The Ocala banner., 1922-06-30
melons to $2.75, or about 65 per cent.
Sundays New York Times.
ENFORCE THE LAW

SOAiLhOu pcOpic- anu LuS COlIlIHOu
people" are vastly in the majority
do not approve. The claim is made
that the enforcement of them will be
a great disadvantage to the state,
would render life less worth living,
would have strong tendency to drive
people from the state, and would car
ry out rulings to make Sunday hated
day and the church an organization
less strongly upheld. yet the law, if it
is to be upheld in any part, should
be upheld III every jot and title-else
there will be a lapse into anarchy,
bolshevism, and other ''isms" which
will overthrow any system of govern
ment.
Because the law is as it is it is prob
able that 80 per cent of the residents
of Florida are breakers of the law
and that breaking is winked at by all
classes and all peoples. The people
know, and know full well, that if
Florida law is to be upheld every
citizen would have but few options
regarding Sunday. Following church
he might walk about or remain at
home to read, rest and ruminate; to
do aught else would break the law
Nor could reading be carried on aft
or. tha ova~iun choJouc foII haoauca
of the labor necessary to keep the
home fires burning under the boilers
by which electricity is obtained Sum-
ming the matters down to a pat prop
osition, we are state for law break
ers-and health is not in u.s.
1t would be worth million dollars
to Florida, possibly several millions,
if every law on the statute books
should be emphatically unbiasedly en-
forced from this date till the legis-
lature should assemble and promote
some decent laws-something that
the people wish and the people need
The person who attends church in
the morning and 'tgoes riding in the
afternoon breaks the law-for the
action necessitates work. Buying a.
stick of gum is law breaking act
for it causes someone to work. The
distribution of the mails-efther in
coming or outgoing-is against the
law. The person who buys a piece of
ice on Sunday is a law-breaker-fo
he caused others to work, besides his
own labor is used in going after the
needed article. Pages could be filed
with assaults against the law.
The sheriff of Hillsborough coun-
ty made threat that he, last Sun
day, would close everything in Tam
pa and the remainder Of the county
Admitting that he was doing this in
fit of pique it was an unlawful ac-
ton for a judge to refuse to cooper
ate in the effort to have the law car
ried out; and the governor should
very promptly suspend that official
or any other official Of any other
county in the state who refused to
lend his aid in seeing that the tenets
of every law were fulfilled. If Carey
Hardee is so strong against the play.
ing of baseball on Sunday why
should he not be precisely as firmly
set against the selling of gasoline
and oil, the disposal of cold drinks al
drug stores, the running of ferries,
the lads at the shoe polish stands,
the occupancy of the bathing beaches
What is the difference between hitchini
up the old mare to do little plowing
in the garden or hitchin' her to a car
riage to visit some secluded spot to
enjoy picnic dinner? Is there any
difference between loading up an auto
with family and friends and hiking
about the country or loading an auto
truck with few logs which one de.
sires to get home to prepare them for
the fireplace? Or loading the truck
with household goods to remove them
to new location in order to save time
on the next day of the week.
Let every law on the statute books
be rigidly enforced. Let every Sun
day after Sunday be, in every city,
town and hamlet, so still, silent and
tomb-like that the dropping of a cent
on sidewalk would seem like the
thunder of an approaching storm.
We wish the laws against stealing
and robbery of all sorts enforced. II
some lazy. shiftless husband abuses
his wife and will not add to her
pleasures in place of promulgating
her unhappiness we declare the law
must be enforced and he shall be ar
rested. If q man commits any act of
indecency, or sets fire to building,
or mutilates public or private prop
erty, we insist that the law-the law
be put to work.