The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-01-09
PLACING THE BLAME.


The whole country is shocked by
the frightful catastrophe which took
place last week in Chicago. The loss
of hundreds of lives in few moments
in the very heart OF large city serves
to remind lis that our boosted civiliza
ton and enlightenment is not all that
it should be. Since the disaster sort
of hystera has seized the people OF
the large cities OF the country. Last
Sunday many ministers in Chicago,
from their pulpits, blamed the city adj
ministraton for the disaster. The
mayor, the building Inspector and the
city council arc all charged with neg
lect OF duty. 1t is easy to point out
defects, but ofen hard to suggest REM
cdies There have been theatre dis
asters in the past and probably will be
in the future Many now living can
recall the Brooklyn theatre fire, and
the Paris and Vienna horrors. If
these so-called accidents were lessons
we'll learned, they would not be in
vain. But the only result is a tenn
porary crusade, useless moralizing by
ministers and newspapers. 1t is prob
able that many of the churches in
Chicago which were the scenes on last
Sunday of wholesale concentrations
of others are places which are unsafe
and do not comply with fire and build
ing regulations. The ultimate blame
for many Of our so-called accidents
rests with the general public. 1t ap-
pears that the building commissioner
of Chicago early last November sub
mitted full report to the mayor,
showing that almost every theatre in
that city violated ordinances having
to do with fire and building regula-
tons. The report was submitted to
the council by the mayor, and that
body passed resolution directing the
commissioner to suspend enforcement
Of the building ordinances in respect
to theatres until further notice. No
one wanted to take the initiative in
closing up the theatres, and thus
throwing thousands of persons out of
employment. Business considerations
were allowed to interfere with the ell
forcement OF ordinances designed for
the protection of human life. Bust
ness considerations led to the opening
of the theatre before it was completed
and in readiness for use. The man
ayers OF the theatre did not intend
any wrong by violating the building
ordinances. They undoubtedly regard
ed their action as shrewd bit of bust
ness diplomacy. The business men of
our large cities are the ones who vio-
late fire and building ordinances, and
it is wholly unfair to charge the blame
to the officials of the city or to the
managers of this particular theatre.
The people as whole are to be
blamed. 1t is quite impossible to
enforce laws WHICH are disregarded by
the whole body polite. Contempt for
law and selfish disregard for the
rights of others are at the bottom Of
the whole matter. Failure to provide
proper exits, adequate aisles and nom
combustible furnishings in theaters is
due to a selfish greed which insists
upon utilizing for private gain all pos
sible space at the least possible cost.
All cities have ordinances which if en-
forced would go far towards averting
loss OF life. But ordinances are the
creations of city councils, and city
councils are the creatures of the peo-
pie. Aldermen are proverbially sensi-
tive to the desires of the business ele-
ment. Newspapers and preachers who
have desire to pose as guardians Of
the public welfare and safety may
charge the Chicago calamity to the
failure Of public officials to enforce
the law but it is safe to say that some