The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-06-07
Tramps and Railroads.

The Jope Century is devoted to
matters out of .loors, and one of i:a
aasioles is by Mr. Josiah Fiyns, who ie
said to be an expert 90 the habits ol
the tramp, aud at the reqaes. Of a
large railroad company mas recently
made an Investigation into the com
paoy's Efforts to put stop p tranps
stealing rides on It's cars In the
Century he gives an account of this
company's methods. his owo iuves,iga-
tioa aod some very interesting statistics
on the tramp question that will prove
surprising to the person who has DOT
studied the tramp question.
Referring to the work Of bis general
manager to stop the tramp nuisance,
Mr.. FIynt says that previous to his
efforts to keep cramps of railroads. it
had been thought that it wss cheaper to
pu. up with them, nuisance though
they we're, than to pay the bills which
. crusade against them would oceasioa.
bit ss .t last been demonstrated,
however, that tr.mps can be refused free
transportation BY ono Of out greatest
railroads. with = saving Of expense to
the company and With great beneh. to
the comnnnity, aud the time has come
when the public is justified in demand
Ing that oil railroads take . similar
stand in regard to this evil.
'.T.kine this country .s large. it is
40 exaggsrstioo to ssJ that every night
10 the yesr ten thousand free passengers
Of the tramp genus travel on the
different railroads in the ways men,
toned. aud that ten thousand more ars
waiting At watering tanks aud io
rsilrosd yards for opportunities to get
on tho trains. I estimate the pfofes-
sionsl tramp population 1t about sixty
thousand, third Of whom are general.
ty on the move.
'.In summer the entire tramp
fraternity may be said to be 'in transit.
The average number Of miles travelled
daily BY each msu At this season of the
ye.r is about 6fsy. which. if paid for .s
regular rates, would cost, say. . dollar.
OF course one should not ordinarily
pay SO much to ride in box car as in
: passenger coach, bat the ordinary
tramp is about - comfortable in one Is
in the other. aud oo the dollar trip
basis, he aud his So .999 companions
succeed in getting ont of the railroad
eompaoies sixty Thousand dollars
worth Of free transportation every day
that they all travel. Multiply this
6guse BY hundred, which is abous the
number Of days iu year when ell
srampdem '.ai.s,'' aud you have 40
sppsoxiu..e ide. OF how much thsy
gain"
Mr.. Flyns writes as though thorough.
y eonverssns With bic subject. ADD
points out the injury resulting from
this tramp auis.noe, outside Of the loss
Of revenue to the railroads. He
declares it is their ability to get abous
os the trains thas gives eoeourasement
70 .rampioe. and says eoueefted oppo.i.
siop os tho pert Of all the railroads
would ere.loos bring .abou. the follow
ing results:
First, very few .r.ops,. If soy.
would Try to best their way on trains !:
second. an sppreci.ble eumber Of them
would give up trsmping entirely. be-
cause their present railroad privileges
ara 70 many the main attractions Of the
life third. few would try to become
professional criminals again. partly ont
of revenge and partly because tramp
log on the turnpikes would be teo dis.
agreeable and fourth. large number
would take to the highways. where
some might be made to do farm work,
and where all would. At least. be in
touch with farm life The reader m.y
take exception to the third possibility,
and think that great harm would come
of an increase in the professional criui-
nalsl class but as I have said, tramps
are really discouraged criminals, and q
return to the old life, Of which they
made failure, would only land them
in the peniseu.iary."
Norfolk, Va, June l-Sometime