The Washington times., 1894-07-30
.SLUMs OF GREAT CITIES
Inquiries in New York, Philadelphia,
Baltimore, and Chicago.
RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION
Commissioner Of Labor Wrights Report to
the President-Sta Relating to Sex,
Nativity, nliteracy, Health, Voters, Lii
quor Saloons, and Other Matters.

Carroll D. Wright, Commissioner OF Labor,
has forwarded to the President his seventh
special report, which relates entirely to the
slums Of four selected cities, being the results
of an investigation ordered by Congress.
Responding to various requests Congress
directed an investigation relative to the
slums Of cities containing 200, 900 inhabitants
and over as shown by the eleventh census.
The cities to which the resolution applied
were Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, Buffalo,
Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Mil
waukee, New Orleans, New York, Philadel-
phia, Pittsburg, st. Louis, San Francisco, and
Washington. sixteen Ia all with a total popu-
lation of s.O37,45S. The slum districts in the
sixteen cities comprehended at the lowest
calculation 800, 900 people.
The appropriation made for the work,
$4,000, was found to be inadequate for
thorough investigation, but Congress took
the ground that a tentative examination
should be made, even If only for certain dis
tricts OF certain cities. The results of the
present investigation, therefore, reinte
merely to the cities of New York, Philadel-
phia. Baltimore, and Chicago, and 10 such
sections only concerning the character of
which, as slIm districts. there can be no diff
ference of opinion.
The total population canvassed In the four
cities is S3,s52. The districts selected by no
means contain the whole slum population OF
the cities included in the investigation. Ac-
cording to the best estimates the total slum
population of Baltimore is about $4,000; of
Chicago l62 900; of New York SEQ. 600, and of
Philadelphia $4,000. Tho districts selected
are among the worst in each city, and may be
denominated as the centers OF the slum popu-
lation
To carry the investigation out to include the
sixteen cities comprehended in the resolution,
with an estimated population OF 500. 900, would
probably cost Sl25, 900 to Sl50000. 1t is
somewhat doubtful, however. whether the
results would be commensurate with the ex-
pense-that is to say, it may be that the
results of the present investigation are suffi
cientlv indicative OF all the conditions without
any further study.
'wHAT ARE sLuMs?" SAYS THE REPORT.
OF course, in an investigation like the one
under discussion, inquiries must be made of
such a character as to result in positive in
formation. To secure satisfactory results of
a scientific nature along such lines would in-
volve the application of a detective method
which should reach each resident of the
slums. The first question which confronted
the department was that relating to the slums
OF cities. What are the "slums" OF cities.
their boundaries, their constituent elements,
and now far can certain districts be consid-
cred as coming within the definition!
In selecting the districts OF the four cities
considered it was necessary that localities
coming within this definition only were COM
pretended. The cities themselves were Sc
lected because they represent great types
New York one type OF a great metropolitan
seaport city; Philadelphia offered conditions
of a border city to certain extent, as be-
tween the business interests of the North and
South; Baltimore, the most typical business
Southern city in the Union, having all the
elements of a great metropolis. and yet diff
ferently situated from either New York or
Philadelphia. while Chicago presented the
conditions OF great inland city.
The investigation was carried on uniformly
in the four cities and all the facts collected
have been classified in tabular form. In
every slum district there are to be found
people OF the highest responsibility, people
of means living in good houses. etc. They
have all been considered, and necessarily so.
because the enumerators or agents engaged
in collecting the facts should not be expected
in each case to draw the line.
RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION.
The following is brief summary of some
OF the results of the investigation:
LIQUOR SALooNs-In the city Of New York
there was, at the time of the investigation.
one liquor saloon to every 200 persons; in
the slum district. one to every l29 persons;
in Philadelphia, in the city at large, one
saloon to every $40 persons; in the SUM dis
trict, one saloon to every 502 persons; in Bati-
more. in the city at large. one saloon to every
22S persons; in the sum district. one saloon
to every 105 persons and in Chicago, in the
city at large one saloon to every 212 persons;
in the slum district. one saloon to every 127
persons.
SEx-In Baltimore 47.44 per cent. OF the
population are males; in the slum district.
49S4 per cent. In Chicago the difference is
between 51.68 per cent. for the whole city and
3d. 50 per cent. for the slum district. In New
York the difference is between 1884 per cent.
for the whole city and 54.61 per cent. for the
sums In Philadelphia it is between 1882
per cent. for the city at large and 53.4S per
cent for tine slum district.
NATIVE AND FoREIGN-BoRS-The total
foreign-born in the city of Baltimore is 1888
per cent. of the total population; in the slum
district. 40. % per cent. in Chicago, 40. 9S per
cent. OF the total population; in the slum dis
trict. 57.5l per cent; in New York, 1928 per
cent. of the total population; in the slum dis
trict. g. 5S per cent. and in Philadelphia, 25.74
per cent. of the total population and 60.45
per cent. Of the slum population.
STATISTICS OF uLITERACY.
ILLITERAcY-In tho whole city of Baltimore
the illiterates constitute 9.17 per cent. OF the
native-born population and Il. Al per cent of
the foreign-born. In the slum districts of
that city S.13 per cent. of the native-born and
so. 50 per cent. of the foreign-born are litter
ate. In the city of Chicago the illiterates con-
stitute 0S1 per cent. fthe native-born popula-
ton and 81 per cent of the foreign-born but
in the sum district 5.64 per cent. of the native
born persons are illiterate and 1886 per cent.
But there was, in spite of all this magnif-
in aaeb bofS Col