Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1911-07-18
The Tramp Problem.


for the Prevention Of Vagrancy, in
an interview in the New York Tele-
graph, gives some interesting figures
relating to the tramp problem. Mr..
Forbes declares that the tramp pop
ulation now numbers 100000. The
tramps cost the United States $780,
900, 900 annually, he says, or eighty
cents year is spent for every man,
woman and child in the country to
maintain the army of those who will
not work. Mr.. Forbes adds:
eat present Oklahoma is the
tramp paradise. The largest winter
exodus is now to Oklahoma, Texas
and Old Mexico. The numbers that
seek these places are enormous, but
it does not seem to remove the bur-
den from the cities.
"Chicago's vagrant population ay-
erages probably about sixty thous-
and. New York comes next with,
say, fifty thousand. St. Louis is a
great place for tramps, and the
cheap lodging houses of that city
will accommodate about ten thous-
and. Many others camp in the vi
cinity, and at night their fires can
be seen along the Mississippi ex-
tending miles from the city. Buffa-
10 has always been a favorite rem
devious for tramps and shelters
possibly 5000 or 1000.
"Pittsburg is a great clearing cen
ter, harboring five or six thousand.
but as the city has reputation for
being hostile, they do not stay long.
Denver runs close to st. Louis, but,
like Pittsburg, it turns cold shoul-
del that keeps the waits on the
move.
"Cities that contain close to five
thousand Migrants are Cincinnati,
Cleveland, Kansas City, San Francis
CO, Seattle and Tacoma.
st is practically impossible to re-
form a tramp after he becomes an
old hand. In prisons all over the
country there is section known as
"bums" wing, because the inmates
cannot be forced to take part in the
labor of the other prisoners.
eff the country is to be free from
the tramp evil, the older generation
must be given life sentences and
thus prevented from making pros
elytes to trampdom. The younger
men could often be reformed If Civ
en- chance and made to work.
Public officers often stimulate
rather than discourage vagrancy.
Where police officers are paid for
arrests and convictions, and justices
for commitments. as is the case in
great many rural districts, it is a
common custom for tramps to make
a deal whereby they receive half the
money by giving themselves up and
pleading guilty. For instance, a
tramp goes. to policeman and
agrees to deliver twelve Migrants In
to his charge. The whole gband are
in the scheme and plead guilty. The
policeman gets 50 for each corvic-
ton, $24 in all, half of which goes
back to the tramps. They are given
suspended sentences and go on their
way rejoicing Sometimes the JUS
tice commits them and divides the
commitment fee. They are passed
Oh to the poor warden, who takes
them in at the front door shoes
them out the back and charges the
county for thirty days board for
each of them.
"Tramps have been found dead
with their own commitment papers
in their pockets, given them by a
justice, whose only interest was in
his. fee. They We're then at liberty
tc Nave themselves locked up if they
so chose.
IF it were not for ride-stealing
assert men, who have spent years
studying the vagrancy problem, the
tramp could be put out of business.
Free transportation is necessity Of
the profession.
The railroads of the country. are
fighting trespassers tooth and nail
but they are by no means successful
through lack of cooperation from
the communities through which they
operate.
1.-The general practice is for each
town to pass the tramps' along to
avoid the expense of keeping them.
When the railroad police make ar
rests, they may obtain conviction,
but sentences are suspended, provid-
ing the tramp will get out OF town.
and he had to so back to the rail-
road. II every community would
give long sentences. all the tramps
would be either in jail, reformed or