Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-07-12
wHER THE RESPONSIBILITY RESTS.


1t is too early yet to locate the respon-
sibiiity of Johnstown's destruction, and
facts sufficiently authentic may never be
known To do it. That there is somebody
or some organization responsible is be-
yond question. To place it upon Provi-
dence, by saying it is in the shape of re-
tributive justice, and thus making God
the author of it, is little short of God
dishonoring thought. The idea is too abb
surd, too revolving, too horrid, too bias
phemous, to be entertained for moment.
The laws of Providence are the laws OF
nature, and inexorable in demanding
eye for eye and tooth for tooth !" in 9TH
er words penalties for their violations are
notmerely implied but sternly and prompt
ly executed without the least reference to
character, state or condition. Ii man
jumps over Niagara Falls, he takes his
chances, and no special Providence will
intervene to save him.
While right to he thankful for life and
all its blessings it is little less than in
famous for man whose wife and child
ren have been ruthlessly swept away, to
pirate about the good Lord saving his
worthless life, which implies that the
Lolu didn't or rather wouldn't save those
of hls kin infinitely more deserving of the
blessings of life.
The Lord had no more to dowith the
building of the destructive dam than He
had in erecting brewery or in constuct-
ing railroad. And it would be quite as
just to hold Him responsible for the dissi-
patton of those who drink the beverage
manufactured by the brewer, or for lives
lost by the reckleesness of an engineer, as
to say that He is responsible for our fear
full visitation.
Leaving the Divine Being out of the
question, that is, so far as holding Him
responsible for the horrors and evils,
the question still presses itself, where or
on whom does the responsibility rest? 1t
may be answered thruthfully that the
parties owning the ground and controlling
the water course within its limits are re-
sponsible for building the dam. BY their
will and purpose and by their money it
was built. This cannot be denied.
To what extent responsible, and in what
particular responsible, is question not so
easily answered. Before it can be shown
that criminality attaches to them for the
destruction of either life or property, it
must he proved that they were wilfully
indifferent to both, or that they executed
the work against proper protestations of
tie people of the valley. If such IL pro
test was made where was it entered, and
who acted as authorized agents in making
it? 1t has yet to be shown that any steps
in that particular were ever taken. With
out any attempt at hair-splitting theories,
and with no claim to legal acumen, we
simply suggest the idea of what might
come under the head of criminal negli-
gence.
But if the dam was Il constant menace
TO life and property, as all now believe,
what can be said to palliate the conduct of
the Johnstowu people, and its authorities
especlally2 There is far less excuse for
their indifference and neglect in the mat
ter, than for the indifference of the South
Fork Club Association. Without indi-
eating any well-formed opinion, or with
out any disposition to indulge in harsh re-
Elections, we are forced to say there was
either great Indifference, or wonderful
stupidity, or dread of antagonizing an in
tluen'ial rganization-or else there was
no appreht nsion of danger.