Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-21
THE LOCAL DEATH RATE
A CORRESPONDENT TAKES ISSUE
WITH MIR. sPoFFoRD.
Washington's Mortsaity as Disclosed
by Bureau Of Labor Statistics
Of 1000.
% the Editor Of The Eveuing Star:

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
Kindly permit me to reply to the commu-
nication of Mr.. Sjofforn published in your
issue of Thursday. in reference to the high
death rate in Washington. On December
I made a statement before the associated
Charities committee on the Improvement of
the housing conditions, to the effect that of
the forty large cities in the United States
the latest official comparative statistics
published show that this city has the larg-
est death rate. The source from which 1
obtained my figures to prove this assertion
is the September, 1902, bulletin of the Unit
ed States department of labor, page $50.
The figures found in that bulletin show
that in 1901 the officially reported death
rate of Washington was 21.S3 per 1000. that
of New Orleans, "a per 1,0OO, and that of
Baltimore, 2O23 per 1000, and that these
three cities have the highest death rate of
the forty largest cities.
While Mr.. SpOfford does not question the
comparison of the death rate of Washing
ton with that of the other thirty-nine cities
because such a comparison does not take
into account the relative mortality of the
white and colored residents. He then pro-
duces statistics from the census (which l
think are older than those above quoted),
showing the death rate among the whites
and the colored separately for eight select
ed large cities According to these figures
the death rate Of the white population OF
Washington is exceeded by that of New
York. Philadelphia, Boston. Baltimore and
Pittsburg.
A Misleading Comparison.
Such a comparison Is decidedly mislead-
Ing. In Washington about seven-eights of
the slum population Is colored, and, If we
eliminate the colored residents from our
death rate We eliminate almost the entire
slum population Of Washington. This is not
the case in any Of the other cities mention
ed by Mr. SpOfford. In each of those cities
a very considerable proportion of the white
residents live in slums, and these have an
influence in raising the death rate of their
respective cities in the same way that the
colored people of Washington have in rails
Ing our death rate. Is it fair then; to COM
pare the death rate Of the whites in these
cities-slumS and all-With the white popu-
latfon of Washington, where only an insig-
nificant proportion live in slums? Is 1t not
fa1rer to compare the death rate of the en-
tire population in each case as we find 1t?
But even such comparison as Mr.. Spot
ford makes shows, according to his figures,
which assume to be correct that the high
est death rate of the white population of
the other seven cities mentioned, namely
that of Philadelphia, is only Ii per LOCO
greater than that of the white population
of Washington, while the mortality rate of
the white residents of Chicago Gncluding
the slums), according to these figures Is
81 per 1000 lower than that of Washington
without the slums). 1t seems evident that
If 1t were possible, in our mortality statis-
tics, to eliminate the slum population of
Mr. Spofford's other seven cities, the death
rate of the remaining white popula ton
would in each case be reduced below that
of the white death Ia tie in Wash ngton. This
comparatively high death rate among the
white population of Washington shows, in
a measure at least, the effect of the slum
conditions upon the city as whole.
Crowded Industrial Centers.
For some reason, which he does not ex-
plain, Mr.. Spofford has selected for COM
parison with Washington, seven of the
eleven largest cities, ranging in popula-
ton from 1927, 616 tol3, 437 ,2O2. The popula-
ton of Washington at the time Of the
last census was but 2zS, T1S. One would
naturally expect thatjthese crowded indus
trial centres would be- far less healthful
than Washington with it's smaller popula-
ton, its numerous parks, wide streets,
splendid sewerage and excellent local ad-
ministration.
l wish to say in closing, that my purpose
in presenting the statistics before the AS
ISOLATED Charities committee and in writing
this communication is not to bring discredit
upon our city, but to call attention to the
results of conditions which are menace
to the rich and poor alike, and which
ought to be corrected.