Year: 1878

N. Y. Herald.


These three classes are fitly group
ed together, because it is their COM
mon aim to live by some other
means than honestindustry. Tramps
are perhaps the extreme type of
the class, but it is rather their mis-
fortune than their fault that they
have become more OdiOus than their
brethren. They are at least entitled
to a kind construction of their mo-
tives by the Communists since they
volunteer to eXemplify in practice
one of the principles which the
Communists are eager to force upon
the community. One of the great
aims of the Communists is to raise
theprice of labor by diminishing the
amount performed, and they ought
to cOncede that the noble army of
tramps is aiding them to the best of
its ability, in diminishing cOmpeti-
tiOn in the labor market. A large
proportion of the tramps are thieves
out of prison, and so long as they
are not arrested and convicted they
do not infringe the rights of labor
by the exercise of mechanic trades
in State prisons and putting the pro-
ducts of their industry on the market
in competition with the fruits of
honest labor. The Communists
ought at some of their meetings to
pass a vote of thanks to the great
and growing order of tramps-first,
for withdrawing so much labor
from the market and leaving a free
field to what remains, and second,
for the skill of those persistent
thieves in keeping out of the State
prisons, where they would be COM
PEELED to work at trades and assist
in OVerStOcking the country with
the kind of articles on which prison
industry is employed. What the
Communists only broach in theory
those noble chevaliers, the tramps,
carry out in practice. They are too
considerate to lend any assistance
in causing a glut in the labor market
or to commune any part of the gem
eral fund of society which is dis
tributed in the form of wages. The
theory of the Communists is thus
exemplified by the tramps in all its
beautiful and naked simplicity.
We dare say that even the yellow,
pigtailed Cinnamon of the Pacific
coast would be pardOned and toler-
ated if, instead of doing fair work
for moderate wages, they would
distribute themselves over the
country and reinforce the noble
army of tramps, leaving the field of
labor and the fund for the payment
of wages for the exclusive possession
of those who regard themselves as
the rightful claimants. Detestible
as the tramps are they are rendering
to society the useful service of re-
futing the theory Of Communists by
a redltctO al 06SltrduD1. If it is de-
sirable to diminish the amount of
labor performed by stopping work
in prisons, by abridging the hours
of foil outside of prisons, by limit
ing in every trade the number of
apprentices, by the total stoppage
of work in frequent strikes, by
driving the Cinnamon out of the
country, then it follows, in logical
consistency, that the Communists
ought to recognize the merits of the
noble army of tramps who are car
rying on the good work of dimin-
ishing competition in the labor
market and are gaining a subsiS-
tence without drawing upon that
part of capital which is devoted to
the payment of wages.


In employing the word Com
munists" nothing can be further
from our intention than to include
any portion of the honest indus
trious classes. We denounce only
the crafty set of leaders who attempt
to gain living without work by
making dupes OF actual laborers.
These agitators, like their esteemed
contemporaries, the tramps are
trying to escape the primal penalty
of earning their bread by the sweat
of their brow, but their method is
| a little mOreartful. Instead Of living
by direct theft, like tramps, they
subsist on the voluntary contrlbu-
tiOns of the workingmen. They
get up organizations, of whose funds
| thev are the custOdians and dis
bursers. They handle money with
out being subjected to the ordinary
responsibilities of positions of trust.
The community has had extensive
and disastrous experiments of the
difficulty Of enforcing accountable
itv, even with the aid of the law.
The enormous swindles perpetrated
by savings banks and trust COM


panies, which are regulated by law