Milford chronicle., 1896-05-22

strangSgs 10 live withouCNvork that the,
adopt a military organization and ar,
ready to give battle to the rural 20
lice. Near Riverside, the other day
the officers who descended upon one o
the camps were routed, horse, foot anC
dragon, after brisk engagement II
earlier days, when mining and not ag
riculture engaged the people, Cali
fornia would have disposed of sucl
militant bummers with rope and pistol
But farmers are of a peaceable spirit
and their occupation isolates them
How comfortable the tramp's life il
made for him here, how easily he man
ages to exist without toll, was interest
ingly revealed by the recently printed
narrative of young man who, as a
"hobo," made the trip from San Diego
toSan Francisco. His experience shows
that money is not necessary in Cali
fornia to a man who makes up his MIND
to be a tourist. There is still an un.
limited supply of tender-hearted peo-
pie who would rather take the chance
of encouraging vagrancy than run the
risk of Withholding help from worthy
men seeking work-a character, al
ways assumed by the tramp, of course
This amateur and companion loitered
on their journey for over month and
never went hungry. They were taken
for the genuine article by the real
tramps they met, and also by the POI
liece of the towns and villages, thus
gaining a perfect insight into the life.
In Delmar, for example, they were
told that if they could induce the con
stable to arrest them they could get a
''aoater is to say, be housed
over night in the Jail and foated on
ward in the morning, stayed by good
breakfast. 81 am told" relates the
young man, that in some of these
places the tramps are sentenced TO ten
days, but the constable let's him Off
gives his a couple of dollars as an in
eentive to leave, and charges the coun-
ty one dollar a day for the ten days"
BY stealing rides and begging at
houses the pair made pleasant prog
ress Not only subsistence, but social
attention, it seems, are the agreeable
portion of the moneyless tourist in
southern California. As witness:
AT Carlsbad we were in great luck.
My chum did some chores round
house and the lady took us both in.
We got a wash. a good meal, bed and
spent the evening playing the piano
and cards. Next morning the lady put
up a big lunch for us, and jumped the
blind baggage car when the train came
along"
Sleeping in barns and haystacks by
night, begging for food during the day,
walking for pleasure, and taking the
cars for speed, the adventure proceeded
joyously. Professional tramps were
encountered in large numbers. At
Goshen there was an encampment with
a captain in command and a negro
servant to do the cooking. The com.
pany slept in tents, and regular details
were sent out to forage. The com
munity called itself the "Sons of Rest," "
and had for its motto the sybaritic sen
timent: Fools and Mules Work"
The amateurs found that they gen.
orally could get wr,I when they asked
for it, but, like the regulars, they were
under no necessity to labor. Charity
abounded, and they pursued their way
without hardship. Since novices could
do so well, the lot of a skilled loafer |
must be pleasant, indeed. 1t is not
wonderful that the tramp looks down |
with contempt on the workingman |
who drudges for a livelihood that is to
be had without eXertion.
We have no snow here, practically |
no winter, and the tramp comes to us
in the assurance that there is a picnic
awaiting him. He will come, and bring
his comrades with him, while the peo-
pie and the officers of the law remain
as kind as the skies. That each town is
anxious to pass the vagabonds on to the
next, and will even offer them re-
ward to go, is natural enough under
present conditions, which are dis
graceful to a civilized state. So long
as we have this want of concert, this
this army of tramps will in
crease. Yet there is no sound reason
why the evil should not be abated, and
even turned to profitable account.
There are 81 counties. and all save a
few of them need more roads and bet
ter roads. 1t ought not to be difficult
for the several boards Of supervisors to
put themselves in communication with
one another and come to an under
If this were done--if every
tramp arrested should be given the full
penalty Of the law against vagraney
and compelled to work on the roads
during the entire term Of his sentence,
a solid advantage would be reaped. and
The tramps kept away from California
IN future.
Pending such action as this by the
the duty of the individual
,itizen is clear. Charity to the unde- !
serving is a wrong done the deserving.
Every tramp supported in idIeness is
IN encouragement to better men to
abandon honest ways.-San Francisco
Argonaut.
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