Show building in war time THE ILLINOIS legislature has abandoned its plans tor for extensive building operations in ILL the diate state dopart departments part ments and institutions and and with the ear of faith we already hear applause the country over bravo tot let cities commonwealths and the federal government follow suit to which impending outbursts we reply be orthodox brethren but liness dont be more orthodox aba than n chishol his holiness the pope pape paris has not suspended public building operations because of 0 the war neither has berlin lin to curtail such operations it by curtailment you neau mean putting a check on wild and wanton extravagance is doubtless advisable self I 1 confused pork barrel expenditures must halt F I 1 and there there are other pork barels besides the celebrated cask of 0 iniquity at pork pork kegs we might term them states ind and cities cities have each their own away with such but not with the iong ione projected and I 1 long ong needed improvements improvement that have an incontestable value just because we are no longer in a position to throw money about it does not follow must scrimp or perish neither does it follow that scrimping will i prevent our perishing it may even help us to As we look at it a ed on legitimate public building enterprises terp rises would rink rank with the mania tor for pravate economy that is now impoverishing ing milliners iners and dressmakers and many a distressed tailor fine is it nt to see her ladyship economize by starving her modiste Ins phing to see her husband economize by skinning his tailor for that is what it comes comes to and they call it patriotism patriotism ye gods and little fishes one plain duty of patriotism in war time is to keep the pot a boll ing waste Is wicked but legitimate spending a virtue within the bounds of reason go on spending it promotes in otes business as usual it steadies the state and what applies to the individual applies equally to municipal municipalities ties commod commonwealths and the federal government let there be no havoc wrought wroughton In the building trade and its halt half dozen allied industries dus tries in the name of patriotic economy to put a peremptory quietus on legitimate and sorely needed public building projects is to sow disorder unrest and distress it at the very time when such calamities would work a maximum ot of mischief let us keep our hair on in avoiding waste let us also avoid the economy that in the end spells extravagance chicago tribune |