Pueblo chieftain., 1922-03-13
By FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN

WASHINGTON. d. C, March 10
II you have suffered tho misfortune
o. losing a leg. and are casting about
fer a means OF making a livelihood.
perhaps the most lucrative thing can
turn to is panhandiing. Tho stories OF
the incomes made by peddlers OF PEN
ellis, chewing gum. useless gcwgaw5
generally. are by no means fables.
Cities differ widely in tho ways OF
dealing with professional cripples. In
some cities they must obtain licenses.
or suffer arrest. In this way the po-
lice are given an opportunity TO invcs-
tgatc each case and find out whether
tho cripple who applies for tho privi-
lego of peddling on tho streets, with
his infirrnIiy or deformity as his main
means OF attracting dimes, nickels,
and quarters. is really unable TO make
a living in some other way.
Just at this time the city OF Wash
ington is a haven for these men. Tho
Pcllcc Department has tried to keep
them out OF the downtown district.
which OF course IL the ground they
prefer. Unfortunately no law or po-
lice regulation directly prohibits these
mon from offering their wares for
sale. Only a few days ago the police
were directed to make some arrests
and SEQ II the courts would help to
AAA' H.ALaAANl " AAlNIhHAAA AAtANH
or sentences in the workhousc.
Tho arrests were made. and when
the cases came before the police court,
Judge Hardison decided that the mon
were not vasrants nor heggars. The
fact that they had wares offered for
sale. and that they woro able to show
incomes sufficient to lift them out OF
tho class OF those having no visible
means OF support. in the opinion OF
. ~ a H..
from police Interference. Tho court
decided that pencils offered for sale.
even though they brought in 10 or =
times their value. constituted lcgitl-
mate commerce.
a remedy for this eituatiou In Wash
inrton may come from drawing up
polics regulations directly prohibiting
street selling in tho downtown sec
tion. It Is believed that the profession
al cripples. rather than haunt the rori-
doncc districts where the pedestrian
traffic IL negligible compared with tho
busy business part OF the city. would
take their handsful OF pencils and
&. cir woc-besune appearances to some
mere lenient ciC, It Is understood
that some such regulation is in pro-
cess OF drafting.
In the recent arrests made in Wash
ington as test cases, ono Of the men
had in his pocket between $50 and $50.
another had more than t55. and the
third considerable cum OF money
One man arrested prior to this time
for the ssmc offenso had in his pocket
nearly ss5. In every CHse most OF this
mcney was In small change. indicating
.tn tho police that IL was tho income
for not more than three days at tho
outside. and possibly Of only one day
and evening. Capt Brown. the police
officer in charge OF the downtown dis
trict, conversing with ono OF these
men. eaid to iilm, You probably make
lot moro money than | do" The
crippled panhandler. dressed in the
rags Of poverty, modesily admitted
that this probably was true.
Here as elsewhere many of these
men. since the war. have taken to
wearing old. fraycd uniforms Of the
United States Army. usually, however
taking great. care that Insignia of all
sorts IL removed. Not even The branch
of the supposed service is shown Once
ia a while some strApping. able bodied
tramp dons n uniform and goes out
to take a llvins away from the world.
trying straight-out begging on the
plea that he is a former member of tho
A T.. f. who lost his job when he
entered the army. has been able to
fird nothing else 70 do, and is reduced
to his present lowly state because Of
these facts
Some cities swarmed with these para