South Bend news-times., 1915-07-26
Don't SPOIL THE BoAT.n

Don't SPOIL THE BOAT"
The horror Of the Eastland disaster
"a Chicago is not all wrapped up in
the capsizng Of the boat or in the
number Of people drowned. Greater
catastrophe this. than was the sink
Ing OF the Titanic or the destruction
Of the Lusitania. but doubtful II we
will take il into such serious account
as we have those cases, FIRST, for the
reason that we cannot blame Great
Britain and cannot blame Germany.
but must blame ourselves. We will
be Just a trife careful about how we
impose restriction upon lake trans
portation, calculated 10 prevent
repetition. We are already having
trouble with a seaman's bill passed
by congress, not satisfactory 10 the
transportation companies, because it
holds a too high regard for human
life. and a too small regard for divi-
dends. likely 10 become the political
capital OF one or both the great polit-
ical parties IN the next campaign. The
one will plead its super-humanity and
the other will wall about the hard
ships Of capital. which latter. brings
us directly TO the point that we wish
10 make.
The protest Of the captain Of the
Eastland against the rescuing party
melting holes through the steel sides
OF the ship in order 10 recover the
ENGAGED victims WIS merely an out
burst OF our exaggerated American
temperament
lie protested that it would spoil
the boat"
Not being our boat we recon in
horror Of such greediness. and yet,
such greediness. in the face OF disas-
ter. is scarcely more contemptble
than that which many of the rest Of
us show every day in preferrlng our
property 20 the safety OF humanity
for which dangers lurk just around
the corner. -v
We are for America first" and
not only first, but always, when for
eigners interfere with the safety or
free rights Of our people.-and all this
very properly, it is property
first" or at least too frequently, when
such questions arise as among our
selves.
The story OF the Hebrew in the
middle of the ocean. with no chance
Of escape. who when told by his son
that the boat was sinking. answered,
Vel, Ky. vot do We care; We don't
own ut,"-stands him out in bold be-
lief as against the most Of us, in that
he applied the principle 10 himself.
caring nc more for his own safety as
against his holdings. than he did for
the safety of others. lie was at least
willing TO go down with the rest.
And but for this undercurrent of
human nature in this land of golden
eagle w0rshippers. the Eastland would
be still standing upright. and its vic
Tins still alive; or rather, its victims
would still be alive, and the Eastland
long since consigned 10 the junk heap
or rebuilt in accordance with safety
requirements.
II came 10 the doom that il did.
and brought 1000 people to their
governmental. laxity when the hand
OF capital is lifted. and begins plead
ing the danger OF being plunged into
poverty
This is true. not only in matters
OF lake transportation but true OF our
Industrial life; even in our social life.
We are so terribly afraid of pauper-
izing wealth; it is even so unpopular
TO criticise its activities. no difference
how life or soul destroying. that we
simply side-step the job and take our
chances on untimely graves. quite as
though il were a religious duty.
on YES. the Eastland disaster is 10
be investigated. and temporarily. at
least. some good may come from it.
Some good came from the investiga-
tion OF the Iroquois theGter catastro-
phe: yea. even from Sen. William Al
den Smiths farce probe OF the Titanic
affair. and perhaps may from the Lus-
itania negouations.-but the present
concern lies in the fact that 1900
people, some of them more or less
inludicious in their conduct. have been
drowned in the Chicago river because
our government inspectors either did
not know their business or lacked the
spine-or freedom from greed-in the
face OF extreme wealth. TO enforce
what they did know. We half sym
pathize with the captain OF the East
land. He had been educated by our
public and official negligence, 10 seX-
pect. that, no difference what else
might happen. the first public and
Official concern would always be, not
20 spoil the boat"
---
STTDENrs WHO Farm TuEIR