The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-04-26
VOL. XII.
STOP THE MACHINES.

Holgate's penchant Tor internal
machines is something wonderful.
He asserts he has now made an eX-
plosive six times more powerful than
nitro-glycerine. We mentioned, a few
days ago, that he would go to seclu-
ded place in the Rocky Mountains to
test its power. Holgate is an Eng
lishman; he learned his trade in
Birmingham, and it is said nearly all
the internal machines that have lately
gone over the waters have been of his
invention. Should his new explosive
be what he claims for it,
and the Irish get it for
revolutionary uses, it will only be
necessary for them to obtain powerful
projectile forces to utterly destroy
entire cities and whole communities
in England. Were it possible to
throw this explosive five miles, Liver
pool could be demolished by a small
gunboat any morning before break
fast. The navy of England would
never dare approach, because, through
its agency the most powerful ships
could be scattered in fragments upon
the waters. No army could threaten,
for bomb thrown into an army corps
would destroy every man in it.
The best thing for these
European sovereigns to do would be
to fight the devil with fire. While
Holgate makes these dangerous ex-
plosives some agent of royalty ought
to be entrusted with throwing little
bomb at him. There is really too
much danger in this unlimited pro-
duction of explosives. Editors, espe-
cially, ought to aid in suppressing
their production. After awhile,
when a fellow, who lacks sand in his
gizzard, wants to demolish an editor,
he will just send to Holgate and order
small bomb, and when the editor is
destroyed the printing Office,an typos,
and the devil, will all go up together.
The devilish manufacture must be
stopped; we join with European mon
archs in protesting against this Amer
lean agitation. 1t is too violent, too
utterly destructive, and is necessary
only to answer the purposes of de-
mons. There can be too much of a
good thing, so much in fact as to make
very bad thing. Gunpowder, the
printing press, steam, nitro-glycerine,
and such inventions, are all useful in
their way, but are liable to be per-
verted to extremely bad purposes.
By gunpowder the science of war has
been completely revolutionized and
fierce hand to hand conflicts obyiated.
The printing press diffuses useful
knowledge and at the same time
floods the country with the vilest
publications, that taint and de-
stroy the principles of virtue
and religious belief. Steam is
an invaluable auxiliary as a motor,
but if not kept under due control is a
highly destructive agent, rends apart
it's iron prison house, spreads wreck
and ruin around. Dynamite may be
of great utility to blast rocks, but
when it is used with the intent of de-
stroying public buildings and blow
ing up crowned heads or their sub
jects in mid air, then its uses are per-
verted to nefarious purposes. He
who facilitates them by his inven-
tlons is participant in the crimes,
and should be punished as severely as
were the bravos or prisoners of Italy,
who, with stilleto or aqua tafana, de-
stroyed for hire the lives of their un
| suspecting victims. The argument is
conclusive. Dynamite is bad enough;
this new explosive is unnecessary,
and its inventor ought to be put
where he can do no greater harm. In
gorge in the Rocky. Mountains
would be nice place to cultivate
posies over the mortal remains of
| HOlgate.