The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1904-05-06
TnE IRoHY OF FATE.
, the Editor of the ocala Banner.

Floyd made An. impression through
out this county, else Why these time
" articles in the Banner, purpOrtin
to come from Sparr, the Woods and
other sources in relation To- the no
fence question.
five understand Mr.. FlOyd's idea
correctly il suggests local option
law, which means that no cOmmu-
nifty shall have q no fence law forced
upon them without a majority In
dorsement of the voters of a district
or township as the case may be.
Many people misunderstood the
theory. They are impressed with the
notion that Mr.. FlOyd's election
means the arbitrary command to dis
pense with the fence regardless OF
the interests of those who are FORUM
ate enough to possess a bunch OF
cattle or hogs, and who are located in
isolated places where range is abund-
ant.
This is not the correct inference.
Mr.. Floyd has been sufficiently plain
and candid in expressing his views,
nor can we discover anything vague
or misleading in his published or
verbal statements.
He is favor of progression in all
things. The question is, do the Peo-
pie of Florida want progression?
The old idea of remaining in the
same old rut, constitutes retrOgressiOn
and no man possessed of public spirit
and who is resolutely imbued with =
rigid determination to properly rep
resent the masses will equiyOcate or
evade fair and explicit enunciatiOn
of his sentiments pertaining to vital
public questions.
We have heard men say that they
do not think the time is OppOrtune
for 10 fence law.
Well, we heard that identical ex-
preston used some twenty years ago
and Florida still remains in the rut.
Will we ever make up and endeavOr
to crawl out Of that rut or will the
same argument prevail twenty ears
hence?
The press of the state having ex-
hausted its vocabulary in telling Us Of
the happy and prosperous times to
come because somebody is going TO do
great things for Florida by building n
canal, cannot be vouched for sine
cure for our sunny state, there il
possibility of DETECTION and our an
ticipatiOns are liable to Illustration
unless Florida makes any effort To
accomplish something in its own
behalf. This custom Of sitting on tile
pi azzer and telling what we are going
to do next year Though never done
should become obsolete, and II our
have the future welfare of
Florida at heart they will with pleas
ure and alacrity relegate To the
realms of inOcuOus desustude the
pitiful notion of "next year, sir, next
year"
We are so much absorbed in the
matter of fencing in our stOck that
we have no time to take note Of the
fact that our stock is liable 10 be-
fenced out.
The time is not distant when a sur
prise not dreamed of by many en-
thusiastie opponents of "nO fence"
will, like spectre, suddenly bring
about a realization OF another and
worse calamity than no fence.
1t will be all fence for the purpose
Of pasturing graded stock.
Thousands of acres of land have |
been purchased in this state and the |
agents of the beef packing trust are
silently taking up all the desirable
pasture lands they can get. What
for? Well, just keep on mapping
my fellow citizens, just keep on
whiting and telling of "next year"
instead of doing. Now, and II your
stock is not beautifully and COM
pletely fenced out from pasturage and |
and, which is now so easy, made /
difficult to obtain by reason OF neg
act or indiffarenpp- than fha haaf