Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-03-31
AIMING OUR CRIMINALS
BY Frederic J. HaSkin
vxTASHINGTON, March 28.-Any man
Nv who feels moved to destroy will
som he ahln in tho pnnd old Amar-

lean fashion, to get all the dynamite, nitro
glycerin and other high explosives that he
| wants. Soon children will again play with
sticks of giant powder which they have picked
up around quarries, convicts at work on the
road will conceal explosives with which to
resume the merry business of cracking safes
when they released, morons and idiots
will easily steal all the dynamite they want
with which to make bombs for blowing up
ca binet officers and government buildings.
| This is not pure prophecy All of the con-
ditions mentioned in the paragraph above
were found to exist by the bureau of mines
when they first undertook the administration
of the federal explosives act in 1917 At that
| time the United States was literally popping
like a bunch of firecrackers. Munitions fac
tories and bridges were blown up with aston
| ishing ease and regularity. A cabinet OFF,
| GERS house was wrecked, then a portion or
! the capitol building went up in the air. 1t
was evident that not only were astute enemy
aliens able to get and use high explosives,
but persons of the poorest means and intell1-
gence and Of evidently unsettled mind had
! the same advantage.
+ All of this led to the passage Of the fed
eraI explosives act, which was administered
| by the bureau of mines. 1t greatly reduced
| the damage done by high explosions, both &C
| cidental and deliberately criminal, and it re-
| vealed a condition with regard to their dis
| tributon and use such as finds parallel in
70 other civilized country.
| Few states had any adequate laws govern
ing either the sale or use of explosives, and
| there was no federal law on the subject ex-
! cept a ruling Of the interstate commerce
commission with regard to their Interstate
shipment. AS a result, dynamite and other
high explosives were bought and sold like
| groceries, stored anyhow and by anybody
caused enormous numbers of accidents, and
were widely and picturesquely 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
war measure. It technically remains in force
until the declaration of peace, or until the
funds for it's administration are exhausted
This point has now been reached. Unless
congress acts promptly, we now return to the
| regime under which anyone can blow up any
thing or anybody, any time. Indeed, to
great extent we have already returned to 1t.
few weeks ago in Maryland, two farm hands
had quarrel. One of them went to gen
eral store, stole a large quantity OF dynamite
| ont Of a warehouse, and blew up the home
| If his enemy, killing man and baby and
| BADLY iniuring woman. The shock was felt
| for eight miles The man who did the work
| was considered to be of unsound mind Yet
ne had easy access to sudden death and de-
| -t"-Htion in enormous quantities.
The bureau of mines is asking congress 10
| pass law which will continue the admins
| ration of high explosives in it's hands. II
stands on the facts as to the need for such
regulation as revealed by the conditions found
| in 1917, and upon it's own success IN admin
Listering the war time act. 1t also points out
! that during the war many thousands OIL men
| became familiar with explosives VINO would
never before have thought of using them
Pertinent also are the facts that there is much
unrest in the country and an unusual amount
of crime.
The bureau of mines suggests as a peace
time explosive law, an act of congress en-
PIONEERING it and giving it the funds to inves-
| tigate all explosions, whether accidental or
of criminal origin, 'to the end that precau-
| lions may be taken to prevent such eXplo-
sions." In the event that there is evidence
of criminal work the bureau is to report its
| findings to the proper state or federal au-
| thorities.
| The problem is complicated by the fact
that explosives are widely used in industry.
Half billion pounds of high explosives are
used in the United States every year for do
nestle purposes other than This doubt
| less includes the powders used in sporting
ammunition, but all the rest is industrial ex-
plosives. This includes dynamite and giant
powder used in blasting roads, in many kinds
Of mining, in nearly all quarrying, in deep
| ening channels and in agriculture, for re-
| moving stumps, rocks and the like. High ex-
/
| the greatest value when rightly used. The
| problem is to regulate their manufacture
sale and storage in such way that their
| legitimate use will not be interfered with or
| made expensive, while risk of accident and
of their use in crime will be minimiZed.
Careless Storage
1t seems evident that neither can be wholly
avoided, but at least such fragrant careless
ness as existed before the war can be avoided.
The enforcement agents found high explo-
sives stored in all sorts of sheds and ware
| houses. Many magazines of the better class
were easy enough for criminals to enter, be-
| ing locked only with pad1ocks. In many cases
dynamite was not locked at all. One boy
eight years old blew himself to pieces with
stick of dynamite which he took from an
! unlocked shed in stone quarry. Another
one put his eyes out with a detonator which
he took from workmans tool box
We have always supplied criminals
| abundantly with high explosives, and the
| damage they have done with them is enor-
nous. For instance, in certain southern
states recently there was much resentment
on the part of certain element of the popu-
| lation against regulations made by the de-
| partment of agriculture making it compul-
sorry to dip cattle in order to rid them of
| ticks. This lawless element began blowing
| up dipping watts. In forty-seven days seventy
| two dipping watts were destroyed in one state
| The honest farmers had to arm themselves
and take the field. This little war. which at
| tracted wide attention, was made possible
| largely by the fact that the criminals could
easily get all the dynamite they wanted.
The prevalence of bomb outrages is we'll
known. But it would appear that much less
/ 4 lS,on., .1r,' 1OHO hrt o1o1