves: "We have had
enough of this. Our charity has been re-
paid by brutality; our kindness has re-
suited in imposition; our contributions OF
coin and food have been turned into pun
ishments. These fellows are consorting
with those who claim TO be not of the
criminal class. These claimants freely
admit them to companionship. and their
leaders defend and countenance them.