The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-06-12

In the ordinary acceptatl0n OF tne
term, Stacker is one who dcdges
military duty This was the term by
which such men were known in the
early days of the war and they were
subjected to the contempt of every
red-blooded fighting MAN, volunteer
and conscript alike.
AS the war progressed and the peo
pie began to feel the burdens Of the
conflict, as demands kept following
demands, for funds with which to
meet the many necessary war activi-
ties, another kind of Stacker made his
appearance. Like his counterpart who
lodged military duty, the later de-
velopment lodged civilian duty. He
was too busy with his own affairs to
take any part in forming the various
necessary war organizations and too
stingy to help finance them.
To the honor and glory of White
county be it said that in the end.
when the call was made, there were
no real military slackers. Every man
drafted for the defense of his coun-
try responded
The record on the civilian side is
not so good. The first bond drives,
the first Red Cross drives and the Y.
M. G. A. campaign while they were
successful in raising the amounts
levied against the county, brought re-
sponses from a small percentage of
our people.
This method similar to the old and
row obsolete volunteer system of
raising an army placed the burden on
only those who were willing
The Executive committee of the
White County Auxiliary of the State
Council of Defense has undertaken to
spread the burdens of White county
in this war on the whole people. The
preliminary step was the circulation
of loyalty pledges which gave the de-
sired information concerning every
man and woman above the age of Is
From these cards an assessment roll
OF the county was compiled Con-
servatiTe men in each township passed
on the figures of each individual. That
mistakes were made was of course in
evitable. The committee is still try
ing to perfect the rolls.
At the close of the week drive for
the funds TO meet our allotment of
Red Cross funds and a war fund,
nearly eight hundred people in the
county had failed to properly respond
This would be discouragng if the
failure to respond meant that these
people were slackers That some of
them are sackers there is little ques-
ton. The great majority of them,
however, we believe to be loyal and
unsellish. Our advice to the latter is
to communicate with the committee
and give their reasons for failure to
respond. They may have been as
sessed too high. If so, it is only fair
to the committee and themselves to
make the fact known Let's correct
the mistakes if any exist.
The man who refuses to help at all
because he has been asked to help be-
yond his ability is just a stubborn
sort of Stacker. He is trying to ger
out of doing what no knows he should
do and is attempting to justify him.
self without reason
When the returns are in and the
accounts closed, the executive com
mlttee proposes to publish a list OF
delinquents. This whole thing is a
matter of patriotism and business.
This county is assessed. So much
money is needed and so much of ii
must come from the county. In turn
the executive committee assesses the
population. If the county fails TO
raise its quota it is published as he
ing delinquent. Very we'll; the com
mittee proposes that those response
BILE for the county's delinquency shall
take the responsibility. Therefore the
list of individual delinquents will h.
published.
The committee proposes that il the
White county boys who have been
called on to give their lives in de-
Tense of everybody in this country
including slackers-are to be shamed
by the failure of their county to stand
by them, those who are responsible
Cor their failures, those who duck and
dodge shall be known No other
course is fair to the patriotic and un
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