The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-02-28
ELIMINATE THE OILERS

The farmers of Marion county
should get together and form an
iron-clad agreement that all the labor
in the county should do a full days
work each day. And the people of
Ocala should help them to the limit.
Florida has particular need this
year to raise every pound of food
and every yard of clothing that it can.
1t not only wants these things TO ex-
change for money and goods, but il
may even more imperatively need
them to feed and clothe its own. Flor
ida would be more easy, more likely,
to cut off from the rest of the county
than any other state. Twice since the
war began have we heard the threat
we might be 50 cut off, And before
the summer is over the threat may
become a reality.
We do not mean, of course, that
communications will be sundered and
Florida practically rendered an island.
What we mean is that railway loco
motives and cars may be so urgently
needed in other parts of the country
that necessaries, not to say luxuries,
will be almost impossible to obtain.
What is more likely is that Florida
will not be able to do her share in
feeding the army, navy and workmen
of the nation. Even IL we obtain the
needed transportation, we may not
have the produce for it to carry.
Now, Florida has the lands to raise
an abundance of corn, potatoes, beef,
pork and cotton, which are things the
state can produce that its own people
and others most vitality need. But it
can't raise these things without labor,
and at present there is a great dis
proportion between the labor and the
amount of work to be done.
1t is not that there liz shortage of
men. There are "a plenty of men in
the state, but too large a proportion
of them are holding down sunproof
jobs, working on short time or not
working at all. ~
Nearly all our farmers are depend
ent on negro labor. Now, negro Ia
Dor is the best in the world for the
Florida or the southern farmer, when
it can be had. But there has always
been an element of unreliability
about it, and at this time, when it is
most needed, it is more unreliable
than ever. a ~
Right now, a good negro fieldhand
is IN better shape to make himself in
dependent and respected than anyone
else. He is sure of work at good wages
every day. He does not have to work
half as hard as the white men in the
steel and iron works, the shipyards,
the munition plants or on the ships
and docks. Unfortunately he, or good
many of him, is using his independ-
ence the wrong way. He is not using
it to make himself independent of
poverty, but to make himself inde-a
pendent of work. He viii work Just
so many days in the week as he needs
to supply his wants; the remainder of
his time he dedicates to rest.
In the city, matters are worse. We
have in our town number Of negro
men and boys who are paid by white
people enough to keep them alive for
working a small fraction of each day.
The balance of the time .hey put in
loafing. A number of families employ
servants who are not needed or are
only partly needed. Many of these
servants support able-bodied men or
boys IN partial or complete idleness.
Also, there are not a few white
men and boys who while not exactly
loatlng, are camoufiaging work; that
is, they are doing things that are not
necessary and adding TO the expense
while they contribute nothing to its
support.
White people are to blame not only
for their own shortcomings, but for
many of those of the negroes. They
have always treated the negro like d