, 1880-01-07
THE FIREBRAND ORDINANCE.

4A8 + [4&kE0AAGA4t0 NA0AA$AA4sS"
The City Council on AIonday evening was
guilty Of n great mistake. Its nctEon OIL tho |
tre ordinance WIS weakness for which
tllere cali be ITO apology or Justification 1t
repealed the law prohibiting tho
erection Ut colnbustiblc pine buildings within
Tue city limits. 1t lans takcn IL long step to-
wards destroying tile great reforrl to which
now Chicago OWES SO much Of lcr greatness
and prosperity. 1t permits the erection OF
two-story pine slsrds, stables, md barns NIL
over the city, and this IS done with tho full
that to the unlimited exercise Of
this privilege the city Is indebted largely to
two conIayrations involving n loss Of more
than two hundred millions Of tlollars Of
rhe arguments given for this license to
erect 1niIninmable buildings arc not only
weak but wl,oly absurd Tho theory that n
"poor mani IL my more Interested III and
benefited by q fire than Is II rich Ina1 Is one
Of thoss clap-trap contemplate statements
which are unworthy Of repetition even In
board of Aldermen. During the six years
tl1ut tic present ordinance has been III oper,-
ton more progress lIus been made In tho
erection Of permanent building inlprove-
'het''s '"''1 oSes pcioie' !Ait oso1 u'io WY III
ail 'he "a'as' "l'a Ill "ll 'os'''l'c'' ou'nun'ss
Ut NIL ktnds-stores, dwellings, md burns
have beost built of brick, or stone, or both.
1"es'c i"'pto'e''o''.e INV e''e" ste".' ,'
rrcnsetl pnI,,a th nil tho nrnD1rty in all tho
VI :"as" '"'"o :" w. Nv pNo.' 49,
"'1e''D'1''o,' @ -, % ~ " ,'.,,:,. ' '"o ,s''
e'e..e"' 1'' '''s7o os7 'I'o w.
'.ee" "."'' ~ '' eA 1ee
u 1no eNS uo'e'"''e'. A''"' 4e's't
safety lfo'.' n'e o''uu" 'o'.' w
ei'"''.'ecieu W o'o eo'ls'l"ss'o'' ~"
"oo"e1' pul'"'nss. oiluet tnis p'easo l'lo
pesh'""ols si''''"e"' ~ "ie D'''"''''s' -. ~.
pa''S III 1a'a e"' ''''7 sie'.''s "u'"'e'". ~"
ttle eou"cn aas ""'''ol'a" .''e eiee1io,i VI
ilAls'o o.''o'1lss s'A'cs Ae''1 ''s'' ''eA' "'oio
III '"o Guy. E'ery "''es 'a''' 7'a' s'!eo', "'1o
t1lo Fc'r ol W. lot7' MI. l'efe''i'es w n1'c"
Will to"a VI ''ies'e S'a'o7.t4eoV''tsA n'e
'1"ps h1!eu WIN my, o''a'llR'' ''sa ot''o'
cohp'al.p'es' n.o'i "''o ''''o cfso'c" '''p"
ste'''i"' ot'ch p''''ol'ss a.''e9 "'o 'ee,'l ~
sur"ace e1as ho SUCH S'eA u ""o''el. ou''''-
'he sho'na eVoF heie"'!e' w o''''' ia u'o c''s
'nas I'LL" tla' HUE u"c''.i'ss' III "so1es' u
1o"s VI p'eA m'.' s'"a" o'''a'',s7 '''l1 W
l'a''Se' oh h'' S'oes WIN 'tts'''a"''y 'i"'ho
als"e1"1eS s'"No'' 'eo' 'i's't' "i'o'""'s .tio
I1leSt poss'p'o iooa iof 1"p'" "no sweeping
nres'
This ordinance OF Monday night Will
prove n serious Injury to tho city. IL Will
inflct heavy annual tax upon tlo people III
the Shape OF Increased insurance rates IL
will tend to arrest tho building OF s''bstantlal
Improvements, and subject tho entlfc prop
erty of the city 10 tho danger of repeated
anu "iacsl'sesa cohllaeratlons'
AS WIS stuffed III tue Council, tho SMALLEST
l'roba''e ADVANCE III uho rate OIL insurance
caused ny inc passago or tl'as oft!lf"hco VIII
intlict tax Ut s75o,ooo O year Oil the cltlzen8
This sum would pny FOR Tic erection III sui
stanslal brick burns III p|nco OF aIl tllost
wnoden sheds and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS thai
they Will nll become inhabited tehc1nonts oil
experience Shows Is inevitable.
Tie city IL still III great lal'gnr from III
mass OF wooden buildings III tue West ID
vision and Fourth anu Fifth Wuras, eFccte
t'aiaro the exte'sAu'i OF tho lire litI'lta TN
greater number OF these nro owned by Tia
class ot persons ~ often rc!eFrM to by til
snail dcnngogs III the CoNhcIla the "no
,nen.' Ti!eso "poor 1nen" ln''ab't t'les
tW1'ses,-ttletr homestcads. II they are III
s'lFed, thls or''lna'lco Will cost tharl heavily
taking the actunl outlay for The Increases
Insurance. which Thesis "poor .non" vii
l'aso to pny beca1so Of tie construction
the forest Of wooden sheds slxtce, feet hlgi
would more tllal double tlo difference b.
twee,, tho cost of erecting brick burns MI
sltcsEs and tho coat Ut erecting these woode
flrc-traps hnl food for contlagrattons. I'll
increased cost putt! by these "poor nlol,
owners Of wooden buildings, for Increase
INSURANCE. will equal annually lit