The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1918-06-26
Guard the Crops
From Sabotage
STATE SAFETY COMMISSION
URGES CAUTION AGAINST
SERIOUS DESTRUCTION

The Commission of Public Safety
at this time desires to warn the peo-
pie Of the state that as the crops
continue to advance and the time Of
harvest approaches, our fields, ele-
vators, grain warehouses, and other
places where grains and foodstuffs
are received or stored, should be
placed under extra guard, and in all
events every effort should be made to
protect them from damage or de-
struction. This is the duty of every
citizen II this national crisis. He
must constitute himself a policeman
for Uncle Sam. Every person must
be on the alert to Illustrate any at
tempts to destroy war material,
which in Minnesota chiefly concerns
food, which is one of the most i'm
portant and essential of all war prod
ucts.
The United States has a Sabotage
Act, enacted recently, which was
passed expressly to discourage and
punish enemies of our country who
are operating within our borders. Pa
triotic citizens as individuals and
communities are called to their re-
sponsibility IN this matter because of
the offenses covered by this law,
which are the kind that can be COM
mitted by the individual alone and
unaided anywhere, whether it is in a
warehouse, grain elevator, the vii
lage store, or grocery, in the railroad
yards, or at the country railroad
crossing. The farm should also be
an object of special attention.
of lofI ..f
the Sabotage is Indicated by the pen
atty that is fixed for its violation by
the Government. On conviction a
fine of up to $4,000 or Imprisonment
up to 80 years, or both, is the pun
ishme1t fixed. The Government de-
scribes the following offenses as be-
ing subject to these penalties:
"Willfully injuring or detroying or
attempting to injure or destroy war
material, war premises or utilities of
the United States or any associate
nation"
By the words "war material" the
Government includes arms, arma-
ment, ammunition, live stock, cloth
ing, food, foodstuffs, fuel, also sup
plies, munitions and all other articles
or any part of ingredient thereof in
tended for or adapted to, or suitable
for use in the conduct of the war.
The wasting of sugar, flour or
wheat, which are all war materials,
is considered an Act of Sabotage. 1t
is Sabotage to willfully damage a
wheel-barrow at a coal mine or a
hand truck at railway freight
house, for each is an appliance of
"war premises" It is Sabotage to
throw monkey-wrench into a
threshing machine or to willfully
damage glow or to cripple horse
which is IN use on our farms for the
production of food. Il is Sabotage to
interfere with telephone or telegraph
lines which may be needed at any
time in the nations business. 1t is
Sabotage to flood or otherwise dam
age public highways.
1t will thus be seen that there are
unlimited opportunities for every pa
triotic citizen to be on guard against
Sabotage by the l. w. w., the Anar-
chists, enemy agents, the plain Ger
man sympathizer or the Stacker.
The Public Safety Commission
urges every patriotic citizen to keep
his eyes and ears open and to report
suspicious acts to the nearest repre-
sentative of the Commission. There
is County Director in each county,
generally at the county seat who can
be consulted in matters of this kind.