The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-19
SUNDAY, JUNE 1s, 1904
THE PRICE OF BLOOD


1t is waste of effort and of thought
to declaim against those Immediately
responsible for the appalling loss of life
which follows such disasters as the
burning of the Iroquois theater and Of
the steamer at New York, which have
just claimed SO many victims. The
clamor that always follows such an
event is only a painful witness to hd-
man stupidity and greed. It is largely
a cry raised to deaden and deafen the
reproof Of conscience; for the fact is
that we are paying daily IN small In
stallments>in every part of the country
in human blood the price of our uni
versal Indifference to duty and our uni
versal greed.
OF course the life saving appliances
on the General Slocum were not ade-
quate in quantity or in good working
condition When or where are they?
OF course the exits at the Iroquois the
ater were insufficient, were tightly
closed and almost every ordinary pre-
caution against fire had been neglected
or nullifed. Who would have known or
cared about that had not a great catas-
trophe made even these details dra-
matte? Was there a city in the coun-
try in which the ensuing investigation
did not disclose in some places a like
criminal Indifference? How much re-
gard is there paid in these particulars
to public safety at this very moment,
now that the temporary excitement
following the burning Of the Iroquois
has died away?
How many Of the thousands of water
craft that ply the rivers and seaports
Of the United States are properly
equipped for securing the safety of
their passengers? The federal govern
ment and the states provide for an in
spection Of boilers, that is more or less
complete according to the amount of
politics that enters into 1T. But who
sees that life preservers are on board
always and In good condition? Who
examines the facilities for fighting fire?
Who sees that greedy proprietor or
lessee does not crowd the boat on some
occasion with hundreds more than its
carrying capacity, taking the chances
of life In exchange for the dollars?
What practical and effective super
vision is there day by day over all
these details? Do we not know as a
fact that in theaters, on steamships.
and almost everywhere in every part
of the United States life is put into
Jeopardy daily because 1t takes some
trouble and sacrifice and some money
to make it safe?
AS far as the essential blame is con-
cerned we are all in the same boat to-
gether. When the crime of murder Of
the innocent is charged, we must all
plead guilty as accessories before the
fact. Away down at the bottom is the
evil impulse of the reckless lust of gain.
The man who would not for all the
money In the world deliberately take
the life of a human being will play
fast and loose with the lives of hun
dreds for the sake of paltry profit.
and hold himself guiItIess. The nuhl,c
official who would boldly risk his own
life in the performance of a plain duty
will stand in with this man and wink.
at his infraction of the law, at his SET
ting aside Of plain regulations REQUIRED
for public safety, and thus become mart
ner OF his crime
This neglect ana this straight viola
tion Of law has. come to be so universal
that even the murder of a Thousand.
people does not shock us into con-
seriousness Of our fault. We shrek and