The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-12-01
BLACKLIST BAN
STIRS SEA GATE
Once There Were 13 on 1t. but
) Paid Dues and Now Only
8 Remain Obdurate.
RECALLS HOBO TRICKS
Cabalistic Streaks on Curb
stones Tell Of Delinquency
to All Who Pass.

There was q time in the recent history
when all dwellers within sound Of the
rackine waves that beat endlessly upon
the patient tip OF Coney Island dwen to-
gether IN sweet peace and amity There
was a time when the fortunate denizers
Of ,ha, community spoke altogether well
Of one another and OF their appointed
master the Hon. the Sea Gate Assoca-
ton. welladay, as Brother Marquis
would soliloquize. For that happy and
Tranquil era has gone where the wood.
bine twineth.
Quite excellent persons speak OF the
association with a sinister erittng OF
teeth as they glance askance at one an
other and observe the garbage collector
departing unburdened. For the heavy
hand Of the association has descended
upon them. in submonition, it is true. bat
none the less painfully
There are eight Of them now, and they
are unable to get their garbage carted
away. to get the streets in front OF thei'
Queen Anne villas swept and to get the
benefit OF night waichmen. The! have
been set apart from mankind ana wof
eateth them Ike unto canker.
Backward In Paying Dues.
Once there were thirteen. but hvs pa it
up-that is. caught up with the annua
dues required by the association for pub
lie service-and now there are eight wht
must contemplate every morning TN
streak Of whitwash that besmirches th'
,,,san rray Of their curbstones. Th'
splash means that the eight are black
listed and that they cannot get AM
service whatever from the village father
until they come across smilingiy.
The annals OF Hobodom recount sue
streaky strataGems on the part OF IN
i,inerants OF ease, such and such
. streak or cabalistic sign meaning
| MEAN dog hangs out here; or "Peopi
IN this house easy marks"; or "Thi
place good for a piece Of change. Tn
Sea Gate Association. through II
treasurer. Charles Mclaughlin W
not confess that It borrowed trio
from the tramps' bag. although the sy'
, tenn is obviously similar. MI McLausf
lin nut the whole matter in a hopeleesl
prosaic. businesslikc way,
He says, a. most persons may know
, that the residents Of Sea Gate maintain
, BY association. their own public service
vh,ch Ia paid for by contributions regt
l.rly assessed on the basis Of CAREFUL
, drawn annual budget. II 10 necessar
. for eyerybody to como UP to tho mar
! cial scratch IL good public service Is
t he given.
. Worked Smoothly Tor Ions Time
For a long time the system workt
d. smoothly, but eventually number
neople who were careless about such ol
> usat,ons settled In the paradise by II
= sad sea waves. They wouldn't or didn
i. pay up and finally the association d
4 cided to blacklist them by whitewasn.
a Foot long dabs Of whitswash markl
|, the curbstones Of the recreant ones. ar
q these were signs to the garbage man, u
y street sweeper and the night watchmi
"a 10 mas. or and heed not Also II caus'
= a merry buss in Sea Gate. The virtuo
tba, had paid made 4 Jest Of the careie
h that had not Five promptly weaken
l. ard sent checks for their dues. Eig
le still hold out
g Mr. Mclaughlin IL pretty sure tn
ie the scheme will work Something h
Is II was tried out on the Sea Gate bo
4 which runs between the Battery ana .
10 Gate in festive summer seasons. So'
persons tried TO snitch rides on the col
\ munity boat until the association p'ac
1 listed the grafters.
I'VE run Sea Gate as chsaply as
more cheapiy per capita than any col
muni,y is run" said Mr.. Mcl.aughl
"If the people who enjoy our benef
won't pay their share they ought to
out. We tried appealing letters. arR
ment and reason. When that did
\ work we Nit upon the curbstons blae
Nst" e-3 ..-.4. ..-....