The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-09-03
SURPRISING and Preventing vagrancy'

Baltimore Manufacturers Record.
One Of the last acts of the Georgia
assembly WAS II completion OF leglS-
latiOn amending the vagrancy law OF
the State. As amended to the more
comprehensive definition OF vagrancy
and to the strengthening OF the
means for its suppression the law is
i'll many respects so good that it IS
doubtful whether it could be enforced
as it should be. even did it not con-
tain within itself the opportunities
for it's own negatiOn. An eleventh.
hour prOviso that sufficient defense
to the charge OF vagrancy shall be
that bona fidc efforts have been made
to obtain employment at reasonable
prices and have failed widens the
IOopholes for escape from the eXccu-
ton OF the law pOssible i'll the judicial
interpretations of its provisions.
But. i'll spite of its detects, the law is
n sep in the right direction, and sue
ceeding assemblies should be encOur-
aged to overcome the defects. Chief
among these is the absence of pro-
vision for the prevention of yagrancy,
rendering more difficult the task of
the force of sheriffs. cOnstables, town
police and other officials charged
with the lnitiativefOrits suppression.
What is needed above all things not
alone i'll Georgia, not alone in the
South, is the organization of n mOdi-
fed State patrol that shall render it
unsafe Tor the yagrant, black or
white, to appear i'll town or country.
The imminence of such a necessity
was emphasized in the address by
Judge Emory Speer before the recent
meeting of the State Agricultural So
ciety Of Georgia, III which he advo-
Gated legislation that shall provide
for IL rural police, not unlike the
Texas rangers, and for elevating the
character of the judiciary. On this
point he was quoted as follows:
Every farmer in Georgia who feels that
his family needs the protection of the law
should support these measures. All felt
that necessity. There We're, doubtless
many men present who had made pro-
visions for the protection of their families
while they attended this convention. The
terrible danger to unprotected women
living III the county was violently affect
ing not only their own lives, making
them nervous and wretched but was
most seriously affecting the character o.
the rising generation increasing the in
tensity of race hatreds among the youth
of both races with the most alarming
pOrtents for the future. Nor were these
crimes chargeable to the great body O
the negro. They were usually committed
by tramp negroes, who lived lives of the
most lOathsome and degraded character
almost invariably men of one type, the
descendants of the vilest of the African
tribes. In many respects we were i'll g
more unfortunate condition than wert
our forefathers, when on the frontiers o
civilization they were confronting the
ferOcious savages. They could tell that
the Indian was an enemy, but among
multitudes of aw-respecting and kindly
negroes. the beastly and desperate say
age could not be identified in advance
If the wives and daughters O
our farming population can receive the
protection of a rigorous and effective en-
fOrcement of law, the waste places of Oul
fertile and prolific soil will soon be pOpu
Lated, the resources of the State immeas
urably increased and happiness and con
tentment come to thousands of homes
which are now the scenes of constant
apprehension and terror
supplementary to the establish
ment OF Il rural police or a State
patrol upon lines laid down in a bill
introduced iii the Georgia legislature
by MIR. r. b. Blackburn should be
measures encouraging a revival OF
the apprenticeship system, voluntary
in the case of children havingparents,
enforcible by the State in case oil
children beyond parental authority,
and giving the irreclaimablev agrant
the choice between compulsory work
for the State upon the public roads
and streets or in the Improvement OF
waste public lands and banishment
from the State.
Adoption of such strenuous meas.
ures by every Southern State would
suppress existing vagrancy and
what is of more Importance, would
prevent the formation of habits
which end in vagrancy.
There is plenty of room at the top
The trouble is in the awful ian
around he hottOm of tho lad1ar