The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-15
STILL DISCUSSING THE TRAMP.

Sociologists in nearly all of their fire.
which they are interested rarely fail to
fall upon the tramp as topic. They take
him up and analyze his particular wicked
ness, suggest remedies and drop him until
the next assembling. when the performance
is repeated. Thus the sociologists ar1use
numbers. in responsiveness and as a menace.
The National Conference of Charities and
Correction, which has just closed ses-
sion at Atlanta, Ga, very naturally took
the tramp under consideration for a ses-
sion. left him where they found him. and
it was
In the brief abstract OF the discussion one
speaker advanced the theory that the army
of tramps is largely increased by indis-
criminate almsgiving. There may be some
thing in this, but not very much. If all
voking. repulsive and much-feared wretch is
that he frequently gets food when he asks.
it is so inconsequential that scores and
hundreds would not become hoboes who
are now on the road. The instinct which
makes the tramp seems TO pervade. in some
ly. the desire to escape bread-winning in
the sweat of the face. 1t is not too much
to say that a much larger part of the
human race regards labor, mental as well
manual. an evil to be expected rather
than the unmixed blessing and source of
human salvation which it is. The real
incentive behind the movement to reduce
the hours of labor is not one of economies,
but desire to perform less labor in
day. The tramp is the advance guard in
this hostility to labor. He has declared
that he will not work If, by begging, in
timidation and stealing, he can get the
food he needs. 1t is not an eight-hour day
of labor for which he has struck. but the
no hour day. 1t is not the indiscrimnate
almsgiving which has made the tramp.
but the discovery that by terrorizing rural
communities and annoying the jewellers Of
towns he can get a living without labor.
1t stands to reason that If no other cure
is prescribed for the tramp than a refusal
to give him food he will not drop his dis
reputable vocation. He make aims
giving indiscriminate by making himself a
terror to all the women who do not live
in populous towns, and a menace to those
who drive him forth from outbuildings in
which he seeks shelter. The remedy for
fiddance of the tramp is far more heroic.
The law must outlaw tramping. so that the
man who is found wandering about the
country begging can be arrested and put
to bodybuilding or any other rough work.
If, when arrested, he should refuse to work,
he should be denied food until he will come
to the conclusion to earn it. The labor that
the tramp can be forced to perform may
not half pay for his keep, but so repulsive
and insolent wretch is menace which de-
mands an effective remedy. If the tramp
ing evil In these times. when all who will
work can find employment, is said to be
increasing. what calamity it will be when
employment falls off. Those who study the
matter have discovered that the vast i'm
portation of foreigners from southern
Euiopc 10 the tleLutilt ITOiu WHICH tTampS
are recruited. Just now those immigrants
can find employment. but when they can
not they will take the road by thousands.
Here and there the putting of the tramp
to work has caused him to leave that To-
cality for some other where he can live
without labor. If putting the tramp at
work will rid community of him the
adoption of a uniform law by several
States, under which the tramp shall be
arrested and put to work until he promises
to work, will, in a large measure rid States
of him. The National Conference of Char
tiles and Correction should advise and
urge some like positive remedy. Perhaps it
has done in it's resolutions; if 1t has not.
1t were better that 1t had not considered
the subject