Evening star., 1909-03-03
NEW VAGRANCY Law Is MODEL
DRASTIC AND COMPLETE LEGIS-
LATION BY CONGRESS.
Aimed at Idle Persons Without Law.
full Employment or Visible
Means of Support.

The new vagrancy law for the Dis
trict of Columbia is perhaps the most
drastic and complete piece of vagranc!
legislation in the country.
The measure. as a separate bill pass
aa the Senate at the last session OF
Congress. but was pigeon-holed on the
House side in the District of Columbia
committee room. At this session OF
Copcress however. Senate Tillman sue
ceeded in engrafting his measure upon
the District of Columbia Appropriation
bill while the latter was in conference
between the two houses
The vagrancy provision is as fofio"s:
..rhat the following described per-
sons in the District of Columbia arc
hereby declared TO be vagrants:
idle persons who not having visible
means of support. live without lawful
employment.
ing tipping shops or houses or III
fame. or lodging in groceries. .'ut-
houses. market places. sheds. barns
or in the open air. and not giving
good account of themselves.
persons wandering abroad and beg
gine or who go about from door 10
door or place themselves in the streets.
=
places to beg or receive aims.
.All persons leading an idle. immoral
or profiigate life who have no property
to support them and who are able or
body to work and do not work, lnciud-
ing all able bodied persons without
other visible means of support WHO
shall five in idleness upon the wages
or earnings of their mother. wife or
minor child or children.
Every persons known to be pick
,~f n.o q
operator. either by his own confession
or by his having been convicted in the
District of Columbia or elsewhere or
either of such offenses. and having no
visible or lawful means of support.
when found lettering around I'm any
building. park. highway. street. avenue.
alley or reservation. steamboat landing.
railroad depot. stations. banking instl-
tuition, brokers office place of amuse-
ment. room. store. shop. public place
or car or omnibus or other vehicle. or
at any public gathering or assembly.
Persons upon whom shall be found
any instrument. tool or other implement
used for the commission OF burglary or
the commission of any other crime against
property. or for picking locks or pockets.
who shall fail TO give good account OF
the possession of the same
And all persons who by the common
law are vagrants. whether embraced in
any Of the aforegoing classficatlons or
not.
THAT every person in the District Of
Columbia who shall be convicted of vag-
rancy under the provision or this act
shall be required to enter INTO security
i'm a sum not exceeding five hundred dol
lars. conditioned upon his good behavior
and industry for the period of one year.
and if lie shall fail to give such security
he shall be committed to the workhouse
i'm the said District for term not to ex-
coed one year. The security herein men,
toned shall be in the nature of a recog-
nizance to the District of Columbia with
q surety or sure,ies to be approved by thu
Police Court of the said District, in which
court all prosecutions under this act
shall be conducted in the manner now
provided by law for the prosecution Of Of
fenses against the laws and ordinances
of the said District but nothing contained
in section forty-four of the Code of Law
for the District of Columbia shall be
SO construed as to create or give to the
accused in prosecutions under this act.
any rights to trial by jury not existing by
force of the Constitution of the United
States