Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-19
TO LESSEN VAGRANCY
SENATOR TILLMAN'S BILL TO
DECREASE LOCAL CRIMES.

The attention of the Senate was called
today by Senator Tillman of South Caro-
lima to the many recent hOld-ups and
robberies in the District. He presented
a vagrancy bill for this city and made
a few remarks upon it. Mr.. Tillman took
the floor few minutes after the session
began.
Mr. President. those of us who are
living in Washington, either temporarily
or permanently" began Mr.. Tillman.
have been very much startled and un-
doubtedly made uneasy by the condition
of crime disclosed here and the robberies
which have occurred in the most public
places by day and by night. There is a
clamor abroad for a large increase of
the police and all that sort Of thing.
Thinking over the situation, 1t has oc-
Cured to me that the cause ought to be
removed, If 1t is possible to find 1t. rather
than to go to the expense of attempting
to prevent 1t. I am sure, from my knowl-
edge of the negro race, that the wide
spread vagrancy which is evident here
as well as in other cities where the ne
groes are IN large numbers is the cause
of this criminality. There are other rea-
sons undoubtedly, owing to the overedu-
cation of some negroes. who are made to
have higher aspirations than it is possible
for them to attain. But. without deal
ing with the theories which would un-
doubtedly be brought into play if we
should go into a discussion, l want to
introduce a bill for the purpose of sup
pressing vagrancy in this District, and
ask that It be read"
Here the South Carolina senator sent
to the desk his bill. which proposes Ito
define and suppress vagrancy in the Dis
trict of Columbia. 1t provides that the
following described persons in the District
of Columbia are hereby declared va
grants: Idle persons. who. not having Wis.
ible means of support live without lawful
employment: persons wandering abroad
and visiting tippling shops or houses of
i'll fame. or lodging in groceries. out
houses. market places, sheds. barns or in
the open air and not giving a good ac-
count of themselves; persons wandering
abroad and begging. or who go about
from door to door or place themselves in
the streets, highways and passages or
other public places to beg and receive
aims: all persons leading an idle, i'm
moral or profligate life, who have no prop
erty to support them or who are able of
body to work and do not work. including
all able bodied persons without other
visible means Of support who shall live in
idleness upon the wages or earnings Of
their mother wife or minor child or chill
dren.'
The second section of the bill provides
that in cases of conviction under this
law persons convicted shall be required
to enter into security in a sum not ,ex-
ceeding $500, conditioned upon good be-
hayior and industry for the period OF one
year. and in cases of failure to give such
security that they shall be committed to
the workhouse for a period not to exceed
one year The security must be in the
nature of a recogniZance to the District
with a surety or sureties to be approved
by the Police Court, in which court all
prosecutions under this act are to be con-
Quoted in the manner now in vogue.
Il want to say further, remarked MI
Tillman after the reading of the bill. that
the body of this bill is taken from the
Massachusetts code. There are some
slight alterations to suit local conditions
and little elaboration. l tried to make
the net a little more catching.
without discussion the bill was referred
to the committee on the District of Co
lumbia.