The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1904-02-27
A New Vagrancy.

Delegate Collins, of Talbot county, has in
troduced into the House of Delegates bill
designed to break up vagrancy and enforce
industry upon the lazy and Indifferent. The
bill defines Migrants as follows:
First-All persons who shall unlawfully re-
turn into any county or corporation whence
they have been legally removed.
Second-All persons who. not having
wherewith to maintain themselves and their
families, live idly and without employment
and refuse to work for the usual and common
wages given to other laborers in the like work
in the place where they then are.
Third-Persons wandering or strolllng
about in idleness who are able to work and
have no property to support them.
Fourth-Persons leading an idle, immoral
or prohgae life, who have no property to sup
port them and who are able to work and do
not work.
Fifih-Al able bodied persons found beg,
cling for living or who quit their houses ana
leave wives or children without the means OF
subsistence.
Sixth-All persons who shall come from
any place without this Commonwealth to any
place within it and shall be found lettering and
residing therein and shall follow no labor,
trade, occupation or business, and have no
visible means of subsistence, and can give no
reasonable account OF themselves VI tueii uu"
mess in such places.
Seventh-All persons having a fixed abode
who have no visible property to support them
and who live by stealing or by trading or bar
tering stolen property.
Eight-All persons who are able to work
and who do not work, but hire out their minor
children and live upon their wages.
Ninth-All gypsies and stroling bands OF
PLAYERS travelling through the country telling
fortunes, giving seances and so-called spirit
ualistic meetings.
1t shall be lawful for the sheriffs of the coun
lies and Baltimore city to hire persons so con
victed to contractors for road or street work
or for other labor, provided such contractors
give bond to the State for the safe keeping OF
such persons. They are authorized to use the
ball and chain upon the prisoners. The money
| coming from the hire of Migrants to be PAID
into the city or county treasury.
1t shall be the duty of the Sheriff and con
stables of every county, the police or other
| like officials in every city and town in this
State to give information under oath to any
officer empowered by law to issue crimina
warrants of all Migrants within their knowl
| edge or persons whom they have good reason
| to suspect of being Migrants in their respec
| tive counties, cities and towns; and lhereupon
| or upon the complaint or any person upor
oath, the said officer shall issue warrant fol
the arrest of the person alleged to be d vagrant
and he shall be- brought before any magistrate
having jurisdiction of misdemeanors within
said county, city or town, and upon convic
ton shall be punished by confinement in jail
or house of correction, or by committing tt
the custody of the Sheriff, who, i'll execution
of such sentence by the trial justice, shall con
duct such prisoner to the Jail yard and there
administer the whipping; provided, however
that The magistrate may, in his discretion, OF
the court before which the case may be trlet
on appeal may, in its discretion, permit sucf
person so convicted TO give bond, with sutfi
cent security, in an amount not exceeding
$500 or less than 500, conditioned upon hi
future industry and good conduct for one
year. Upon giving such bond such person
Shall be set at liberty without undergoing thu
punishment imposed by his conviction; ant
provided, further, that it shall be a suticien
defense to the charge of vagrancy under Thu
and the preceding section that the detendan
has made bona fde efforts to obtain employ
ment at reasonable prices for his labor ano
has failed to obtain the same.