The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-20
THE cHEApNEss OF HUMAN LIFE.

its human life. We burn, drown, crush and
slaughter humanity with a recklessness indi-
eating very little respect for it, and as if il
were the easiest imaginable to replace it.
Our theatres are fytraps, our hotels pens of
danger, our hospitals and asylums pyres to
which we consign the MANNED and mentally
weak. The burning of portion of the East
ern Illinois Hospital, with theloss of seventeen
lives, is but fresh instance of wholesale
murder for which somebody might easily be
held accountable Primarily, the crime be-
longs to the Legislators who did not see to it
that the buildings were properly built, owing
to any of several reasons. In this instance it
would seem that the crime Of stinginess were
at the bottom of it. There are members of
State Legislatures and of Congress whose
fame rests on their regulations for opposing
every appropriation without regard to
its merits-men whose highest ambition
is to ''save" public funds without
regard to the necessities of the object for which
they are intended. Indiana has just such
men in the Legislative halls in this city and at
Washington. With intellects built on the
cheap and economical plan, they cannot un-
derstand the demands of civilization, nor grasp
the idea that penuriousness is not economy.
The Illinois Legislature that contracted for
the building that burned at Kankakee on Sun
day morning, was criminally parsimonious in
instead of iron, brick or stone Each mem
Der that felt justified in such economy"
should be held criminally responsible. The
Legislature that subsequently, two years ago,
was asked for So, 800 for the purpose of con-
structing fire defense, and voted but ST. 900,
was likewise particeps criminis to this murder.
Following these. the contractors were guilty
i'll consenting to put up such a fire trap.
There is not builder anywhere but knows
that such a structure would burn like
80 much kindling. There may be
some doubt as to the exact origin
of the fire in the engine-roon, but the fact
that pine floor beams were within six inches
of the top of the hot-air furnace presents
Report says that the structure was of brick,
with only the floors and stairways of pine!"
Add to this the fact that there was no fire de-
Tense whatever. and the loss Of life is ac-
ounted for. By luck of accident the fire did
not start in the main building, or the loss of
life would probably have been hundreds.
Americans build for to- day, and with every
mean regard for the dollar as if we were not
the richest people on earth. The country is
filled with structures like the Macoupin coun-
ty (Ill.) courthouse, the Chicago courthouse,
the New York capitol, buildings costing from
hundreds Of thousands to Millions yet so dis
honestly put together as to be on the point Of
tumbling down. In Indianapolis we have
courthouse costing two millions of dol
lars that has no adequate vaults for
the protection of county documents.
Instead Of anticipating the needs of oncom-
ing generations and putting up houses that
would be cheap because good and safe, we
build with our eyes clinched and our hands
grasping the almighty dollar. Our public
buildings make a meretrcious show, but do
not endure There is hardly public building
in the land that is really fire-proof or that has
anything like adequate fire protection. AS for
buildings owned by private persons or compa-
MES such as hotels, theaters, and large
apartment houses, there is probably not one
in hundred that is anything like secure
against fire. Our asylums are like those at
Belleville, at Brooklyn, and at Flint Our
hotels are like the Plankington our theaters are
duplicates of the Brooklyn structure. All
that is needed is the occasion, and score or
hundreds OLIVES go up in the flames Instead Of
higgling overa few dollars in the cost ola State
orCounty building Legislatures should insist
on stability and excellence in public buildings
and having set the example OF what might be
called honesty in such things, should insist
that every hotel of size and theater should be
provided with every requirement of safety
The State of Illinois should be made to pay
heavy damages for the death of the men
cooped up in that Southern pine fre-trap
that burned, just as might have been ex-
pected by the picayune lawmakers that al
lowed such shed to be put up.
The Philadelphia Times forgets now and
then that it is a Democratic paper with no