The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-04
I COMMENCED EARLY
Young America Didn't Wait for
Daylight.
Police Make Feeble Attempt to
Enforce New Law.

non of greater and less degree and the
short, sharp crack of powdercrackers OF
all sizes, the advent of another indie
pendence Day, dated on the calendars
as July 4, was ushered in last midnight
by the small boys and a good many
larger boys well.
If, as it seems to be, noise Is the
synonym of youthful patriotism there
was plenty of evidence today that the
youngsters or Topeka are not entitled
to seats on the back row of any gather
ing of the periodically inclined: In
Tact they ought to have seats Well up
towards the front, for it would have
been well nigh impossible for any
similar number of children the country
over to have made more of racket
with all sorts of noise producing con-
triVances than did the boys and girls
of Topeka today. And this racket was
continuous from long before daylight.
In fact there was a plenty of young
sters, who evidently staid up all night
for the purpose of shooting off some
thing and making a terrific explosion
hundred and thirty-first glorious Fourth
was born.
A good many of the lads. and many
of them were big enough and old enough
to know better, started in with their
noisy celebrations hours before the
Fourth arrived, but the great majority
boarded UP their all too small accumu-
lationS of peace diSturberS until the
early morning hours when they started
in with vigor to make Topeka howl.
They met with great success In their
endeavors along this line. In the resi-
Dental districts of the city, sleep was
almost impossible after 4 o'clock this
morning. BY that hour about every
boy and girl in the city who had a
supply of powdercrackers, and there
were few who did not have a plenty,
although their piles, no matter how
large, seemed all too small, had sneak !
ed from their downy cots to the street |
1t, g. for
themselves and miserable for their |
friends who created the same sort of |
a generation ago.
And from the early hours of the
morning the din throughout the city
was incessant. 1t was not confined to
the residential districts Down in the
business section of the city all the
handling powder crackers
and fireworks had their stands out on
the streets. On them the newsboys
and the other lads who were circulat-
ing around dropped their pennies and
nickels for all kinds of crackers which
and smoke. Many grown man be-
came spasmodically fired with the
noisy enthusiasm of the youths ana
sneaked up to a powder cracker stand,
and either touched it off himself or
gladdened the heart of a small boy
by entrusting this task to him
1t was not necessary for ones hear
nary working order to realize that the
best laid plans of mice and men gang
aft a glae. A stringent ordinance was
passed by the city council last fall
and sane fourth. The sale of certain
kinds of dynamite crackers was pro-
hibited and the size of all powder
crackers was limited But the manu-
local dealers had trick up their
sleeve evidently, for the crackers sold
for today, it seemed, made more noise
and louder reports than any which
lave been used here in times passed.
1t was evident that while the manu-
lecturers kept we'll within the size {
limit ordained by the wise city fathers.
hey made them fatter and filled them
with more powder and explosives than t
hey used to put in the large ones for s
the great majority of small crackers
shot off today made four times as
much noise as those four or five, yes, {
ZEN times their size made in years past.
One method of celebrating and
noise which was conspicuous
oy its absence this year was the boot
ng off of blank cartridges in revolt
vers In years past about every lad
rom twelve years up to twenty and
even older carried a revolver of some
sort which he shot off continuously all
law long and wherever he might be,
whether 1t was on the street, in ,
building or in the trolley cars Ere
Iuently some fellows did not take the
rouble to use blank cartridges. They
1sed the loaded kind and many in | !
uries resulted from their carelessness.
But strict injunction was placed
~ the city council against the use or ,
irearms this year, even for blank cart ,
-idges and the police enforced this
Injunction to the letter. 1t was rare
light to see anyone pull out gun and
blaze away.
The Police Are Busy.
About two dozen boys, of all ages be-
tod Irxyf n
,olice last night for viola ting ordinance
1928" This is the recently passed ordi-
lance prohibiting the use of big fire
crackers and dynamite torpedoes. All
he boys were turned loose before
The Fourth of July is always nuis-
nee to the police force, because the
loise keeps the policemen awake and ,
otherwise disturbs their peace Aside
rom their personal Inconvenience, the
,fficers are continually disturbed by :
Lnxious or irate citizens who are not
efficiently patriotic to stand all the
loice without Directing.
Last evening lady living in the ex- {
RENE southwestern ragged edge of the
ity, telephoned something like this; Il
hink some boys are planning to shoot
around here tomorrow, and
want you to send out policeman to .
watch them"
All the Datrolmen have been given
riders to prevent the use of torpedo
anes, but they are "up against it,"
While the order of their chief pro- :
lihits the cane shooter entirely, the !
ordinance upon which he bases his s
rider prohibits only the use of dyna-
mite caps in such canes. Therefore, 1
is up to the policeman to decide !
whether the material in the cap is dy- j
amite or some other explosive. AS
ew of the officers are dynamite ex- !
,erts, this is no easy job.
Half a dozen complaints were re-
eived at police headquarters about
oys who were placing dynamite caps ]
n the street car tracks. Up to noon /