South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-11-28
THAT EXPLOSION AT OBRIEN's
VARNISH PLANT.

Il
At last South Bend has made its
contribution of dead 20 the European
war BARLEY Mclaughlin and George
". McCague are quite as much the
victims of that bloody encounter as
though they had been killed by the
bullets Of the beUigerents. The war
put an end to shipments of certain
gums and chemicals, heretofore pur-
chased in Europe, but necessary in the
manufacture Of varnish. The O'Brien
Varnish Co. was endeavOring TO meet
this situation. experimenting upon the
production OF those gums and chemi-
Gals. for the continuance OF their own
plant.
Soldiers. not Of fortune, but Of mis-
fortune, these. No doubt aware Of
the danger confronting them, they
still undertook to carry out a pro-
gram which meant much, not only TO
themselves, or TO their employers but
as we'll 10 a large number OF fellow
workingmen, TO the city of South
Bend, and TO users of varnish. With
out these gums and chemicals the
O'Brien people cannot continue the
manufacture Of varnish for long.
which means more people out Of en-
ployment, a smaller distribution OF
weekly wages in the city and from a
lack OF varnishes TO ship, a depicting
income from outside the city. We can
see here how industry and commerce.
and community life, are interviewer,
and how they may be affected by the
long range.
And then the other feature. These
men are also, to an extent, the vic
Tins Of past American neglect. In
stead of depending absolutely upon
Europe all these years. for these gums
and oils. Industrious America should
have provided for such an emergency
by taking up the manufacture of such
materials long ago. To an extent we
are reaping the reward OF our own
folly. AS a people we are finding our
selves much less self-reliant than we
have heretofore supposed We have
had too much Of the disposition to
invent only as a matter Of necessity.
Perhaps our laws with respect to the
granting process patents to foreigners
has been too liberal. but it would
seem that this might have been dis
covered and the fault remedied, with
out waiting for the exigencies of war
This is not said, by any means. in
particular criticism of the OBrien
yarnish people. They have merely
been gliding along with the American
drift. If aimed at anyone in particu-
lar, we would direct it at the American
Chemical society. which, even today
is doing all it can to discourage
American enterprise along these lines.
apparently in the hope that necessity
will force protective measures upon
congress that viii give the manufac-
turers a sort OF Get Rich Quick"
subsidy
Mclaughlin and McCague have gone
to their doom as American expert
mentOrs-pioneer in the work meet
ing an emergency demand, born Of
American neglect. They are not the
first men TO meet their fate from OK
plosions of this sort. The chemical
world presents a long list OF such mar
tyrs. 1t seems in the very nature of
things that everything new has its diff
iculties i'm getting started. We no.
tice it more just now. however, be-
cause it is so close TO us. and il is so
plainly a matter Of at least semi
public welfare that lies behind it.
Heroes in the cause of prosperity
and peace" is an epitaph that might
be inscribed upon their tombs to en-
blazon a pubhc's respect for men who
can be brave in a cause that is high
above slauFhter-and i'm this, Joseph
McGrath and Thomas WEIGH, badly
burned in their efforts at rescue. might
be given a share.