The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-08-25
POLK IN A PICKLE


to be in a pickle, partly industrial but
mostly political.
Gov. Cats has removed Sheriff
Logan and put in his place James
Langford, prominent citizen and a
man who, the papers say, is of excel
lent repute. There has been a strong
protest made against the removal of
Logan.
Judging by what we have read in
the papers taking opposite sides of
the question, it is about time Logan
was removed. We cannot see any rea-
son why he has allowed so much dis
order in his county. There has been
good deal of shooting around the
mines. Two or three men have been
killed, several wounded and the entire
mining region kept for months in
condition bordering on anarchy. A
large number of men, in defiance Of
the state law, have been allowed to
swagger around, carrying revolvers
and repeating rifles, and peaceable
citizens have consequently been kept
in a state of apprehension.
Either the sheriff was timid per-
son, or somebody had political
string tied to him. Undoubtedly a
large majority of the citizens of Polk
are law-abiding, the sheriff has the
power to call on them to join him in
disarming the disorderly element, and
they certainly would have responded.
The excuse for this superfuity of
gun toters lay in the strike of some
months ago; and the belief of the mine
owners that their property needed a
large number of armed guards, and
they seem to have imported a number
of toughs to supply the need.
Here again we think the sheriff
erred. If the mines needed to be
guarded, he should have insisted on
selecting the guards Unless we are
greatly mistaken, he could have pick
ed out men who would have protected
the property without much friction.
There are cases on record of coal mine
owners up north picking men from
among their own striking employees
to guard their property, and such ac-
ton always reduced and sometimes
removed the trouble.
The governor himself has not acted
for the best. He has not only given
the strikers reason to believe he SYM
pathized with them (which may have
been permissible) but that he would
stretch his power in their favor. 1t
was his duty to be strictly impartial,
and the remarks he made at the
Tampa meeting few weeks ago were
certainly an incentive to disorder,
whether he meant them that way or
not.
This Polk county strike has become
scandal to the state and it is time
the owners of the mines either SUBJ
mitted the case to arbitration or shut
down. They have no right to keep
that section in a turmoil.
We have heard the mine owners
praised for keeping their mines run
ming during the war rather than
throw their men out of work. There
may be something in this, but when
you reflect that the men had to work
disproportionately long hours to earn
by no means large wages, the philan-
thropy of the owners somewhat
<AAA0 "NCAA yOA c1A0O 1CDONe
that they have maintained a small
army of guards and brought in strike
breakers from elsewhere, the philan-
thropy dwindles still further.
On the other hand, the strikers in
stead of remaining around the mines
trying to drive away men who were
willing to do the work, should have
gone elsewhere. There was plenty OF
work for them in other localities. A
good many of them could have found
employment in Marion county.
We hope the new sheriff of Polk
will send the present set of guards
packing and put in men who can be
depended ON to preserve the peace
and that he will see to it that only of,
ficers of the law and men with licenses
from the commissioners be allowed tc
carry arms in his county. If he will
do this, and the mine owners will sub.