The Robesonian., 1918-06-17
NO DLER
SHALL ESCAPE
Gov. Beckett is Determined That
Every Idler in the State Shall
Work or Fight-Idle Rich Who
Refuse to Work or Fight viii
Be Classed as Moral Migrants.

Governor Beckett has issued the fol-
lowing proclamation:
ITO the People Of North Carolina:
81 amprofoundly convinced that
the people who do no work, or work
only half time, do not understand that
their idleness means death to our SOL
diers in the trenches, but that is eX-
actly what it does mean.
81 appeal to all good citizens to
stop talking about idleness and go
straight to the man you know is an
idler and explain to him in a kindly
spirit that his failure to work means
the prolongation of the war and this
means death to the men who fight.
To fail to supply our soldiers with
food and clothing, munitions and i'm
pieinf its of war is both treason ard
murdsr. Please go to tee idle rich as
well as to the idle poor Go to the
man who drives an eight cylinder as
well as to the man who pushes a
wheelbarrow. Neither wealth nor So
cial position affords any excuse for
manslaughter, and in this hour Of the
nations peril idloness is manslaugh-
to-.
~ tile idIer will not aaie6 10 SaLa
iob and stay on it, then report mat
idler by name to the cou3..y ccTGciil
of national defense. The county coun-
Gil is urged to summons all parties
complained Of before It and exrla u
to them Just what idleness means TO
the nation at this time. Let the couu-
Gil further explain that unless an idleI
goes TO work it will become the duty
of the council 20 send his name and
oil { -.-f-
who in turn VIII forward All such
names to the War Depart tment ct
Wasau4t0n The name IF every
idler viii t1e, na on file " b tue Var
Dep neu-s 1aI Us .st VII Re -s7d.
as S!a basis f aG 3me2dmanE 70 the
draft law empowering the local eE-
emption boards ID put in class / all
able bodied men between The ages If
18 and 10 who refuse to do regular
work, There is no desire u c0nscEn5
any man to work for any private n
dividual or corporation, but the pe0-
pie Of this county have made up
their minds that IL 2 man won't work
he must be made to tight.
81 have instructed ell police Off
cials to rigidly enforce the vagrant
laws. III men, rich or poor, black or
white, vho refuse to work for five
days IN The week after having been
given notice by the county council Of,
national lefense should be prosecut-
eel for vagrancy.
''In Bone cases such parties will be
able to show that technically Under
existing laws they are not legal vag-
rants, but are only moral vagrants.
When the court fines this to be true,
then ! urge the courts to enter a
judgment, and have Il duly recorded
that the court finds the accused gull
ty of moral vagrancy, but owing t.
the limitations Of the statute il Is
unable to impose punishment This
will reach the idle rich as well as the
iGle poor.
"The defendants so convicted will
then have their names listed in
Washington as slackers and traitors
to our soldiers and on the records of
the community where they live as
moral vagrants.
"Agein let me urge every citizen
not to indulge in wholesale charges
about idleness and vagrancy, but let
him go to or point out the Individual
ldler Or vagrant to the end that such
idler or vagrant may be- persuaded
to go TO work is possible and if per-
suas.on fails that re may be sent to
the front line trenches or to the
county chain gang"
Labor and material are essential to