e source of great conflict and still
continues to add to the inmates of prisons. From the first, the
far-reaching effects of high explosives were seen by the wise, and
firearms were permitted only in the hands of those who could be depended
upon to support the state. Gradually through the needs of the rulers in
war they were given to the poor. When the American Revolution separated
us from Great Britain, the spirit of democracy and revolt was strong in
the world. A body of peasants had gained independence over the strongest
nation on earth. This body, through its delegates, provided in the
Constitution of the United States that the people should never be
forbidden to bear arms. The cheap production of firearms placed them in
the hands of all who wished to buy. This aided feuds and brawls. It also
gave strength to the burglar and robber.

America was fast becoming a manufacturing and commercial nation. The
accumulation of property was greater, and the inequalities perhaps more
marked than in any other land; likewise the poor were more independent.
Gradually we came to rely more and more upon the power of law and the
force that goes with it to preserve the old order. Legislatures and city
councils all over the United States began to limit and forbid carrying
firearms. The Constitution of the United States was held no impediment
to this legislation. Gradually laws have forbidden the carrying of guns
by the common man, and these laws are growing stronger every year. In
many states robbery with a gun may mean life imprisonment, while the
mere carrying of a revolver is a serious offense. The passage of these
drastic laws and the number of prison inmates confined for these
offenses show that the invention and use of firearms has affected crime,
and likewise that the government is constantly growing more doubtful of
the common man.

Civilization largely has to do with the creation and protection of
property. Although it is related to literature, architecture, politics,
art and the like; even these things if not actually rooted in property
are stimulated or affected by property. Civilization has created new
crimes and new ways to commit crime. It has likewise created many wants
and desires that furnish the motive power of property crimes. Each new
invention of civilization adds to these needs and these desires,
increases the power of committing crime, and necessitates stricter
measures to prevent it. Civilization has likewise c