The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-09-10
VALIANT sCArTERATION OF PUs.

III 1t must be gratifying to meteor
OlOgiStS to discover a law governing
climatic conditions or storm centers
BILE individual who can forecast to a
dot great religious upheavals, periods
Of intense righteous indignation among
men, or even local showers in the way
Of municipal reforms: But then. in
manner, we can enjoy what has long
been preparing whether we know the
law or not and we return our humble
thanks for being one of the multitude
who picked up the dispatches this a.
III. and found something had dropped.
Agitated, indeed, and startled were
we to discover upon the front page OF
a Chicago daily the picture of an avail
anche of municipal reform descend
ing in mighty volume upon some frail
looking shanties with signs on them.
Though we knew it was hastily done
dream stuff, we gathered instantly
that a raid had been consumated.
Had Chicago with its towers Of Babel
reached it's limit of thus far shalt
thou Gomez Had South Clark streets
understructure been rent and split even
to hel's great framework? Had war
rants been issued before justice of the
peace? Balls, balderdash, bosh and
buncombe, said we, when we learned
that the Tribune had put up job on
the wicked at Lemont, Ills, a town
just outside of Chicago, on the drain
age canal, and supported almost in
toto by the overflow of that city's slum
population, which, of course, follows
the canal.
Were 1t avoidable, we should not
mention this at all, for the Tribune Is
proud of ii, and for all we know it
may be fine scoop on the other
papers, who wouldn't have thought of
such 4 thing in a century and, per-
haps, are too engrossed with other
matters to be at the pains and expense
of hiring spoilers simply TO get ''un-
mentionable reports of doings in the
suburbs. But the idea is prominent
that these drainage canals are pre-
ciSely the thing for slumridden COM
munitieS. We know that vice, de-
pravity and other denominations, while
they feed upon the sound tissue of
the body polite, are essentially a.
ducous and therefore must slough off
and become as offal, and finer con-
trivance than drainage canal acting
as a natural conduit assuredly could
not be devised.
Great centers like New York and
Chicago naturally receive through the
highways and channels of commerce
the off-scouring of the entire country,
not to say of half the world. This is
vast relief TO the country at large,
possibly instituted by providence, but
the thing is not 10 cut off the useful
channels referred 10, which would in
iure everything. but simply 10 pro-
vide government drainage canals,
enough Of them to reach in every di-
rection from the heart of the cities
themselves, and we viii engage that
each canal infallibly shall have its
Lemont as certain as two pay days
come each month.
We should think this would also be
advantageous to the great dailies, who
would thus be provided with the never
ending job OF scattering pus at their
own sweet wills. and without the small
lest imaginable danger TO their re-
spective cities, though the plan OF
campaign might easily be improved
beyond the Tribune's first crude e.
fort, which We note drives fallen wo-
men into the woods instead OK 10 the
home Office, which might just as well
be done, when their stories could be
taken with ali convenience and &C
curacy. and their portraits be printed
in conjunction with their reformers.