The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-01-21


yer, but no line between the tramp
and the bum. In the latter case every
thing IL dumped into one basket and
labeled Tramp .......
eff you will go out and walk the
streets for an hour you will come
across fifty men that the press and
then the public characterize as tramps,
and yet not a single one of them be
longs TO the profession They are town
buns. They seldom leave the city for
a day. They are bad, vicious lot.
All of them are liars and most Of them
thieves. No professional tramp bitches
up with them I'm any shape. | have
often argued with officials Of the law
about this matter but have seldom
been able to make them see 1t.
"A tramp, my dear man. is simply
an impecunious tourist Of America on
foot. He is working his way here and
there and taking in the scenery and
not few adventures as he goes. IL |
was worth a million dollars and want
ed to get acquainted with America
and Americans would sooner take
the role of dilapidated gentleman
than to travel I'm a palace car. Why,
man, / can tell you more about the
natural scenery, the hills, the rivers,
the villages, the farmers Of twenty DIFF.
ferent states In this Union than the
governors of them. Fifty tramps trav-
cling over the country could give the
agricultural bureau at Washington bet
ter crop reports than 1t would get
from thousand farmers,
mo matter what sends the ID. g..
forth on his travels, he starts out to
see the country the same as the
wealthy tourist, and he has no more
evil in his mind. He simply has less
money and must attain his object in
a different way. He beats the rail
roads because he can't pay fare; he ap-
peals at the kitchen door because he
can't dine at hotel. Name any rich
man you will who has done America
and III wager that | can tell him Of
hundreds OF points he has missed. !
can name ten towns or ten rivers 10
his one. / can tell him in an hour
more about rural village life than he
learned In a year OF travel.
"Would the wisest college professor
In the country plan to go on foot from
New York to San Francisco and steal
his food en- route2 Would he burn
barns and haystacks? Would he be
impudent to farmers or assault their
wives? Well, dilapidated is no more
OF a fool than a professor In that re-
spect He walks the highways an hon
est man. If he has cent in his pocket
he win offer to pay for his food; If he
hasn't he WIN offer to pay in work,
The general idea Is that he won't work
That's another mistake. The harvests
OF America would be a failure but for
the tramps who turn in and do a
months hard work. They put in a
month In the planting, another In the
hoeing and the third in the harvesting
aud you can't reasonably expect more
Of a tourist. He has got to have time
TO shove along and see the country.
Trip to Niagara Falls.
II was on the road two years before
/ got around to Niagara Falls. / was
headed that way, but detained here
and there. When / got there at last
enjoyed the wonder OF nature just as
much as II had million TO my credit
in bank. l stayed longer and saw
more than the average wealthy tour,
ist. ! had TO sleep under the steps Of
a store aud beg my meals from house
to house. but went away well posted
and haven't got over the awe Of II yet
would you think, to look at me
that ever had longing to see the
big trees Of the Yosemite? No, you
wouldn't The idea seems absurd IA
you, ana yet | made a tramp of l,s0C
miles TO sit In their shadow. | walked
around themi talked to them;
measured them; slept beneath them
In fact | wrote poem on them, And
1 wasn't tifty miles away when | was