Year: 1877

fr0nt-DO0r1teS ana BacK-uooElles VI LAe tAeo-
ent contest.


TIE CB1cAao TRIBUNE is disposed to view
this struggle from high philosophical
plane. It recognizes the fact that it the
front door be on Dearborn street the morn
ing slumbers of the Pacific Hotel guests will
be disturbed by the clangor of the mail
wagon, tho gentle voice of the festive Gov
ernment mule, and the shouts of the lusty
clerks. It recognizes the fact that If the
front door be located on Clark street and the
back door does not give access to the court
rooms, the jaded attorneys east OF Dearborn
street may hive to traverse about q BLOCK
and a half getting in and out of the build
ing. It is inclined to regard the sutterlngs
of the side-streeters, in case the front door
on Clark street becomes bnck door on
Dearborn, or cce cersa with tender sympa-
thy. On general principles, there is no rea-
son why Clark street should be more high
toned than Dearborn street, or why either
street should be more gilt~edged than SIDE
street, if the side street behaves Itself and
is happy. The side streets as rule are
moro moral than the others. They have
fewer pawnbrokers, whisky-shops, variety
shows, g11tter-rats, and junk-shops. The
oildot1 youth do not brawl on the side streets
nor make night hideous on any east and west
avenue The side streets bear the same re-
lation to the other streets that q gentleman
of the old school in stand-up collar, rufaes,
and brass buttons, who travels the same ruts
everyday and observes the same punctlllo
with his bootblack as with his bank part
ners, does to the boisterous youth who is
loud in his department on all occasions and
disturbs the metropolis with his glitter,
slang, and barbnrous yawp. Viewing the
subject from this high philosophical stand
point, the unprejudiced observer can. hardly
arrive ct any other conclusion than this:
The Government building will be public
building. It will be devoted to the whole
pubIc,-to all the people who write and re-
ceive letters, to the people who pay taxes, to
those who import goods, to those who
sail the lakes, to some who must
litigate, and to others who will have
to 70 to the Ponitentinry. Being for the
benefit of the whole public, certainly the
whole public should have front door. This
might be accomplished by front door on
each of the four sides. This would be thor
oughly impartial, for then every front door
would be back door, and every back door
would be front door, and the cellar doors
might be thrown in gratuitously. This,
however, is said to be impracticnble, because
the plans will not admit Of it. The next
best thing would be to compromise between
the two high-toned streets aud place the door
on the quieter and more conservative side
street, but here again the plans of the build
ing stand in the way, which forces US to the
reluctant conclusion that man who can
not draw the plans of great public building
with more than one front door is
Mu11Err. Meanwhile, the war goes on
and must be settled. The people can-
not stand this pressure much longer. It is
disturbing families, disorganizing parties,
disintegrating society, and disgruntling dis
positions. II it is really impossible to make
both doors front doors, or both doors back
doors, and there can be no side doors. front
or back, the Pacific Hotel might throw dice
with the Palmer House, best three in five,
to see if the Pacific's front door shall be the
Palmers back door, or rits rersa, If the re-
spectire combatants will not agree to this,
then let the matter be referred to Front
Door Commission, organized without regard
to race, sex, color, or previous condition of
servitude, whose decision shall be final on
every one except the Government mules, who
will be certain to go to the front door any
way, if it is sought to get them to the back
door. Let US have pence.