Chicago eagle., 1902-03-08

Last week Il correspondent of Tie
Eagle drew attention in forcihlc let
ter to the fact that West Madison
street from the river 10 llnlStrd street
Is infested with am army of hohocS
whose continual presence In this thor
uuglIrarc is distinct injury tn business
H. wen ~ menace to property In tn,
lurality.
Investigation ur this complaint has
proven that every statement made
therein i true. and more than sustained
10y the facts.
This part uf the city uf Chicago CON,
iau> what l. known as the lodging.
house district of the Eighteenth Ward.
and It s due To the maintenance in th"
uciglhurhoCd ur ten aud iivo-rcnt lodg.
ing houses that /; l. ovcrrun with buns
aud yagrantS
This is undoubtedly II great hardship
to business people and property owners
un West Madison street There are
sun" splendid business houses on the
street In question. and II Is too bad that
their business should bc intcrfcrod
with. and their trade killed of IN such
a fashion.
With the advance Of sanitary science
and of civilization generally, the abodrs
of poverty and slualor. of iilth and dis
ease. called dime and nickel lodging.
houses. are disappearing from most Of
our great ccn,crs of population. and
Chicago has been no exception to the
rule.
IL would seem. however. that the tide
of progress and reform has not touched
upon the lodging house pest spot of the
Eighteenth Ward. II Is literally bur.
rowpd with cheap hcd-houses. which
are maintained and operated In open
defiance of all sanitary laws. rules ar
regulations.
Morning. noon and night the side.
walks of West Madison street are
patrolcd by drovcs of unwashcd. ragged
and bOoZc-besottcd buns. who's" very
appearance as they reel Or wabbl"
along the sidewalk Is loa'hsGmc and ~.
voting.
They rerk with the kimeS of stale
drink and tobacco. and mdglng by their
condition the wonder is that the dis.
trict has not been swept by pestllcncr
frequently in the past.
This class of lOdgiug.hu,iscs are u
refuge. and. what l. more. an invitation
Ia the bum aud the lOafcr. Wherever
they have been located there have been
rongrcgated colonies Of Migrants. ana
It certainly does seem extraordinary
that onr municipal authorities have
never taken any means for terminating
-uch an exceedingly unpleasant and, In.
deed dangerous condition of affairs.
II H. wcll-knOwn fact that tn" cheap
lodglng-hOusc habltucs of this nelghbor-
hood. when overcome by the effects Of
The vile liquor which they obtain from
rhc dives and barrel houses which they
paironizc whenever they have the
price" are In the habit of forcing their
way into untcnantcd buildings. and
sometimes into the Easements and 9TH
~ parts of the big factories after they
have been closed up at evening and the
employees have gone away. There they
lie 10 sleep away their intoXicatlon, but
sometimes they remain 10 keep il up
10y rushing the can or the bottle all
night In cold weather they light fires,
AMI here j. where the real danger
comes in, the buildings and premises
''patr"nizcd" by the hoboes being al
ways In danger on that account uf be-
Ing destroyed by fire.
Indeed, one entire block in the mmc-
diat" ncighhorhood had 10 he torn down
10y the property owners long before
they were prepared for any such pro-
recdlng. on account Of this particular
form Of tho Eighteenth Ward tramp
nuisance.
Occasionally on" Of these miserable
waits Of humanity dic I'm "A building
INTO which h. has crawlcd under the
circumstances aboy" described. and {:
has been known that dead bodies have
lain I'm empty or partially dl,mautlrI
buildings until the oAUr from the dc.
composing remains attracted attention.
That tA" lodgiug-housc tramp nuis.
nnc" has worked serious injury TO prop,
"rtF On West Madison street Is Il fact
"li.ch becomes apparent from Il casual
glance at conditions prevailing there.
Many stores are closed mp, and such as
are "lIAiH TWO rr three blocks Of the
river ar" usually occupied, If occupied
at all, by the keepers Of the lowest
Kind Of barrel houses.
In many Of these vile dcns rihald
music and bacchaualian songs hoat out
until all hours Of the night, aud after
the lamps are III II il not safe for re-
spectacle persons, ana particularly for