The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-04-05
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director,
Washington, D.. G.
AIMING OUR CRIMINALS.


AIMING OUR CRIMINALS.
Washington, d. c.. April Amy
man who feels moved to destroy will
soon be able, in. the good old American
fashion, to get all the dynamite. nitro
glycerine and other high explosives
that he wants Soon children will
again play with sticks of giant powder
which they have picked up around
rock quarries. convicts at work on the
road will conceal explosives with which
to resume merry business of cracking
safes when they are released, morons
and idiots will easily steal all the
dynamite they want withS which to
make bombs for blowing up cabinet
officers and government buildings.
This is not pure prophecy. All of
the conditions mentioned in the para
graph above were found to exist by
the bureau of mines when they fir st
undertook the administration of the
federal explosives act in 1917 At that
time the United States was literally
popping like a bunch of firecrackers.
Munition factories and bridges were
blown up with astonishing case and
regularity. A cabinet officers house
was wrecked, then a portion of the
capitol building went up in the air. 1t
enemy aliens able to get and use high
explosives, but persons of the poorest
means and intelligence and OF evil
IDENTIFY unsettled mind had the same
advantage
All of this led to the passage OF the
federal explosives act, which was adj
ministered by the bureau of mines. 1t
greatly reduced the damage done by
nigh explosions, both accidental and
deliberately criminal and it revealed
condition with regard to their distribu-
ton and use such as finds parallel IN
no other civilized country. Few states
mad any adequate laws governing
either the sale or use of explosives, and
there was no federal law on the sub
Ject except a ruling of the interstate
commerce commission with regard to
their interstate shipment. As a re-
suit, dynamite and other high ex-
plosives were bought and sold like
groceries, stored anyhow and by any
oody, caused enormous numbers of ac-
eidents, and were widely and pic
turesquely used in crime.
Law Expires.
To this same condition we are now
about to return unless congress does
something about it, for the federal
explosives act was a war measure. 1t
technically remains in force until the
declaration of peace, or until the funds
Tor its administration are exhausted.
rms point has now been reached. I'm
less congress acts promptly, We now
return to the regime under which any
one can blow up anything OF anybody,
any time. Indeed, to a great extent
We have already returned to it. A few
weeks ago in Maryland, two farm
hands had a quarrel One of them
went to a general store, stole a large
quantity of dynamite out of a ware
h II III L. l.sr-
enemy. killing a man and a baby and
badly injuring a woman. The shock
was felt for eight miles. The man
who did the work was considered to
be of unsounds mind. Yet he had easy
access to sudden death and destruction
in enormous quantities.
The bureau of mines is asking con-
gress to pass a law which will con-
tinue the administration of high ex-
plosives in its hands. 1t stands on the
facts as to the need for such regula-
ton as revealed by the conditions
found in 1917, and upon its own sue
cess in administering the wartime act.
1t also points out that during the war
many thousands of men became IA
miliar with explosives who would
never before have thought of using
them. Pertinent also are the facts
that there is much unrest in the coun-
try and an unusual amount of crime.
The bureau of mines suggests as
peace time explosives law, an act of
congress empowering it and giving it
the funds to investigate all explosions
whether accidental or of criminal ORR
gin "to the end that precautions may
be taken to prevent such explosions"
In the event that there is evidence OF
criminal work the bureau is to report
its findings to the proper state or fed
eraI authorities
The problem is complicated by the
! fact that explosives are widely used
| In industry. Half a billion pounds of
| high explosives are used in the United
| States every year for domestic pur-
| poses other than war. This doubtless
includes the powders used in sporting
ammunition, but all the rest is indus
| trial explosives. This includes dyna-
mite and giant powder used in blast
ing roads, in many kinds of mining,
| in nearly all quarrying, in deepening
| channels, and in agriculture, for re-
moving stumps, rocks and the like.
High explosives are highly concen-
| trated energy of the greatest value
when rightly used. The problem is to
regulate their manufacture, sale and
storage in such way that their legiti-
| mate use will not be interfered with
| OF made expensive. while risk of ac-
| cident and of their use in crime will
be minimized.
| Careless Storage.
| It seems evident that neither can be
wholly avoided, but at least such flag
rant carelessness as existed before the
war can be avoided. The enforcement
agents found high explosives stored
| in all sorts of sheds and warehouses.
Many magazines of the better class
were easy enough for criminals to
/ enter. being locked only with pad
locks In many cases dynamite was
not locked at all. One boy eight
years old blew himself to pieces with
a stick of dynamite which he took
| from an unlocked shed in stone
quarry. Another one puts his eyes out
| with a detonator which he took from
| a workman's tool box
| The prevalence of bomb outrages is
well known. But it would appear that
much less damage is ordinarily done
by the cranks who try to bomb Of