The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1911-12-13
Crusade Against
vdgrdnCy Lessons
Criminal Records


crusade which has been carried on
during the past two months in Flor
ida and Georgia against the vagrant
has made itself felt in the criminal
statistics of the State. according to
the best information that can be
gathered. In Jacksonville and Tam
pa arrests for grave Offenses have
been diminishing each week. There
has been a disposition on the part OF
the magistrates to impose maximum
sentences upon chronic Migrants
rounded up by the police. Those Of
this ilk who were not caught In the
drag net have taken the hint and
have sought employment with the
many industries of the State where
their work has been needed SO ur-
gently.
All industries have felt the bena-
fetal effects of the crusade to
more or less slight extent. and lead
ing industrial men declare that Il
continuance Of the course followed
by authorities in the cities and small
er towns will 80 far toward reliev
ing what has threatened to becom.
ii very costly famine. Several
months ago conditions had become
50 grave that the whole state was
aroused to action. The newspapers
in practically every town in the state
saw the menace and went to work on
it vigorously. County and city au-
thorities responded, and demanded
that idle men show some good reason
for declining to work or take the
consequences.
In Jacksonville and Tampa, the
shipping interests were seriously
handicapped through the unwilling
Eess of negroes to work more than
just enough to secure them against
want. Shipping concerns in Jack
sonville were compelled to carry
more than fifty per cent of the labor
they actually got on their payrOlls.
Vessels on dcmurrage do not tend to
pOpularize a port, and it was but n
short time until the authorities OF
these two cities had done much to
relieve conditions.
Georgia has suffered as much as
Florida. As this time there are
acres and acres OF cotton still in the
fields because labor cannot be Sc
cured. In some sections of the state
It is being plowcd under. while in
others the ground is almost as white
as the stalks--that which has fallen
being practically a dead loss even If
picked up at the prevailing prices.
The farmers are living in hourly
dread of a slect storm. for that would
finish them off surely. Despite eight
cents cotton, the highest prices ever
known has been offered to pickers
with Indifferent results.
With this condition existing, there
have been hundreds of negroes, and
not a few white men, hanging around
all the smaller towns refusing 10
work until compelled to do so. In
Florida at this time the fruit and
vegetable industries have attracted
much more labor than might have
been expected. but there are thous-
ands of steady. ycar-rOund jobs at
almost every industry nthe state yet
untitled This condition has existed
for some time. and II is not an eNag-
geration SO say that the saw mills.
turpentine outfits and other like in
dustrics have sustained a loss of at
least twenty-five per cent of their
normal output during the entire yer
because of inability to secure steady
and reliable labor and in MANY
eases of labor of any kind.
Local Industrial men are still urg-
ing the Jacksonville authorities 10
d continuance of their crusade
/ against the Nagraut. and il seems
that there will he no let up. The
good results that have followed the
;dding of the city of all whose
means of living was open to question
have encouraged them to continue.
1t is not likely that there will be
any let up until the clean-uphas been
thorough. or that the authorities will
in future relax their vigilance
against this particular type which a
certain strenuous ex-president would
call undesirable citizens