The herald., 1897-05-08
WHAT TO DO WITH THE TRAMPs

Inc tramp question Is a serious ana
an expensive one. The abiding,
tax-paying citizens of the country are
compelled to support a large army of
tramps. This class, as a rule, would
prefer idleness to work. while in excep-
tional cases there are tramps to be
found who would work If they could get
a chance.
These tramps beg upon the street, and
go about the city and the country from
house to house asking for food and get
ting it. Frequently they commit depre-
dations on property and occasionally at
tacks on life, as witness the attack made
on defenseless woman at Ontario only
a few days since.
While the government In one way or
another, or the people who form the gov
ernment, is taxed regularly or irregu-
larly to support this class Of idlers,
ought not some systematic way to be
provided for their support that will dis
tribute the burden more evenly and give
greater protection to life and property?
The late legislative session passed a
law providing that persons having no
visible means of support should be put
to work on the highways, but the gov
ernor, for some reason, saw fit to veto
the bill and it did not become a law.
Perhaps the bill was not as carefully
drawn as 1t ought to have been. Per-
haps this was not just the way to get
at the matter. The idea Of compelling
this class Of people to work for the pub
lie good while the public are contrib
uting to their support, seems to be a
good one, and the law-making power
should follow up this line Of thought
until something practical is developed.
It has been uggested-andth theeugges-
tion has great force-that the United
States might enlarge It's army and navy
and that all persons found who have no
visible means of support, or who have
no real good excuse for living, should
be placed for a number of years in
either one branch Of the public service
or the other, and that the army in times
VI PcdCC ollOulu pG SCt lO WOFk con-
structing good wagon roads throughout
the various states of the Union. All the
great military reservations of the coun-
try have the very best Of roads to be
found anywhere. They are not only
carefully graded but they are macadam
lied. They are built by the army. Why
could not the army be increased and the
work increased also, and the benefits of
this system be extended to the general
public, instead of being confined to the
building of roads for the use of army
officers only?
Each year the military schools are
turning out graduates who are entitled
to commissions in the army, but there
are no places for them. By enlarging
the army positions could be given to all
the graduates Of West Point as soon as
the cadets get through with their course
of study and training.
1t costs no more to support an organ
lied army than it does a disorganized
mob.
IL ID Hol lHe iHleHtloH 10 lHCluQe IN THIS
program the large numbers of enforced
idlers who are ready to work but who
cannot get it because Of the depressed
condition of business, but only that pro-
fessional class of drones who never
seek for labor with the hope of find
ing it,
Five years Of service in the army
would teach this class lessons of indus
try, and would do them great good.
while at the same time it would protect
the law-abiding, tax-paying citizens
who are entitled to protection for them
selves and their families.