The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-18
THE SEATTLE posTNTEILGENcER SATURDAY, DECEMBER 49, 1897
4 NICE LITTLE TREADM|lI.
SUGGESTED FORM or RECREATION
FOR CITY PRISONERS.
raent Should BE Trimmed Ont by
Drastic Medicine-The City Prison
Not n boarding House, but q Jail.

TIE increasing host Of hobos in this city
IL being watched with anxious eyes by
citizens, who see their interests even their
lives threatened by the undesirable in
vasion. The city jail seems TO hold out no
,errors 10 this class Of people The fol-
lowing communication from l. T. Thomas
suggests "a nice little treacmili'' as a dis
enlargement Of the inaux:
ITO the Editor: The prevalence OF the
hobo element in our city has suggest
ed 10 the writer that some means of
abasing the evil should be established.
and with this end in view. the following
Is offered for the consideration of the
readers OF your paper and our police Of
hciais;
and convictions as well as from common
report and observation, it must be con-
ceded that our community has more than
It's share of petty criminals and hobos.
Each winter sees this class gather in
numbers in our city. many of them COM
ing here with the direct purpose Of COM
hitting some minor offenss that will Sc
cure 10 them few weeks leisure" with
warm quarters and meals In our comfort
able jail. This present winter sees an
extra large number OF such persons most
OF them doubtless drawn here by the
supposed additional opportunities for beg
ging and stealing incident to the gold ex-
element.
How to rid ourselves OF these people
seems to be a problem which has not yet
certain, and that is, that confinement in
our Jails has no terrors for them, on the
contrary, such punishment Cd seems TO
be rather courted than avoided. Another
certain thing is that work OF any kind
is distasteful TO them. and that they would
forego the warm, dry precincts OF the jail
do some work In fun or part payment for
the accommodations furnished; and X
such compelled labor surely followed on
their arrest and conviction they would be
s.,x l@.rh ~ hrsrA 40 vuvsth hafr
presence. Our police officials recognize
the fact that work Is the one remedy for
the cure OF this evil, and from time to
time have tried administering small
doses. but they have been handicapped in
so many ways that full. fair trial has
not been given.
1--WE hear 1t said that these men must
not be set at work cleaning the streets.
because IL would prevent some honest
man from earning a few dollars at such
labor: and then again, il might shock
Of men in public with shaekies on tR Rem:
and the same objections obtain when Ii
is proposed that thew be set to breaking
rock. or making roads, or clearing land,
or doing any other form of useful work,
and SO have lately seen IL suggested that
they be set 10 work shoveling dirt from
one hole to another In some secluded spot
where the public eye will not be offended,
and, as the work is utterly useless, no
honest man Is defrauded Of a job.
THE writer hereof Is certainly in favor
OF compelling such men to work. and IL
they cannot be permitted to work with
safety unless shackled. then load them
with as many chains as necessary. Meth
er does the writer object 70 placing these
men at work cleaning streets. breaking
rock or clearing land because some honest
mans work Is thus taken from him. for IL
the whole community can be thus hene-
fitted and some Of the burden which the
support Of these criminals necessarily en-
tails be thus iightened. tho honest man
who is thus done out Of job should not
complain; he should submit to the rule OF
the greatest good to the greatest num-
ber' The writer does, however, see OBJ
Jections to putting these men at work at
any of the aforementioned forms OF Ia
bor including the shoveling OF dirt from
one hole to another and that y this; You f''
the toels into their hands. and between
long intervals o. resting they may so
through the form Of working. II they feel
like 1t, but score OF them will not accom-
plish as much as one honest man In the
same time. Before we can rid ourselves
OF their presence we must compel them
to work If you can do this. the remedy is
be compelled to work? Certainly not by
any OF the above-suggested forms OF labor.
1T has occurred TO the mind Of the writ
nished. and instead of allowing these petty
offenders to spend their time Of detention
In Incidence, they be compelled to put in
about eight hours each day in tramping In
chance for soldering when they were once
set at work In this manner, and very few
days so employed would teach them that
our tails are something more than club
rooms maintained by the public for the
benefit of their class. and they would not
be so anxious to become jewellers therein.
Put up a sufficient number OF these ma
chimes TO accommodate all corners. give
each man sentenced as many hours a day
on one OF them az his physical condition
VIII permit. and the hobo evil will soon
become thing OF the past in our COM
munty.
''It is certainly time that the community
was protecting itself from this class OF
criminals. A man can hardly go on our
s'reets without being approached and beg
ged for 4 quarter or a dime by some APP
pGrentiy able-bodied hobo. They visit
houses In the residence portion Of our city
and beg for money. clothes or food. at the
same time keeping their eyes open for n
chance to steal anything within reach One
OF them has but lately shot and killed
one Of our police officers, and another has
Just cut a mans throat for refusing 10 fur
uish him bed Surely II ia time for some
drastic medicine to he administered and ff
enforced labor is the only cure for the
evil. then let us in some manner quickly
provide a mode whereby labor in the full
sense Of the term can be enforced: that Il
treadnili will accomplish this end no one
can deny. and the writer believes that IL
Is the cheapest and most effective method
that can be devised Rut whether IL be a
treadrill or some other method. let IL be
quickly HrnDfNyAd