The Delta independent., 1906-03-30
A CLUB FOR "H0B0ES"
Plans of Organization, With
Headquarters at 81. Louis.
rOsECURE WORK FOR UNEMPLOYED

IhfOuHhOut StateA, '-hO.
boes," They Say, Are Not T-=mps,
but Workers VIII Not Affiliate
With Either Great Political Party.
Tie Community club is the name Of
q new organization formed in st. Louis
which promises, If carried out to a
successful end, to revolutioniZe the la
Dor market not only in St Louis, but
throughout the whole of the United
States, says the st. Louis Globe-Demo-
crat. Its principal object is to organ
iZe the .hoboes," or men who do con-
struction and such other work of 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 b. started in
other large cities.
The next object Is to secure employ
ment for the members of the club. At
present the 'hoboes" must go to the
labor agencies and pay fee of 81 or
IS for a job. Under the club system
this fee will be eliminated, and all its
members will secure employment free
of charge, except for their club dues.
The heads of the organization figure
that less than third of what the
men pay the labor agencies will be
more than enough to keep up the eI-
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 vagrant laws.
Now, it is claimed that whenever one
of a railroad gang goes 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 sus-
pect.
Robert N. Wilson is president of the
new organiZa ton. The idea Of "ho-
boes'" organization originated with
Mr.. Wilson. who has been nursing 1t
for five years, but only recently saw
the time to he Dropitious to carry 1t
into effect.
The word ..hoboes" is frequently mis-
taken by the people at large to be
SYNONYMOUS of bum" 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.
hobo 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 hobo himself and has
spent the last fifteen or twenty years
Of his life in studying the ways of life
of the .hobo.' He insists that the
hobo" is invariably honest, well read.
and would make good citizen II he
could be induced to remain in one
place. But they usually are of wan
derinc disposition and seldom stay over
a year at time in one locality. 4
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
consequence of his drifting about the
hobo" seldom settles into any place
for q permanent home 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. should any OF them get
into it. and will further encourage its
members to find some settled place OF
abode. build homes and raise families
Arrangements are to be made with the
colonization departments of the great
railroads that run through the west
and southwest for sending out colonies
of "hoboes" to build up towns along
the particular line and to cultivate the
surrounding farms. Probably two
thirds of the "hoboeS" who claim st.
Louis as their home are good farmers
and IL they could be induced to settle
down would soon make the wilderness
bloom as garden. Many others have
trades and professions such as would
be needed in starting town.
The idea of the organizers of the club
is that through organization the men,
bers can secure many benefits which
they could not secure individually. If
1t is found necessary to enter into poll
tics the easy method will not be adopt
ed, but that Of the most aStute politt-
clans. Mr.. Wilson himself is no mean
politician. and when he was resident
of Spokane. WASH, campaign was
put through which resulted in the city
erecting water plant of Its own after
a tremendous fight. The club will have
no affiliations with either great party.