The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-06-20
THE OCALA RIFLES

name will be written with honor on
the. page of history.
How much credit for this may
0eala take to herself?
Very little. The company has
lived more in spite of her neglect than
by her help.
How long has it been since
the town has given the members of
the Rifles any token of real apprecia-
ton? How many balls and benefits,
or other affairs of the sort given to
military organizations in other places
have they had since the Spanish
American war? How often has a
big delegation gone from the town to
cheer them in their work at the state
encampment? What in fact have they
had the last seventeen years that they
haven't earned by their own work or
paid for with their own money?
Year after year they have kept up
their organization, attended their
weekly drills, gone TO the encamp-
ments, where they always made a
good record, and held themselves in
readiness should the state or county
need them. Twice the state has call
led them, and they answered prompt
lily. Once the county needed them,
and they were right there.
/ Whenever there has been a big to-
do, calling for parade, the first and
the best feature to secure was gen.
erally the Ocala Rifles. And when
the parade was over, they quietly
went back to their shabby little arm
|ory, and were Immediately forgotten
until next time. When the members
Mt the end of hard days work
, donned their uniforms and took THEN
guns for drill, and marched up or
the square to go thru their evolutions
hardly anybody turned head to lool
as the little column tramped by
When they went to the state encamp
ment on an early train, few were a
{ the station to see them off, and whel
; they returned fewer welcomed them.
Why has this been thus? Has i
|, been because the town has been S.
thoroughly permeated with the spiri
: of peace that it is entirely Indifferent
e to everything pertaining to war? No
altogether.
Look over the roster of their name
and you will see they are nearly all o
the genus "workingmen"; mostl
clerks, mechanics and farmers-th
class that does nine-tenths of Amer
lica's work, and always does 80 pc
cent of her fighting, but in the mem
lbers of which few outside their fam
lily circle take real interest. Thei
names are seldom seen on the societ
pages.
But they have kept up their CON
pany thru the seventeen years ths
Ocala has seldom noticed them, e1
cept when they were needed, or
volunteering as soon as another's Ell
listment expired; they have drilled G
their own time and gone to the Ell
campments for pittance; and no
when the doors of the temple {
Janus seem about to swing open b.
fore America, they are here.
They have distinguished their eli
and county.
There are over fifty counties
Florida, but only eighteen have mil
Itary organizations.
When the nation called to the stat
land Florida looked along the line
her counties, there was no blar
space opposite Marion's name. Ma
ion had little band that wasn't t.
proud to fight.
You may talk of the victories
peace rather than war, and you m;
sing "I didn't raise my boy to be
soldier" until you believe yourse
but when you come to the day VIII
your nation must grovel in the du
or stand erect, and it chooses to star
and asks its sons to prove its right
stand, how little are other men col
pared with those who rally round t
flag.
There is little Ocala can do in t
days, or perhaps hours, that rema
before the boys-for they are neal
all boys-may be called away, but
she does not take to heart the less
in patriotism that they have taugl
she will be hopeless indeed.
If they go-and there is but lit
hope they will not go-they go
perform the sternest duty laid up
the sons of men. They will have
toll at their drills and evolutions
the camps until the tasks of pei
will seem easy in comparison. If "
begins, they will go in the lol
crowded troop trains fifteen hundl
OF two thousand miles to the bord
And then to meet the enemy. To f:
1.-THE storm of bullets, shell and shr;
mel until Mexico goes down In defe
To endure fatigue in the camp and
! the march, to face death on the b
tie field until the stars and stril
again wave over the halls of
Montezumas, to remain, we hope,