was so common in the hundreds of plants in that District that it became for the Northern Division, for the most part, a matter of routine. A great deal of the work of this character ultimately was handled by the Plant Protection Division of the War Department.
In upper New Jersey, as in the State of New York, the Governmental departments reached out and rather overshadowed, in glory at least, the patient and less known efforts of the A. P. L. Newark frankly complains that quite often sufficiently vigorous action was not to be had by the officers of the Department of Justice, even after full evidence had been handed to it by the A. P. L. Some A. P. L. men even go so far as to claim that D. J. would not only crab an act, but claim a glory! Our State Inspector voices this in occasional comment:
In particular reference to two cases of ours, it is a source
of great disappointment and a great deal of harsh criticism
that the Department of Justice has seen fit to take the position
toward our evidence that it has. Their indifference has led us
to secure a number of clean-cut convictions in state courts
under local laws. These, of course, have not the scope of
Federal laws, under which these cases might very much better
have been prosecuted We feel that in common justice to the
work of the A. P. L., some such comment as this should be
made.
There was abundant fire behind some of these New Jersey
smokes, be sure of that, and many rumors of the class
commonly pooh-poohed at by M. I. D. and D. J. were made
good. Three actual samples of powdered glass in food
were found; two actual cases of Red Cross bandages containing
deleterious substances also were found; there was
one instance of insidious printed propaganda distributed
by means of knitted work; and there was a very distinct
trail of Sinn Feiners working in conjunction with the
enemy. To these may be added such instances of investigation
as are given below.
Mr. X, a minister of the gospel, was very offensive in his pacifism. He refused permission for the display of an American flag in his church, or even a service flag, and would not allow the church to be used for Red Cross work.
