Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-12
Punishment and Prevention.

There is gratifying assurance, from the
4ction of the coroners jury and the
statements of the district attorney and
t5e District Commissioners. that Tues
days fatal building collapse i'll this city
will be thoroughly sifted. to the end that
Justice may be done in the interest of
tile public welfare. AS far as court pro-
ceedings are concerned. for the admins
tration of punishment 10 any individuals
who may be guilty of criminal negligence
In connection with the building, the mat
ter has been promptly put in the way of
action and the district attorney is under
Instructions from the President to press
the case with the utmost vigor. 1t may
not be doubted that a sweeping inquiry
Will be conducted by the grand jury to
ascertain the specific degrees of respon.
sibility in individual cases and to cite for
appearance in court any persons who may
be regardedt<as accountable in any degree
hvolvingr criminal liability for the dis
aster.
More important even than the courts
punitive processes are efforts undertaken
by the District government to improve the
building inspection service. Whether in
terms of individuals or of law, the COM
alunity has the right to expect such re-
forms as will warrant it's full confidence
that the inspection system in this District
IS Il safeguard against bad structural
methods. The Commissioners can without
securing additional legislation remedy the
faults in the methods in vogue, bringing
the building code up to date and insuring
the maintenance of high standard To
the extent that individuals are found to be
Incompetent or Enthusiastically they can
replace them with better men. They can
thus go far toward preventing in the
future disasters such as that of Tuesday
sin addition to these reforms new laws
will be needed. First of all. a larger force
should be appropriated for, and it is to
be expected that this fact will be laid
hffere Congress promptly at the next
session in such terms as to render i'm
possible avoidance of the plain issue in
volved in the requistion. The enlarge
r11ent of the inspection force and the
powers of the inspectors office should
Se requested by the Commissioners in
terms of life and death. In other words.
1t should, and doubtless will, be made
plain TO the appropriations committees of
the House and Senate that further re-
faisal TO equip this branch of the Dis
trict government with a sufficient force
TO cover the building operations involves
the hazarding of the lives of numberless
residents of the District
There should be no difficulty in securing
the enactment of law requiring not merely
the registration and licensing of builders.
put prohibiting the erection of new struc-
lures save under the responsible super
VISION Of one so recognized by the District
government as competent to undertake
saich a work. Assuredly there should be
no more such situations as that disclosed
ny the testimony before the coroner's
jury, which demonstrates that in the
building which collapsed on Tuesday
dhere was no central authority to see that
Che various parts of the work progressed
tremendously and in obedience to the laws
0f safety.