, 1881-07-24
1NcENDrARIEs BEFORE THE COUNCIL

1NCENDTARIES BEEOhG ld1 eootSAA"
It is said that the proposition to shorten up
the fire limits anti surround tile business us
tricts with miles deep OF c0lnbustble plile
shanties will come before the Council 10
morrow evening, and that the promoters OF
the scheme count upon twenty-five votes or
| threc mora than is required to carry It. II
there Is any serious reason TO appFeheilo
e,ch q rcsn1t. then the Citizens Ass"clatlon'
the Board of Underwriters, the BOAR" OF
| Trade. and the leading merchants should OF
oo,ize AT emphatic protest i'll some torlh t''aI
| shall bring reckless or corrupt Aldermen t'A
propcr sense If their responsibility anu uuts'
| 4 compression Of the present hfe l'li''s
| would be greater menace to the progress
and urospcrity of Chicago than anything
which has happened since the disastrous
| confagratlon Of ISL.
n 4 matter of notoriety that the move
ment for giving over half the city limits 10
nine structures originates with certain
] ra:l-pstate cliuue which owns property IN
| the southern and western districts OF the
| city. These owners believe theS ea'A oe'
their lots readily 1T authority bc given ~
erect combustible pine slantles tlete"".
| They are utterly Indifferent to the ee'eta'
| welfare Of the city. 1t is matter OF ho ''o-
| nient to them that the erection OF n1e-l'ap7
in the very districts which 1t Is propo>ea ~
orpmnt from the ordinance Is really more
d,nprrons to the safety of the city, owlllg TO
the nreyailng west and southwest "lhos'
tbur If the building of frame houses were
n.ruuittud in the heart of the business dis
trict, where the water-supply Is aouhdahe
md protection against the spread of contla-
grafton better assured by high walls of stone
! and hri,k. But the members Of the Couhcll
| cannot lcyititnatcly be influenced BY such SELL
ish motives. They are, or ought u oe' lno
| o,urtlians Of the public safety. They nave
no u,rat right, and we doubt whether they
have n legal right, to increase the risk OF
wholesale destruction of the property OF the
citizens by fire in order to give lew nlen
selfish advantage.
There can be no doubt in the minds OF
tl1ouyhtful people as to tile result OF tanhper-
inr with the FIRE ordinance. insurance
rates will 60 up Immediately. Some OIL tne
safest and best companies will cancel tnelr
risks ana withdraw from the city. Ihe met-
chants will get alarmed at the prospect anu
reduce their business rather than incur
greater dangers Of fire than existed oe1ore
without safe and adequate Insurance. Ihe
reputation of Chicago will be injured, ana
| businessmen will not remove to the city III
ANYTHING like the same proportion as during
the pilst three or fnur years. 10 the extent
that intlammable pine. shanttes snail Ut
erected. the construction of suld, permanent,
and valuable buildings will decrease IN
one word, the proposed contraction VI tue
6re-liuits has all the elements OF local
panic. .
The talk of ''cheap houses" for "poor
npope" " Is 4 mere sham. The laborins classes
suffer more than all others from any condt-
tloa which impairs the prosperity anu prog
ress of the community in which they I've
Moreover, it has been demonstrated oy re-
heated experiments that thu interest on he
Increased cost Of a substantial brick cottase
over that of pine and paint cottage does
not nearly equal the increased expenses OF
the frame building in insurance and repairs,
while nil other considerations OF safety, COM
fort. and health are OIL the side OF the oflck
building, Lumber can no longer be bought
in this country for a mere song, but the
material for brick-making is inexhaustloie,
and the appliances used III the manufacture
are constantly Improving. At time "hen
tie cost Of brick building is approSl1natlng
) the COS, of frame building it is an injury
and an Injustice to the poorer classes ~ Ell
courage the erection Ut perishable hre-1raps'