The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-16

Chicago, July 1.-THE bomb throw
| ers and assassins who recently hay'
been destroying property and menacine
valuable lives are without exception in
sane, in the opinion of DR.. William ]
| Hickson, director of the psychopathit
| laboratory of the municipal court o.
| Chicago.
The stupid and supscientifc way ir
which we handle men and women witt
diseased and defective brains Is re.
sponsible. he holds. for what we call
the red menace" 1t is only indi-
rectly due to political conditions. II
our criminal courts and our immigra-
ton offices knew how to detect these
irresponsible persons SO that they
and prevented from entering the coun-
try when they are immigrants, there
would be no bomb outrages or assas-
sinations. 1t is not a mere theory.
says this expert, ii is based upon a
careful study of men and women Of the
type that has been terrorizing the
country with bombs and bullets. Or.
Hickson has examined over fifty
reds" for the federal government and
many more for the Chicago police. In
almost every case he. has found these
persons to be suffering from specific
mental disease.
The Chicago psychopathic labora-
tory, founded by Chief Justice Harry
Olson, has become famous for its
nails. Judge Olson and DR.. Hickson.
and Mrs. Hickson. who is her hus.
bands chief assistant, have proved
conclusively that nearly all criminals
are either insane or of defective intel
ligence. To sentence one of these ir-
,responsibles for a term of years and
then turn him loose again to commit
more crimes and breed more defec-
tiyes is one of the stupidest things
which modern society does. The Grim
inal insane should be isolated in colo
MES where they cannot commit crimes
and cannot breed. If this were done
the criminal element could in time be
almost eliminated, and the enormous
sums which we pay in the. form OF
taxes for police protection and the loss
of life and property due to crime
could be greatly reduced.
This is the message which the Chi
cago crime laboratory has for the
country. Already several other cities
have founded laboratories like that at
Chicago. and in Illinois legislation IS
being considered providing for a col
ony where the criminal insane can be
scientifically cared for and perma-
nently isolated.
Now it has been found that the
TeuS, WHO nave lllleu lHe newspapers
during recent months, are weaklings
of exactly the same type as those who
other crime. Intelligent radi-
Gals do not throw bombs or try to
shoot public officials, because any in
telligent person can see that such
measures are futile. They do not tend
In the least to change the social or
der. They merely outrage public opin-
ion and make it suspicious of all
nf obi 1io1 hAr te,yN
The leaders of all the intellectual radi-
cal groups ina the United States have
denounced bomb throwers.
Powerful Organization.
The idea that there is a powerful
national organization which has for Its
purpose the killing of public officials
Is largely wrong. The men and women
who throw bombs have not brains
enough to perfect an organization. On
the other hand. criminals and weak
ings of all kinds have a strong ten
dency to band loosely together. like
children and savages. This giant red
of which we have heard
so much. il It could be brought to
light ana examined. would probably
be found to contain a mere handful of
IDIOTS. who should be cared for in III
situations. who are drawn together by
their common fortune. and who have
no ineligible political theory what
ever. Their emotional natures are I'M
balanced and uncontrolled. They catch
The fever of political change and UNI
rest which is in the air. and II sener-
ates In their diseased minds an Inn
pulse toward futile violence.
The very character OF the bomb out
RACES, It is pointed out. should be
sufficient proof that they are the work
II weak-minded persons. In a series
IF more than a dozen attempts to
blow UP public officials by bombs sent
through the mails and planted in
houses there was not one success. II
takes no great intelligence to use dy-
1amite with skill and success. as