Hobos Are Shy

The third annual meeting: of the Anti-Tramp society was held in tha court house Friday nig-ht. The following officers were chosen: President, Bev. J. W. Bradshaw; secretary, Dr. Charles Cooley ; treasurer, Mayor Hlscock. Upon the organizatlon of the society, three years ago, requests were sent to the cltizens that they feed no more trampa but refer all who ask help to Mr. Fred Sipley, of the fire departfnent, who was chosen superintendent ef the anti-tramp work. When a vaf Tant applies for help Mr. Sipley gives ikm a chance to saw wood for meal tickets and ticketa for lodging. The practical results of such a system are to make professional tramps - those who follow the life from choice and will not work- shy of the town and yet to give those who are really trampipg from gome reason beyond their control, a chance to earn fooi and lodging. There ie also an important scientific reult. It determines what per cent of the tramps are willing to work and what per cent travel because the life bas a fascination for them. Mr. Sipley, after a good deal of experience, stimat'es that ten per cent 'will work whüe the others choose tramping in preferenco to any other mode of life. How well the plan has worked is ■hovrn by the follówing xtracts Trom the president's report by Kav. J. V. Bradshaw; "During the three years the society iias exUted the number of meals and lodgingi furnished runs as follows: Meals. Lodgings. Oct. '64 to Oct. '95 140 40 Oct. '95toOct. '96 118 46 Oct. '96 to Oct. '97 310 87 "It will be preceived that the work of the last year is considerably in exess of that of both the years preceding. In epitè of the laree number fed tbe society has been nearly self-supportiiii;, tbe worlt of the tramps having paid for their support. Id adüition to providing the meals -and lodgings as indicated the society &aa lso through its efficiënt superintendent, distributed a considerable gmount of clothing, especially footwear, lo needy tramps during the cold weather of last winter. Through tbe efforts of this eociety it has become known to the traveling fratornity that It is not easy for groots to secure assistanee in thia city except in return for work. Two results have followed : Tbose disinclined to work have largely pasaed us by while thOBe willlng to work have, in increaeing numbers, gone directly to our superintendent for employment instead of asking assistance of citizens. "The work of this society could be greatly aided if citizens would take an interest in it and refuse to feed able bodied vagrants at their doors. Othcr cltiei hare adopted methods similar to ihose adopted by this society and the re8ults obtained by the application of the fundamental principal, "He that _Will not work, neither shall he eat" in the workhouse system of Wlsconsin, ufford abundant evidence that the Unes upon which we are working are corleot,"