| Show 0 r LOAFING A A CRIME From the Literary Digest Under the spur of or war war- war condition Maryland Marland West Virginia and Now New Jersey have passed laws penalizing Idleness and a similar bill has been introduced in the New York legislature legislature legislature legisla legisla- ture by Senator Theodore Douglas Robinson a a. nephew of or Colonel Roosevelt These laws apply to Unemployed unemployed unemployed un un- employed males between the ages age of ot eighteen and fifty and make n no distinction between the millionaire Idler and the hobo And from Georgia comes word that Governor Governo Dorsc Dorsey Is preparing to take th the lead leal in a movement to round up al althe all the vagrants and idlers in the State Stat and put them to work These Thes states notes the Minneapolis Journal are out after the loafers and slack slack- era rs r who have inherited the railings railing id d steps at the station platform the comfortable boxes in the stores and the favored post observation around the table pool and even the h historical warmers chair-warmers In the hotels are to be disturbed In the their I ancient privilege This leisure population pop pop- lat on The Journal goes on to Say say Is not nol all concentrated in the big cities I Every town village and hamlet has hal its quota of idlers Some live on their folks others have enough to get along and still others do Just enough work to provide tooti foo clothing clothIng clothing cloth cloth- ing for themselves alone and they rest and recreate for Cor the remainder of the year ear As a rule these natural resters are not vicious It is simple inertia that imposes idleness upon them then Their lives follow tollow the lines f I least resistance and they sit by bythe bythe the side of the road of life liCe and muse upon the world that wavers by Farm work would be Just splendid for tor them tho perhaps none of them suffer Buffer much from ill health The man who Is able to work and will not work ork Is entitled to little consideration remarks the Troy Times which thinks that there willbe will willbe willbe be wide spread approval of efforts d directed toward making him get gel i busy And In the Cincinnati Times Star we read The United States has more need for workers to-day to than ever before The tasks we have before us are almost almost al al- al- al most beyond calculation We not i only need the services of every man who can be brought to these tasks but we have no time to bother with or be be handicapped by the tho idle dle and slothful Men who will not work should be made to work Those who refuse should be put where they will not get In the way That New Jerseys Jersey a 8 ng law has hM teeth Is emphasized by Governor Edges Edge's proclamation calling upon sheriffs and other peace officers to see eee that every idling male resident of the state goes to work or Of goes gocs to Jail Jail If those idlers say that they are unable to find work the State La Labor or Department will find it for tor the them After Arter calling attention to the tho fact tact that the new law makes it the duty of or every bodied able-bodied malo male citizen citizen citizen citi citi- zen of the state between tho the ages of or eighteen and fifty years to be habitually and regularly engaged In some lawful useful and recognized business occupation trade or employment employment employment em em- on and after the date of this proclamation until tho the termination termination termination tion of the war in which the United States is now engaged Governor Edge goes on to say The service principle should prevail as In tho the making of our military forces In this task we weare arc are drafting for tor the industrial army There are kinds of work too severe in a physical sense for tho the society Idler who may however be competent competent competent com com- to handle such tasks which would be impossible for slackers of ot the hobo type Sound Judgment must be employed in our experiment to rid the human hive of its drones and I call upon the Labor Department Department Department Depart Depart- ment of the State to employ all of or orIts its available resources Including the State Municipal Employment bureaus in providing machinery to obtain the kind of work suitable for specific cases To put into motion the machinery thus to be provided by the State Department Department Department De De- of Labor will wUl require the cooperative touch of or law enforcing officers all over the State I therefore therefore there thore- fore call the attention of sheriffs mayors and heads of police departments departments depart depart- ments monte in all municipalities municipalities' to the necessity necessity necessity ne ne- of maintaining sharp vigilance vigilance lance ance and a a. keen eye ee for Cor those workless workless work- work less ess individuals whose lack of ambition ambi- ambi ion tion and fondness for Idl Idleness ness const coati tute ute not merely a financial burden burdeno to o ever every community but also a genuine genuine ine ne menace to the welfare of at the naIon's nations na Ions Ion's manhood under arms and their safety on the battle Executives e or of municipalities 01 or population or over oyer will have their heir police departments compile a alist L list 1st of f all habitual idlers in the community to the end that each may maybe maye mayhe he be e individually warned of ot the penal penal- ty y of or three months in Jail or r both prescribed for deliberate non employment and that the names of f those having no work may be certified tined fied promptly to the State Labor Department as available for tor employ employ- ment Our lOur farms and industries ne need needmore needmore d dmore more power man-power than is available to meet extraordinary demands for pro- pro By Dy making Chapter 65 66 of the he laws ys of 1918 something more than ban a temporary sensation we shalle shall hall hallbe be e helping to this demand and andt at t the same time curbing vagrancy uselessness mendicancy immorality and nd crime Immediately after atter the Issuance of this his proclamation the rounding up of f idlers in New Jersey towns was begun and in one day one thousand workless men applied for Cor Jobs at the State Federal-State Municipal Employment Bureau in Newark |
