The Forrest City times., 1912-04-26
Luxury Versus Safety.

Titanic to care for less than one thousand people. The Titanic. loaded to her full capacity, had accommoda- tions for passenger and crew to the number of about four thousand
 Such ships have not been equipped with full complement of lifeboats for the reason that their owners boasted that they were unsuitable Now we have the designer and other officials saying that no boat k un sinkable under certain conditions.
 It is useless 10 blame the owners of the White Star line alone for the deficiency of life equipment The government of England permitted this deficiency. The people on the boat knew of it in general way.
 The United States government has little to do with ocean liners. Under our miserable navigation laws, it is bankruptcy to sail a trans A tlantic ship under an American flag But the United States government can regulate the lifesaNing appliances on ocean liners by refusing them dock ing privileges and clearance papers.
 The twelve hundred people drown ed on the Titanic are sacrifice 10 the spirit of the age. 10 folly, and to fashion. On ocean liners a man can buy distinction. The price of every suite is known. Certain classes of tickets give privileges over other classes. There were suites on the Titanic for the use of which charge Of more than thousand dollars was made. Payers of these fabulous prices demand fabulous service. On the Titanic there were great gym nasium, swimming pool, billiard halls, large restaurants, and assembly rooms where men and women could gather and show their clothes. Large spaces were set aside for promenaders and to afford elbow room for those who desired to loaf without coming in contact with others.
 Safety was sacrificed to luxury.
 Money buys luxury, but money can. not buy safety.
 The sl00,000,000 wretch, with the waters of the Atlantic sweeping over him from the deck of the stricken ship out to sea, was on a dead level with the most destitute steerage pas senger Nature flung them back in- to the primordial state.
 There could have been slowed around the decks of this great ship enough lifeboats and rafts to have floated all the passengers. Had one or two large restaurants been aban- doned had the bathing pool room been surrendered, they would have afforded space for enough boats to float a brigade.
 Those who died on the Titanic were victims of the age We seek to make every hour of the twenty four a crowded hour. On a journey we crowd in all the speed and all the style that money will buy. It is about the same on land as on sea- We take the fast trains, and demand faster ones. Ii the track is soft from rains, the road which slows down its schedules for safety is denounced as unfit for travel
 A man the other day in Memphis was purchasing an automobile, and when he told another automobile owner of the machine he intended to buy, this statement was made to him: "l would not have that machine. You cannot get over fifty miles an hour out of it." And thus runs the spirit of the time; and as long as it is dominant just so long will be colos- sal disasters.
 The forces of nature are constant, and nature does things in it's own way, and all the efforts Of all the bill lions of men who have lived cannot change her laws Te these who oir serve her laws, she Is a loving mother; but she is relentless and so impatient of restraint that she destroys all men and things that run against her all compelling forces -Co mmerciaI- Appeal.