The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-07-29
HUMAN CREATURES. LIVES.
victims onered Up to the MOloch of Cor
porntiOns,

Forty-six men were killed by an
explosion Of gas in a mine ut Roslyn,
says a recent number OF the New
Nation. The dispatches say that the
people thareaoouts hold the managers
OF the mining company responsible
for the disaster through their neglect
Of proper precautions. 1t is stated,
indeed that only short time before
the explosion the superintendent of
the works resigned his position be-
cause the company refused to adopt
certain safeguards which he deemed
necessary,
The truth of this theory Of the nc
cident is only to probable in view OF
the disregard of the safety of their
employees usually shown by mining
companies, There are dangers which
perhaps are unavoidable in coal min
ing, however carefully conducted, but
we think the conclusion borne out by
the evidence at the average coroner's
inquest ON nine explosions that if
the management did not neglect or
try to economic on the means Of
precaution, such disasters would be
very rare,
1t might be thought that the great
property loss to the mine.owners
which results from accidents would be
motive enough to lead them to adopt
all possible Safeguards, But that is
not the way human nature works
under the competitive system, II 1t
did so work we should not have ship
owners sending lealy ships to sea-
nor railroad directors neglectng thcir
road beds, under manning their trains
and refusing to adopt block signaling.
Greed and immediate gain blinds men
to the chances Of possible loss. and In
many cases no doubt the neglect OF
preCautiOn is based on Il shrewd cal.
culatiOn that the continuous expense
OF precautions would in the long run
Ovcrbalance that OF occasional nc
cidents As for the human lives
involved. they do not enter into the
' calculation ut all.
y If the workers were slaves anC
y represented u money investment OF
4 the part of the employer he would b.
us careful Of them rs Of his machinery
d at least but unfortunately Qn thi
i respect) for them they are not hi
u slaves only wage earners and he ha
} no business motive to look out 70
) them
d II you will but stop to think Of IL
IS one OF tho most horrible aspects q
z the existing industrial chaos Is Tn
number OF lives Of workers yearly sac
is rihccd in accidents resulting from Tn
h neglect OF precautions by employer
10 and contractors on account OF groe
Of Of profits. In this great host OF vi,
is Tins yearly ole ed up to the MOloc
Sc of competition every class OF toilers
90 represented 80 miners railroad en-
it ploycS carpenters, roofers, sewer dis
IN gers. tunne.digge.s. sailors, elect
or linemcn all manner Of workers
is Undertook shops and factories, amor
Is unguarlel machinery, in ill-ventilat,
H. and poisonous shops, and SO on indie
no nitely.
Eve y morning and evory noon
tho year hundreds Of thousands
nd men nm women and children go to d
an work thoy must do or starve full
ey conscious that they are rlsking Ii
mt and limb, and pc 70 m their tas
We with an ever present sense OF fear,
,ul And how terribly often is that fe
10. justified by tho event! TO say III
lpt 10 900 men. women and children
bid this land are yearly crushed. bIo'
DIV up. torn to pieces shocked to doat
nt buried alive. drowned and burn
,ty alive. and three times us ma
on manned, would be certainly altOgot
zee or too low an estimate OF the resu
- Of the prcyentabe class OF accldel
which We are considering.
Whit cry Of blood is that 10 G
m. against our present method OF iptru
IN. Ing the conduct Of tho world'as W.
,ry with tho human lives dependent or
Of to irresponsible proGt-mongers n
ses mated only by greed.