Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-18
After Eviction.

In the course of the discussion of the sub
ject of the citys slums before the Senate
District committee the other day Senator
Gallinger asked pertinent question which
doubtless reflects query In the minds OF
many citizens. If the vile places against
which complaint is 50 earnestly entered by
the Commissioners are destroyed as
nuisances, what will become of the people
who now find shelter in them?
If the problem were avoided merely be-
cause of the apparent difficulty involved it
would never be solved at all. 1t would, on
the contrary. continue yearly to grow In
difficulty. The city, however, Is bound to
regard the welfare of the whole body rather
than of a very few individuals. 1t is as
suredly to be hoped that the cleansing of
these foul places will involve no hardships.
But if incidentally there should be evictions
without the prospect of substitute shelter,
then would the charitable agencies of the
District, public and private, be called upon
for hard work to cope with the emergency.
The destruction of the novels in the alleys
and on the commons of the city would
doubtless render some hundreds of people
homeless by reason Of the removal of their
cheap and in some cases free shelter. By
far the larger part of the jewellers In these
notsome places, however, are capable Of
self-support under sanitary conditions.
They huddle together in the alleys not only
because the houses and rooms they find
there are cheap, but because they prefer to
live in close communities, out of sight OF
other people. Some of them do not shrink
from the insantary conditions of these
places. because in most cases they know no
higher standard of living. A certain part
of these jewellers In the unclean rookeries
would require constant supervision even in
decent dwellings to prevent the re-estab-
lishment of evil conditions. Others would
welcome the change as soon as the advan-
tages of clean living made themselves APP
parent.
1t is far better that the authorities should
be empowered by law to raze the filthy
rookeries and thus to precipitate conditions
requiring the aid of philanthropists than
that the breeding places of vice and crime
and disease should remain standing and
give rise continually to conditions calling
for the services of the police, the courts and
the physicians. Yet the charity problem Is
not likely to prove serious when actually
confronted as 1T looms in imagination. If
the desired laws were enacted at once and
put forthwith into execution the community
would stand excellently prepared to cope
with it. There is now in progress and imme-
diately in contemplation an exceptionally
large amount of construction work. giving
employment to many thousands. There is
just at present an urgent demand for I'M
skilled laborers. There Is virtually no need
for any man to suffer privation because of
a lack of honest opportunities. Out of the
alleys might pour some hundreds of neer-
do-wells. professional id1ers. leeches upon
the Industrious poor people of these places
and these might for short time prove a
troublesome factor. But with their hiding
places in the main opened up to police in
spection, there should be little difficulty in
winnowing out the evil elements and send
ing them to appropriate places of detention.
What the slums of this city need most of
all is fair start toward physical and
moral health. and the incidental problems
should be cheerfully undertaken by the
community in exchange for the privilege
of this measure of self-protection.