The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1915-01-21

pearance. When his money was ex-
hausted he began to beat his way
from city to city, constantly associat.
ing with tramps both o n railroads and
In cheap lodging houses. Within a
few months he no longer made a pre-
tense OF seeking work, but frankly
dropped to the level Of the. men with
whom he travelled. After he had wan.
dered this way for four years an old
friends tried to save him from the de-
grading life of a tramp, since he had
been once so we'll worth saving, but
he did not succeed. He appealed to
him through his love for his children,
and he finally consented to quit tramp
ing and take the drink cure, but he
only remained there two weeks when
he wandered off again and did not re-
turn.
This is only u case. There are
scores of others that might be cited to
show how readily able"bodied and ca
pable working men Don degenerate
into tramps when they once begin to
steal rides and wander from place to
place.
These men sometimes take great
risks in stealing rides on railway
trains. 1t has been estimated that the
number of trespassers killed annually
on railroads exceeds the combined to-
tal of passengers and trainmen killed
annually, and one-half to three
fourths Of these trespassers are
tramps. The grand total of killed and
injured shows no signs of decreasing,
From 1901 to 1905, 23,964 trespassers
on railroads we're killed and %, 236
were injured.
In 1911 it was estimated there were
in the United States SOC, 0Oo tramps,
and the number is steadily increasing.
This is no doubt due to the fact that
more labor saving machinery is con-
stantly coming into operation, thus
throwing more men out of employment.
This seems to indicate need of a new
system OF government for this new order
of things, by which all men could be
provided with steady employment for
which he is best suited. If the con-
servation of work a be worked out
this way, 1t can readily be seen how,
with the population as it is, all peo-
pie would be provided with the lux.
uries of life, instead of the most part
being almost poverty stricken, as is
the case under the present system.
A few compulsory labor colonies
have heen established, but they have
had no general effect, except to detain
them for a'short time.
We are convinced that our present
cures don't cure; it is doubtful if va
grancy is being reduced in the United
States. Bread lines, missions, short
Jail sentences, curbstone charity, and
ever wood yards and stone piles and
industrial homes haye proved to have
accomplished little in a general way.
Imprisonment may remove them for q
short time from society, restraining
them in a place where little or no work
is done and where they become teach
ers OF. vice to those under sentence for
other o1fenses.
At large the tramp is costly and
dangerous, imprisoned in county jails
and warehouses he is under little or
no reformative influences, and these
places have often been designated as
s'schools of crime"
Edmond Kelley in his book, "The
Elimination Of the Tramp" states!that
he believes that by a combination OF
free and compulsory labor colonies
vagrancy can be cured; do not fol.
low him in this belief. I can see how
it would help to cure those who are
already Migrants, bat is only treating
the symptoms.instead of getting at the
source Of the disease. 1t has been
tried in other countries, and while it
has served for a while to keep them
away from society, the number has moi
been in any great measure reduced.
We may always have Migrants as
long as we have simple minded and
degenerate people, but we need to do
something for the middle class-the
average man, who is so easily moul.
ded-in order that he may have d fair
chance for himself; re need to do ii
for him and for society, that we may
be rid of this menace-The American
Tramp. E. r.. W.