The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-12-31
COURTS AND
VIGILANCE COMMITTEES

Inc following from the ST. PETERS
burg Independent is all interesting
and mostly truthful:
The inadequacy of the existing
laws of Florida was made especially
plain here yesterday when man was
sent to Jail for failure to support his
family. If this was not SO serious it
would be humorous. The idea of
locking a man up for refusing to
provide for his family! His oppor-
tunity to provide for his family
while locked in the Jail is certainly
not great. One says that the man is
certainly as much use to his family
Ia Jail as outside, if he will not sup
port them when he is free, and the
example of severe punishment pre-
vents others from following the ex-
ample of the man who neglected to
care for wife and children. This is
begging the question; we think there
should be way to punish and also
compel the man to go to work and
to provide for those dependent on
him.
The law which deprives man of
his liberty for failing to provide for
children certainly fails to accom-
Plush that for which it was intended
r. The law says the man who refuses to
care for his children is guilty of a
felony and can be confined in the
penitentiary. But what good does
that do? 1t merely disgraces his
wife and children the more and fails
TO provide any relief for them. They
suffer shame in addition to want.
The men who framed this law say
that the fear of punishment will hold
man up to his duty, but the man
who has no more heart than to see
his children suffer for lack of food
and clothing which he might give
them is not apt to be frightened by a
Jail sentence, for he can feel no
shame if he is not ashamed to leave
his own flesh and blood to suffer the
pangs of hunger.
The vigilance committee does bet
ter than the law. An instance in
point, related by we'll known citi-
zen of st. Petersburg, will show how
the committee works. In a middle
drank and lived off what his wife
earned by taking in washing. He
Is too trifiing to carry home the
-oceries that she bought with her
ed money, and one night
eat her because she asked him tC
axe hom the groceries she bought
That nlga bit committee waited or
him. he was whipped just as much
as he cou Id stand without being laiC
MP for everal days. and this wa:
said to h i'm:
You go to work. Get a job anC
stop drlhhGng. If you ever lift your
hand as"Hst your wife again, NJ
matter VII lat she may have done tx
Nou>ESyill break your neck. |
you do not help to provide for YOU
wife we will whip you again. and i
We ever hear of your being DRUM
ge will whip you to the limit o
.scur endurance. If you try TO rul
away We will hunt you down if i
1akes ten years, and when We catcl
YOU we will swing you from the linn
OF a tree.
That man became a good citizen
He let whisky alone and went t
work; helped provide for his wifi
and lived the right kind of life Sup
pose the woman had proceeded b
legal methods She would hav
sworn out a VARIANT and the hus
hand would have been arrested. O.
conviction he would have been fine
and, being unable to pay a fine
would have been put in jail. Hi
wife would have been rid of hin
out that was not what she wanted
Eor she loved the man in spite Of hi
faults: she wanted him compelled t
work and to treat her well. Tn
whipping did more to reform hill
than year in Jail would have done
The state should take a man VIII
refuses to provide for his wife an
children and compel him ID worl
He can be put to work for the stat,
The money he earns TO be paid I
The wife and children, or he can /
whipped instead of being confined
Jail The next legislature shout
work out some way to provide pun
ishment for the man without maxim
the wife and children suffer as vel
There is q probability that til
pnsral TaIaoranh CnmnanX Will e