The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-06-13
oilers MUST Be
FORCED TO WORK
Vigorous Enforcement Of the
vagrancy Law Is a Pub
lie Necessity.
Duty Of Every Citizen to Report
Neighbor or Acquaintance Who
Won't Work and Demand
Sheriff Enforce Laws.
prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture)

prepared by the United States Depart
Il ment of Agriculture)
Washington. Most communities all
over the United States are enforcing,
or preparing to enforce the vagrancy
laws very vigorously. There is a ma
/ tion-wide sentiment of utter detesta-
ton for the man so small of spirit as
to be willing to do nothing during the
supreme hour of all human history.
/ There is a general determination all
over America that such men are g0-
ing to be forced to work, without de-
lay or ceremony.
1 However, in so vast land there
may be few communities. here and
4 there, where sentiment has not be-
4 come sufficiently aroused to echo this
/ general demand which resOunds over
| the country. If there is place where
] farmers are looking for help, and, at
4 the same time, loafers are hanging
around the depot, the stores and the
4 pool rooms, those farmers themselves
are somewhat to blame unless they
demand of the sheriff and local Off
GERS an absolute and unyielding app
4 plication of the vagrancy law.
A field man of the United States
department of agriculture recently
wrote this from one of the important
agricultural states:
i Entirely too much labor, rural as
well as city, is Stacking. The COM
i pulsory work law is not being en-
4 forced as well as 1T should For
sentimental reasons some persons
hesitate to report neighbor or ac-
i quaintance who is idle and won't
work. !. . My idea is that the
first thing TO do is to clean up the
loafing habit"
aFor Sentimental Reason!~
Il Maybe you feel that way. Perhaps
Bill Smith, whom you know well, and
rather like In casual sort of fash
ion, is chronic loafer. He is
harmless enough wretch, and you just
hate to make complaint against
Bill-"for sentimental reasons r.
4 No doubt. sfor sentimental reasons,
you hate to think Of your son being
killed but 1t was the proudest day
i of your life when You watched him
4 march away to fight in France. BY
4 the way. Bill Smith, the loafer, must
i have different brand of sentiment
Il from your son and yourself the N
Sentimental reasons" that impelled
i your boy to rush to the colors at the
i first call don't seem to have moved
Bill very much. For some reason
i sentimental or otherwise is still
| sticking to his old job-whittling in
/ front of the post Office.
If your son dies in France-giv his
i life fighting for the freedom of Amer
ica-fghting for the freedom of that
very Bill Smith, the loaferhow
| much do you think your grief viii be
4 assuaged by the reflection that even
| IL your boy did have to die your
4 Sentimental reasons have been sus-
/ tanned and Bill is still loafing to his
hearts content. If your soldier son
1 makes the supreme sacrifice how
much consolation will you find in the
/ knowledge that If Bill Smith, the loaf
er, whom you shielded "for sentiment
| tai reasons" had been forced to
/ work on some war job more food and
supplies might have been sent to
France and your boy might have
| lived.
Make Every ldler Work.
Maybe your son isn't at the front
| yet-but he is certain to be there
i soon. and the longer you delay s'for
i sentimental reasons in seeing that
| your friend Bill Smith, the loafer, is
! not sent to the chain gang or the
j farm, the longer 1T will take your boy
/ and his companions to do their job.
4 Maybe you have no sons. But your
/ neighbors have-and they are over
i there But don't allow your "senti-
| mental reasons" to be directed to
/ them! Oh, no! Don't try to help
i the noble boys from your county who
/ started out for hell with smile just
/ because they are real Americansl
i Don't let your sentiment turn to them
i but be sure and protect Bill Smith
who is not fighting. nor working, not
i doing anything except encumbering the
| face of the earth with a useles car
cass Be sure and refrain from COM
4 planning to the sheriff about him
4 sfor sentimental reasons I" Between
i vagabonds and heroes let your "senti-
mental reasons" flow to the first, Of
i Counsel When the casualty lists
/ come out you won't be saddenedl
4 You can Danish all grief by saying:
"Oh, well, these fine lads are dead,
1 but worthless Bill Smith is safel
i lived up to my sentimental reasonsi
/ kept him from having to work, even
IL real men had to die while he
1oafedn
4 Sentimental reasons See that
every idler In your county goes to the
rock pile or goes to work-''for seni-
mental reasons |"