Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-09-25
LIFE IN THE SLUMS.
CARROLL D. WRlGHT'S REPORT TO
THE PRESIDENT.

An Article of Great Value to Every student
of Reform--Rum, Crime and Ignorance
Go Together.
The commissioner of labor, Carroll ID.
Wright, has forwarded to the president
his seventh special report, which relates
entirely to the slums of New York, Phil
adelphia, Baltimore and Chicago, being
the results of an investigation ordered
by congress.
Mr.. Wright considers this one of the
most valuable reports emanating from
the department of labor. The congress
of the United States, responding to va
rious requests made upon it, authorized
an investigation relative to the slums of
cities containing 200, 900 inhabitants and
over, as shown in the eleventh census.
The cities comprehended in the resolu-
tion are Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn,
Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
| Detroit, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New
York, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, st. Louis,
San Francisco and Washington, with o
total population of S,037 ,45S.
Before entering upon the investigation
an estimate was made of the total popu-
lation of the slum districts of the cities
named, and it was found that, according
to the best information obtainable, the
slum districts in the 16 cities compre-
hended at the least calculation about
100000 people.
The results of the present investiga-
ton relate only to the cities of New
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Chi
cago. The total population canvassed
in the four cities is e3,S52, but the dis
tricts selected by no means contain the
whole slum population.
According to the best estimates, the to-
tai slum population of Baltimore is about
%, 900; of Chicago, 162, 900; of New York,
36O, 900, and of Philadelphia, 81, 900. The
districts selected are among the worst
and may be denominated as the centers
of the slum population.
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, but in the
slum district canvassed there was one
saloon to every 129 persons.
In Philadelphia there was one liquor
saloon to every $40 persons, but in the
slum district there was one such saloon
to every 500 persons.
In Baltimore there was one saloon to
every 228 persons, but in the slum dis
trict there was one saloon to every 1O5
persons.
In Chicago there was one saloon to ev-
cry gig persons, while i'll the slum dis
trict there was one saloon to every 1877
persons.
Males Predominate.
Comparing the sex of the population
in the slum districts canvassed with
that of the whole city, it is found that in
each case the males predominant to a
greater extent in the slum districts.
In Baltimore 47.44 per cent of the pop
ulation are males, while in the slum dis
trict the males constitute 1884 per cent
of the population. In Chicago the diff
ference is between 51.6S per cent for the
whole city and 1898 per cent for the
slum district.
In New York the difference is between
1924 per cent for the whole city and
54.61 per cent for the slums. In Phila-
delphia it is between 1882 per cent for
the city at large and 53.4S for the slums.
Native and Foreign Born.
The total foreign born in the city of
Baltimore is 1888 per cent of the total
population, but in the slum districts it
is 40. 90 per cent. In Chicago the total
foreign born constitutes 40.9S per cent
of the population, while in the slum dis
trict it is 57.51 per cent. In New York
the foreign born is 1928 per cent of the
total population, while in the slum dis
trict it is 62.5S per cent. In Philadelphia
the foreign born constitutes 25.74 per
cent of the total population and &C. As per
cent of the slum population.
nliteracy.
| III DdlllLAOAO tlO AAA1tO3o osS SOAASeAeoSS
OF per cent of the native born popula-
ton and 12.41 per cent of the foreign,
the percentage for both being 0.79. In
the slum districts S.13 per cent of the ma
tive born and 30.62 per cent of the for
eign born are illiterates, and the per-
centage for both is 1880.
In Chicago the illiterates constitute .Os1
per cent of the native born population
and 8.31 per cent of the foreign born,
the percentage for both being 4.63. But
in the slum district 5.64 per cent of the
native born are illiterate and 1886 per
cent Of the foreign born, the percentage
for both being 25.37.
In New York the percentage OF litter
ates is 1.16 for the entire native born and
14.O6 for the foreign born population,
the percentage for both being 7.69, while
for the slum population the percentage
of native born illiterates is 7.01 and OF
foreign born 57.69, the percentage OF
both being 1896.
Philadelphia, however, has as large
proportion of illiterates in the slum dis
tricts as New York, the figures for the
whole population showing that 2.1S per
cent of all native born persons are 1lllt-