The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-10-30
PROVES THE Old PROVERB
Devil Always Finds Some Work for
Empty Hands to Do-AssauIt and
Robbery the Result of Idleness.

Jacksonville, Oct. 30-Five assaults
and highway robheries, four of which
proved fatal 10 the victims, within the
last two months have 50 stirred the
people and the authorities that % ad-
ditional police have been put on the
force of the city.
Both the city and county authorities
have become very active aud effective
in theis dealings with men who de
cline to work and yet live Well with
out means of visible support, In other
words, Jacksonville is swatting the
vagrant earnestly and from the shoul-
der.
1t has come TO be recognized that
the idlers who infest the cities and
towns Of Florida are a menace 10 life
and property. and the authorities here
are no longer toleratine excuses for
| idleness which won't stand verifica-
ton Jacksonville newspapers nav
! contain each day records IF dozens or
| more Of Idle negroes who are sent to
| the county chain gang municipal
| work house.
| on the water front the cry is for
| more labor to load the vess is al the
| various industries ana throughout the
! state fruit men are already heginn in Z
| tn call for help. Yet there are hun
dreds of negro men who live In ap-
| parent ease Without more than just
enough to keep their names on the
payroll Of some shipping man or indus
trial concern. This is a condition
which obtains u Z. desr.e alike in all
towns ana cities Of the state.
! II is this class against which the
IcampaiGn of the authorities is direct
| ed. Finding that the old LAM: ~>ruse
Will no i0nasr tie accepted before the
trial judges, many Of them are be-
| ginning to put in six days d week
rather than run the isl. al netrG
made - Way< Tor thr county. The
IDLE white men whose means of sup
port is open to question are also be
ing raked in. This is largely az a
safeguard against criminals wno may
hss pfeylhs upon the public.
Leading Industrial men throughout
the state are declaring that the saw
mills, turpentne farms and other in
dustries Of Florida are suffering ser
,oua losses through lack of labor The
l Georgia Florida Sawmill Association
at its meeting here last week gave the
greatest portion Of its time TO a dis
icussiQn Or the labor shortage. Condi-
l.
lworse for many months.
| The disposition seems ia be to rec
IogniZe that the approach of the win
Ter season, when crooks and criminals
of varying degrees from the colder
climates will be expected to flock tC
Florida, makes it imperative that the
craving vagrancy evil be throttled a.
a protective measure as we'll as fol
the assistance OF the states industrie!
and for the Improvement Of a situa tiOr
that is rapidly approaching a stage
which new industries Will hesitate
seriously a. to whether they will 10
cate in Florida where labor is unwil
Hing to work.
In Jacksonville. the shipping mel
are suffering and vessels are losin.
) hundreds of dollars each day becaus
the negroes who should unload or loat
them refuse - WORK. Tampa is fac
|, ing the same situation, and the news
pa pers and authorities there have be
come aroused 10 action. fenSac al
newspapers say that the shipping
there is not actually suffering los
now. but urge a campaign againS
vagrancy as a precaution. The news
papers of practically all the counts
in the state are alsQ demanding O
their local autn critics that the yag
irants be cleaned out.