The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1904-04-22
The Mississippi NagranCy Law


passed by the Mississippi Legisla-
turr will become operative in p
few DAYS. i'm accordance with its
terms. As il well known, at the
recent session war was declared
on the worthless negro loafers who
congregate in cities and towns.
and the vagra ICY Law was confess
eddy for the purpose Of reaching
and reforming this element as
much as possible. The problem
l. one that Is not peculiar to Mis-
sissippi,. and for that reason its
operation will be watched with in
terest 10y the other Southern
states
The law has numerous drag net
provisions. 50 framed rs 70 include
all the known cases where negroes
are managing to live in idleness
without any adequate means of
support and also to anticipate, as
far a can be done in general
terms, all future schemes for
avoiding labor that may be evolv-
ed from their rooted Discrimination
to any sort of honest employment.
Although il l. modelled along the
lines OF certain statutes now In
force in some other Southern
States, il appears Ia 90 beyond
them in the breadth of It's delinit-
ions and In the drastic character
of the punishments denounced.
Everyone who lives without EN-
ployment sufficient To give him all
I adequate support IL vagrant,
1 from the parents who. although
! themselves able 10 work, hire out
their minor children and live on
their wages, and the hus band who
abandons his wife and family,
leaving them in such condition
that they are liable to become a
public charge, down to simple
..crap-shooter" who makes no pre-
tense of any trade or employment
whatever and draws his rations
from the fondness of the admiring
coDks of his race The punish
ment. as stated, is sufficiently Sc
we're 10 prove good deterrant,
ranging from bond of $3.50 con
ditioued on good behavior for one
year To Imprisonment for a con
siderable period on the county
farm. OF course, all the provis-
ions apply equally to whites and
blacks, but il goes without saving
that among the negroes will br
found an overwhelming per cent
,of the violators of the law.
| The near approach of the time
iwhen such stringent statute will
oe in effect has naturally caused
come little excitement in colored
social circles in Mississippi. Off
GERS mt Jackson report that good
results are already being noticed
even before the law has become
operative; in other words. the
coming statute has cast its shad
ow before and the negroes have
. begun torealize that II new orde
OF things has set in for Il good
many of them In the Capital
City of the State the mum Der ol
idle negroes has vislblv decreased
That this results from the fear in
spired by the new law seems to be
accepted as bepond question
Other negroes who are not VI,
reconciled To giving up a life OF
ease and idleness, but who are still
keenly alive To the danger tina,
confronts them, are trying to for.
tify themselves against prosecu-
ton by making applications &c
physicians for certificates that
they are physically incapacitated
> for work This comes of a mis-
taken impression they have tina, 6
: physicians certificate is an abso
lutte bar to prosecution for va
grancy and not simply matter tc
be considered along with the Other
evidence. If the law has stirred
q them up this much even before i
. becomee operative, there appear.
/, reason to hope that ii will do-stil
i more after it goes into effect. 4
). few prosecutions and conviction.
: of negro loafers will be an objec
. lIesson that will not be thrown
; away on others of the same class
n New Orleans Times Democrat.