Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1906-02-24
"A CLUB FOR "HOB0Es"
Plans Of Organization, With
Headquarters at St. Louis.
TO SECURE WORK FOR UNEMPLOYED

Organizers OF the Institution Expect
TO RevoIationize Labor Market
Throughout United States, For "Ho-
boes," They say, Are Not Tr.ann1ps,
but Workers viii Net AnfIiatc
With Either Great Political Party.
The Community CLUB is the name of
r new organization formed in st. Louis
/ which promises, if carried out to a
| successful end, to revolitioniza the la
Dor market not only in ST. Louis, but
| throughout the whole OF the United
! States, says the ST. Louis Globe-D Demo
crat It's principal object is to organ
! re the ''hoboes, or men who do con
/ struction and such other work OF a like
nature, into an immense national club,
with headquarters in st. Louis The
! beginning has already been made at
that city, and SO soon as everything
connected with the local organization
has been perfected and all is moving
smoothly branches will be started in
other large cities.
ment for the members Of the club. At
present the ''hoDoes' must go to the
labor agencies and pay a fee Of s. or
So for a Job Under the club system
this fee will be eliminated, and all it's
members will secure employment free
Of charge, except for their club dues.
The heads Of the organization figure
that less than one-thfrd OF what the
men pay the labor agencies will be
more than enough to keep up the ex-
penses OF the club.
The club hopes also through thorough
organization and by an entrance into
politics, if necessary, to have the state
adopt less stringent yagrant laws.
Now, it is claimed that whenever one
OF a railroad gang gees into st. Louis
he has little chance Of keeping out Of
the police station. Owing to the fact
that he does not wear good clothes he
is suspected by the detectives or the
uniformed officers, seized and locked
up. If he is not sent to the police
court charged with vagrancy he is held
twenty hours in the holdover as a sus-
pect.
Robert NJ Wilson is president Of the
new organiza ton. The IDEA of $40
boes' organization originated with
Mr.. Wilson, who has been nursing it
for five years, but only recently saw
the time to be propitious to carry it
into effect.
The word ''hoboes'' is frequently mis-
taken bv the people at, large to be
synonymous Of Ebum" or tramp"
meaning men who will not work, but
will wander from place to place, beg
ging or stealing what they need to live
upon. According to Mr. Wilson, a
'ehobo' is one who does the really hard
labor of the country. He is found
mostly in construction camps, though
he will also dig sewers, wreck build
ings, chop down forests, work on the
farm and do any other honest work
that may come his way. Mr.. Wilson
has been a .shobo" himself and has
spent the last fifteen or twenty years
Of his lite in studying the ways Of life
of the ''hobO" He insists that the
shobo" is Invariably honest, we'll read.
and would make a good citizen if he |
could be induced to remain in one |
place. But they usually are Of a wan /
dering disposition and seldom stay over
a year at q time in one locality.
large number have their homes or
headquarters in some large city and
after they have finished one job will
return to that city and after short
time pay their fee to labor agency
and be sent out again on another. This
goes on from year to year, and as
OF his drifting about the
''hobo" seldom settles into any place
for permanent bone and never lays !
much by for the "rainy day"
The Community club will endeavor !
to promote thrift among its members.
will exercise "bums" and those who ,
will not work, shGnld any Of them get
into it, and will further encourage its /
members to find some settled place OF I
abode. build homes and raise families !
are TO be made with the /
colonization departments of the great (
railroads that run through the west /
Ind southwest for sending out colonies
Of ''hoboes'' to build up towns along
the particular line and to cultivate the
farms. Probably two
thirds Of the ''hoboes' who claim st.
Louis as their home are good farmers
and if they could be induced to settle
Town would soon make the wilderness
bloom as Il garden. Many others have
,rades and professions such as would
De needed in starting a town
The idea of the organizers of the club
Is that through organization the mem
bers can secure many benefits which
they could not secure individually. II
it is found necessary to enter into poll
lies the easy method will not be adopt
ed. but that of the most astute politi
Clans Mr.. Wilson himself is no mean
politician, and when he was resident
,f Spokane. Wash. campaign was
put through which resulted in the city
erecting water plant of its own after
. tpon,ondo11c Fl Uht Tho cI1rh will have