Kansas, Washington, and Montana, such a dependant may either be cared for or removed to his settlement,- a mere matter of the convenience of the relieving officers. II. LEGISLATION CONCERNING TRAMPS. In the consideration of tramps and vagrants we have not so much a question of public relief as of the repression of "frauds" and the punishment of those who would live upon private charity. We have to do with those who, being able to work, do not earn an honest living, but live idly, and subsist upon charity. A "tramp," in the popular sense, is one who goes from place to place, begging. The term "tramp," as defined in the statutes of the several States, however, is not so inclusive. There we find a number of limitations made,— limitations as to age, sex, physical condition and residence. These limitations exclude (1) miners, who are usually treated as incorrigibles, (2) females, and (3) the defective and those unable to work. In some cases the law applies only to those who are begging beyond the limits of their city, town, or county. Such is the case in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. It must be borne in mind, however, that, while the word "tramp" is often used in a very restricted sense, there is further legislation to supplement that against tramps. Cities and towns usually have the power to regulate, restrain, and punish street begging. In a few States all legislation is left to the cities or local governments. This is the case in Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Kansas. Turning now to the punishment of tramps, we find that in the two States of West Virginia and Kentucky they are not considered as misdemeanants, and are, therefore, not punished at all. In the former State the overseers are to exert themselves to prevent begging and to care for beggars as for the other poor. In Kentucky, beggars are sent to the poorhouse. This provision is supplemented by the vagrancy laws, however, vagrancy being a "high misdemeanor" and the vagrant being bound out or sold into servitude for not longer than twelve months. In most States, however, "tramping" is considered a misdemeanor, and as such is punishable. The most frequent method of punishment is to commit the con victed tramp to jail on a determinate sentence. With few exceptions, every State west of the Mississippi having a statute upon this subject. employs this method. In New Mexico the provision is that tramps. shall be employed at hard labor from one to ninety days upon the streets or elsewhere, but are presumably lodged at the county jail. A similar provision is found in Wyoming. In Missouri the "idle" and "dissolute" (vagrants) are to be hired out for six months to the highest bidder "with cash in hand." And it is to be noted, too, that here, as well as in the Southern States, where the provisions are on the whole very similar,- tramps are not punishable under laws directed against tramps as such, but under the general laws applying to vagrants, of which able-bodied and sturdy beggars are one class. While a sentence to jail is still the usual provision among the Northern and Eastern States, it is frequently supplemented by other legislation. In Massachusetts, tramps are committed to the State work-house or to the house of correction; in Rhode Island, to the workhouse or house of correction; in Connecticut, to the workhouse or prison; in New York, to the nearest local penitentiary; in Maryland, to the house of correction; in Illinois, to the jail or to the house of correction. In Louisiana and Vermont, tramps are committed to the almshouse. This may be the case in other States, as in Michigan, where they are committed either to the almshouse or to the workhouse, and in New Jersey, where they are committed to the almshouse, jail, workhouse, or are to be "worked" upon the streets. Virginia should be mentioned along with New Mexico, as she employs her tramps on public account or hires them out for three months. In a few States a fine instead of imprisonment may be imposed; but, as this fine is almost invariably worked out in jail, it is merely another way of fixing the length of a sentence to jail. A sentence to prison without hard labor is not very effective in repressing vagrancy. Where tramps are committed to the State's prison, house of correction, or workhouse, work is provided for them. This is also the case in Virginia, Missouri, and New Mexico, where they are employed on public account or hired out. Hard labor is required in Vermont, New Jersey, and Michigan, where such may be committed to the almshouse. The ten States of Maine, Pennsylvania, Delaware, South Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Colorado, and Nevada, commit them to hard labor in jail. The ten States of New Hampshire, North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, Indiana, Montana, Idaho, Utah, and California, commit them to jail; but no provision requiring them to be employed has been found. Whether or not they are employed there depends upon the practice in the several institutions. In Pennsylvania tramps are to be committed to hard labor, with solitary confinement. Wisconsin and Iowa provide short terms in jail, with solitary confinement; for longer terms, at hard labor. Arkansas still prescribes a "bread and water diet" for half of a sentence of from thirty to ninety days. But a word need be said concerning the length of sentence. Usually, the maximum sentence is fixed. In some cases a minimum is also fixed. The one noticeable feature about the length of sentence is that it is quite long in the North and East, and gradually becomes shorter as we move South and West. But this is only one instance of the greater strictness of the law in the North and East. XVII. Reports from States. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON REPORTS FROM STATES. Your committee has the pleasure of reporting that they have received forty-two reports out of a possible forty-nine. The only Corresponding Secretaries that have thus far failed to report are those of Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Indian Territory, Kentucky, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington. The progress of our work is seen in the increased number of State Conferences of Charities and Correction. During the past year State conferences have been organized in Nebraska, Missouri, and Illinois. A Southern conference has been organized, to include the Southern States, which will hold its first meeting at Nashville in October; and steps have been taken for the organization of a State conference in Maryland, which will meet in November next. There will have been held, therefore, in 1897 eleven State conferences, one district conference (the Southern), and two meetings of the National Conference. This does not include the New England Conference, the Pacific States Conference, and the Colorado Conference, which hold no meetings this year. Most of these conferences have been attended by the President or the Secretary of the National Conference. A brief abstract of the reports from the States as to legislation will be found in the National Bulletin of Charities and Correction for May, to which you are referred. The reports from States will be printed as usual in the volume of Proceedings. In this report it is only possible to summarize briefly the reports received, and for the sake of comprehensiveness this will be done by districts. A State Board of Charities has been established in Missouri; and the establishment of State Boards is being urged in Iowa, Louisiana, and West Virginia. THE STATES BY DISTRICTS. NEW ENGLAND. 1. Population and Dependents. By the census of 1890 the total population of the six New England States was 4,700,745, which has since increased to about 5,200,000. Very nearly half of this population is in the single State of Massachusetts, which now contains more than 2,550,000 people, with more than half of all the dependent, defective, and criminal classes registered in all New England. During the year ending Dec. 31, 1896, the number of the registered insane of Massachusetts exceeded 8,500; and their average number was more than 7,000, including those in almshouses and private families supported by the public. In the other five New England States the aggregate number of the insane during the same year may be estimated at 7,500, and their average number at nearly 6,000, as shown by the following table: Whole No. during Estimated Average No. 1,200 850 800 1,500 1,100 1,000 1,100 850 3,000 2,375 7,700 6,075 8,500 7,000 16,200 13,075 So many of the insane appear in more than one of the six States in course of a year, however, that the real aggregate of different persons may not have exceeded 15,600, the average number remaining as above estimated. But the number strictly belonging to New England of this average did not perhaps exceed 13,000, the others being residents of other States, under treatment in New England asylums. These estimates give about 1 insane person in every 320 of the estimated population, which is not excessive; and, were it possible to take an exact census of all the insane, those in New England would probably be found to exceed the numbers above given. With respect to prisoners the general fact is much the same as with the insane, though the numbers differ widely. Massachu |