New-York tribune., 1908-04-20
hibited have been made part Of the In
heritance of the empire.
THE oUINYs VERSUS THE PEOPLE.

THE QUINNS VERSUS THE PEOPLE.
The facts in the case of the Qhinns versus the
People are as simple as the decision is obscure
and difficult A week ago to-day Thomas QUINN
his wife and three children were evicted from
their home in Eighth avenue after having sold
all their furniture to get food. For long time
Quinn had been vainly seeking work. The land
lord, evidently convinced of the mans honesty,
repeatedly postponed collecting his rent; but
there limit to patience, and when 1t was
reached the Quinns found themselves in the
street with empty pockets empty hands, empty
stomachs and an empty future. For five days
the five miserable creatures rOamed the streets
Three nights they slept Heaven knows where
Their acquaintances saw them and then
looking amessly about like stray dogs. Friday
evening. they stole into the basement Of an
apartment house on Washington Heights, where
they huddled around the boiler. Coal gas over
came them while they slept, killing one child
outright and leaving the four other wanderers
in desperate condition.
1t looks as though the Qunns had a strong
case against the People, doesn't it? When q
landlord knowing full well the utter poverty Of
family puts its members in the street without
at least taking pains to inform some charity or
ganzation or benevolent person of their plight.
that landlords conduct leaves something to be
desired, does it not? When neghbors and
friends see an evicted family lettering day after
day on street corners, obviously neglected and
helpless, and do not even ask policeman or L
minister to keep eye on the unfOrtunates IS
criminal negligence too hard name for sucn
thoughtlessness? Doesn't it fit everybody who
may have learned the Quinns' predicament dur
ing those days and nights of homelessness?
Some philosophers there are who will declare
| that the Quinns have an impregnabe case
against the whole order of society. But to force
an Indictment of human sympathy out of this
case would be demagogCal rant. AS a criticism
! of human intelligence, on the other hand, 1t
| contains grain or two of truth
ANY social organization in which the Qunns'
fate is possible is somehow awry the flaw in the
present one which the Quinn case makes evident
| is. according to the side from which you view it,
| either overcontidence in the automatic working
of the state and it's institutions or lack of the
feeling of personal moral responsibility. The
landlord did not feel obliged to do any more
| than lose two months rent in helping the
! Quinns; what are all the charity officers for,
| anyhow? The neighborS didn't think 1t neCes-
! sary TO communicate with the police or the min
! ister; aren't these folks getting big pay Just to
| look out for people like the Quinns? Quinn
| himself seems to have drfted aimlessy about,
! day after day without seeking a public or pri-
vate charity unless his ignorance incredi-
| bly, profound, or his pride ndecenty stubborn.
he could have found aid 1t is not unlikely that
| he too, fanCied relief would come automatically
through the duly appointed authorities. On the
other side, neither the state organized char
ity is yet able to prevent all such cases because
| a large number of influential people still think
the evil is net grave enough to warrant the
huge, expensive organization needed to eradi-
cate il. Had Quinn been evicted in Germany the
public charity department would have discov-
cred him at once, thanks to the automatic sy<-
TEN of police registration but this system costs
! much money. Had he searched for work in
almost any European country west Of Russia
he would have found it automatically. thanks to
government employment bureaus and labor col
/ Onies bur such institutions if effective, are
neither small nor cheap. So it is assumed that
/ present organizations, with their present re-
! sources or perhaps little more. can and must
! be made TO solve the pressing problem of bring
! ing laborers to their work.
! But everybody involved in the case is more or
less in the wrong, and the many little CrOtchets.
! blunders and stupiditieS of many people happen
| TO have combined tragiCaly The little foxes
| spoil the vines A slight lack of system and
understanding all along the line. coupled with
slight dulness in the sense Of personal RESPONSE
bility. compels the verdict: Everybody TO
blame" The incident offers only one consola-
| ton: If such triftng defects in many people
can result SO seriously, might not their correc-
! ton have benefcent effect out of all proper
! ton TO the reform? Not a revolution in either
! human nature or the social order. but a little
more intelligence and moral quickness here,
there and everywhere, might protect from star
vatiOn or other suffering every honest man ont
OF work.