New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-24

: run out OF money long before navigation
is open again or there Is more wheat 20 cut.
As a rule, they are uuskilled men.
once they try begging IN the street
certain proportion OF them never give II
up. Should they attempt TO put coal away
for householders or shovel snow or the
sidewalks they are called "Niollies' when
they return 20 their miserable lodging
houses az night II is disgracefuL in the
opinion OF a beggar or a swlndler, 20
work. Beggardom has its etiquette and rs
aristocracy There are families Of mendi-
cants. as there are families OF preachers.
lawyers and doctors.
Considerable imagination is shown by
members Of the tribe. Imposture is their
only trade They work AT 10 with the same
zeal that an inventor experiments with the
laws Of mechanics. Moreover. no one can
call them up in the morning or tell them
when 10 go 20 bed Noon is the same 20
them as any ether hour, and the blowing
Of the factory whistles makes them laugh.
The seasonal laborer, II he IS deficient in
pride. or the drInkard, comes within their
influence and is probably lost. Clergymen.
after reaching middle age, have become
beggars by reason OF drink or drugs.
Strong parents-strong in character and
mind-have moral weaklings for children
and they often beg. OF the l35 beggars OBJ
served by Mrs. Solenberger, 8 We're college
men. 100 had a common school education.
IS were native Americans. IS were sots, u
had been in prison and 10 were tramps.
BOYS born I'm the slums. OF incorporate
/ parents. grow up In ignorance and without
/ craftsmanship or principles. Numbers OF
/ them become tramps and then beggars.
/ Others become criminals once In while
| there is a woman tramp. Now and then
/ there is a large family Of perambulating
Migrants A blind father, a crippled
mother and seven children. the oldest OF
whom was feeble minded, travelled for a
long time between Illinois and Pennsyl-
vania. They cost the charity societies and
! people of Chicago more than $1,000. The
Russell Sage Foundation. In its figures
bearing on go tramps studied at random.
shows that l62 Of them were Americans.
College graduates. degenerate working
men," soldiers. travelling statesmen and
pedders were found among the number.
A man Of seventy had been a wandering
vagrant for thirty-fve years Several had
D =
With many men tramping gets 20 be a
mania They must leave a city the very
dav they arrive The direction whittier
they 60 is unimportant so long as they get
started Day after day, for years at a
time. they are ever IN motion.
Another class tramps only in warm
weather. Thousands OF men leave aims
houses when the birds appear In the
spring for the freedom and license OF the
road drifting back again before winter
The periodic tramp, perhaps a workman
Of unusual skill. is % be seen on almost
every freight train. He may stay for a
month or a year in one place, but tho
call OF the open comes and he vanishes
from sight Some tramps own property
and some receive remittances from dis
graced relatives conditioned on their re-
naming away from home
So long as tramps can ride where they
will. with no more than a kick OCCASION
ally. so long as the l-ws OF states. coun-
ties and municipalities lack uniformity
and so long as local Judges turn Migrants
loose for fear they viii become A charge
on the taxpayers who have elected them
N office. idle. vicious and unfortunate
men will continue 20 cross and recross the
country in two ragged and disorderly
armies.
Belgium and Switzerland have estab-
lished labor colonies. where trades are
taught and industry is compulsory. Rus
sell Sages money may open the way for
something Of the kind IN America.
Copyright. 1911. by James B. Morrow