The Washington times., 1904-10-09

large number Of persons
qualified to speak with au-
thOrity. / am inclined TO ascrfbe the de
minutiOn OF mendicity in Switzerland,
first, to the very stringent measures
adopted by the police for depressing it;
secondly, to the steps taken against the
Work-shy; ard. thirdly, 10 the special
facilities afforded 10 those travelling in
genuine search of employment. As the
public at large recognize the fact that
every Industrious man can obtain board
and lodging gratuit0usIy. they are un-
willing 10 give money for the purpose.
and when there are no givers there are
soon no beggars.
mo doubt. too, the fact that, as
rule. labor is in much demand in Swift
erland, at any rate during most Of the
year, tends IN the same direction, and
public opinion has been aroused TO in
dignation at the notion OF able-oodied
men being allowed 70 beg instead Of
working. There Is a weII-known prov
erb, 'AIusziggaHg list aIler Laster An
fang which may be rendered Loahng
! is the beginning OF all vices Cor. more
tersely, Tramp means scamp. and
both courts and councils set themselves
] 70 repress th.s sort of work-shyness.
These are the conclusions arrived at
1 by H. Preston-Thomas. local govern
ment inspector in an Illuminating report
/ on the Methods of Dealing with Vag-
rancy in Switzerland" The document,
which is not a very lengthy one, is
/ singularIy comprehensive. and merits
I the attention Of all social reformers.
Tourists and the Begging Pest.
! Most tourists at this ses-son OF the
l year, who choose the Continent for their
] Esffa4r- IN
/ complain of the begging pest, especially
| ia Southern Europe. But Mr.. Preston
I Thomas is able TO say that the nuisance
has been TO a very large extent elimin-
/ aJed from Switzerland, although II may
lie found in a yelled form in some vel
known resorts. The Italian canton OF
TicinOs for example. afforded him q
. striking contrast TO what he met with
over the border in italy proper.
/ The cantonaI laws differ, but gener-
ally speaking they are systematic il
/ dealing with the genuine ana the pro-
/ fessionaI wanderer, and in "a word he
/ system as summarized in the following
| sentence is admirable. IF" says the
report ian able-bodied man is without
means. is genuinely in search Of WORK
and his papers are in order, he viii. or
application, Ee supplied Dy the police (ol
entity described with food and lodging
and Will, if possible, have employment
indicated 10 him. If he cannot obtain
any he VIII be passed on TO the mex
town, to a relief station, 90 his own dis.
trict. or 10 the cantonaI frontier A
he refuses 10 work when offered he Is
sent 20 his own district TO be dealt with
by its council, and If the council (,FhC
are responsible for the maintenance @.
their INDECENT citizens) decide that ga
use the EXPRESSIVE term officially en-
ployedJ he IS WOTk-shy, (arbeitsscheul
he may be sent for a term varying from
three months TO two years 70 a forced
labor institution (Zwang-Arbeitsan-
rsction fer persons guilty of the less
/ serious kinds OF ofenses-'
PlenaTy Powers OF Police.
I The police are empowered to arrest
beEgars without warrant, and it is
pointed out the system OF ceruhcate
OF origin and OF discharge from work iT
force in the country materially facili-
tates the Identification Of the profes-
sional tramp.
| The court before which the idler Is
brought may commit him 70 prison fol
a short term, or in case OF repeated
onenses and OF refusal 70 work may
sentence Qli4 70 lIDii LWt 10 6+A i5iD--A4t2
Imprisonment in jail, or from siN
months to two years in q forced labor
institution. One Of the features OF tbs
/ report consists of descriptions, OF two
on three of these Institutions. which ars
TO be found n nearly every canton Al
are TO a certain extent prisons, but per
sons convicted OF ordinary ofrenses are
usually kept more or less apart from The
| tramps. The guiding principle which
seems to be applicable all around is tC