The Washington times., 1922-11-24
SEES
!: $4,000 BOYS
ON ROAD
600, 900 "DisempIoyed," un'
fit to Work, in Country,
Says Jeff Davis. -.
BY WALTER VOGDES.
Cosmopolitan News Service.

OOomOpShson NeWo bctvtcf.
NEW YORK. Nov. "a. - Fifty
thousand boys run away from home
every year in the United States.
And the study Of geography causes
most Of those breaks"
1t was jeff Davis talking-Davis,
king of the hoboes. president Of the
Itinerant Workers Union. of Amer
lea, with it's 200 members; Davis,
practical economist, just arrived in
New, York after a three years alb
sence on the open road.
The number of runaway boys Is
increasing" he said. "Why two
thirds Of the hoboes ] meet on the
road nowadays are youngsters. And,
what Is more significant, the ma
jority Of our criminals are young.
The warden of one of our Oldest
prisons said to me recently, Jeff,
we don't call 1t a penitentiary any
moro. We. call It a reform school.
They're all kids"
So. HObOes' Life Hard.
So tJeff- Davis. during the past
year, has spent his time addressing
boys and girls in public schools
throughout the country. The key
note of each address is. ''stick to
your mothers apron strings. Don't
run away. The road is a hard life
I know"
1.-THE kids aren't to blame II they
get the wanderlust," said Davis to.
day. And the Biographies aren't
to blame. Words hit the imagina,
ton, words like Rocky mountains
New York. Chicago, Florida. Young.
sters, especially IL they are poor and
don't have much variety In their
lives. get restless"
Davis has a plan that he thinks
would diminish the number of youth
full runaways.
Would Give Yearly Trips.
Why" he asked. doesn't the
Government send poor Kids, on a trip
each year, SO each one would see
some new part Of his country? Yes
1t would cost money. but it costs
money to maintain reform schools
and prisons, too"
jeff Davis Is one OF the unique
figures Of America. He holds the
international record for hobo travel
500 900 miles in twenty years. Years
ago he was a newsboy on the Bow
erys At forty he retains traces of
his Bowery accent. He is bald, has
a perfect frame and Is In the pink
Of physical condition. And he is well
off financially.
II seems a bit inconsistent of jeff
to warn the youngsters away from
the road when he stays a wanderer
because. as he says, he can't help il.
Il say this" Jeff leaned for.
ward and shook his finger. "the
runaway boy easily becomes "a
hobo. Then it's an esy slip 10
bum. to petty criminal and to
reformatory or prison.
"A hobo Is not tramp. but most
people don't know the difference. A
hobo IL an itinerant worker a
tramp Is a scenery bum. A tramp
will work II he's hard pressed. but
not for long. A hobo often stays
on the job for several months.
100000 "Disemployed."
There's a third class that I call
the disemployed. There are between
100000 and 100000 disemployed in
the United States, men below par
mentally and physically, who aren't
up to the struggles Of life. They
can't work"
whats going to be done about
them7"
Such men need to be cared for"
he answered. They need special
training. think vocational train,
ing schools should be established in
every big city for them.
I'VE have public libraries. ! think
the schools should be run in con
nection with them; places where tn.
men could 60 and live and study.
costs money? OF course. But
there are too many unskilled la
borers in this country. The Govern
ment spends money to train these
men after they are arrested and
shut UP In prisons. Why not train
them beforehand?
Men should be card-indexed. We
card-index furniture. we know that
some of II Is fair, some good, some
very good. Why can't we card-in
dex men and treat them accord
Ia a