Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-01-26
POVERTY AND SLTN'N
THE FORMER CAUSES THE Ia c's:;;:
AND WILL EVER DO SO.


the Poor" Do Not Oct ut The Root
of It--Trade> Unions the Great I'm
proven of Conditions.
Mr.. Jacob A. Ras Il specialist in
'slums," is amazed ana horeificd by
those OF Washington They are the
worst hc=cver sfw, and he has 50 dc.
clarod to The scuat" and housc commit
tees on the District of Columbia.
What Is tie eHre2 Congress, which
has power to act, will be asked no
doubt To clear away the foul rookcrics
SO unfit for human beings TO live in and
replace thpm with better tenementS
That is always The remedy proposed iii
such cases. It conmcntls itself to the
ordinary mind as practical and imuc-
tiiatc
SO il is MS to any particular slum.
Much admirable work of the Kind has
been accomplished in New York. There
are localities here where now we have
excellent houses and small parks tllat
so many years ago were disgraccd by
tumbledoWn buildings and disease
breeding, unspeakable sgualor.
But in New York, as in London ana
other great cities where the "problem
of housing the poor" attracts the atten-
ton of the phianthropic. it is found
that the people who are unhOused by
the cleaning out of a slum are not the
ones who become the tenants of the
better structures that arise.
The reason for this is that the evict-
ed people cannot afford to pay the high
er rent which the improved habitationi
can command They scatter to other
slums or start new one.
OF course where charity intervencs
and lower rent than the law of sup
ply and demand enables the landlord
to exact is charged the result is diff
ferent. But charity can do little in
this direction relatively to the mass of
the poor. Anything done on Il large
scale to better slum neishborhood
must be done on business principles
to be effective The percentage Of land
lords who are also philanthropsts is
hardly large enough to be considered
as II factor in the problem of ''honSiH~
the poor.
Every great city in the new as Well
slums while the cause which produces
slums remains in existence. That is as
self evident Il proposition as that two
and two make four.
What is that cause?
Poverty.
People do net live IN slums because
they like to. but because they have to
Workers of the Riis class do good uG
doubtedly. They contribute toward IS
tabliShing Il better standard. which,
helps to educate the poor into Il larger
conception of what the phrase "ncCcs
SarieS of life means. and with the en-
lalgement of the conception comes tha
demand for better shelter. better foeG
better clothing and better chances for |
their children. But these workers d
some harm, too. since, as a rule. thes |
shy away from the consideration O. |
causes and concern themselves only |
with effects. to which they apply the |
palliative of charity. They seldoA /
alarm "vested interests" and are nsn-
ally on the best of terms with tie
protiters by the system upon whose
consequences they benrV0lently war
In essence they are the almoners Of
the kind hearted rich. They are anna
BILE and conscientious men and women,
but neither they Nor the sympathetic !.
people who open their purses to then
are ever likely to make much head
way against tho ours" of poverty,
which is responsible fer the Sluns,
In the Metropolitan MAGAZINE som
months ago Mr.. Leroy VI. Scott De
scribed the lahoYS ef the college sett,2=
aud official which strive 10 make lfe
happier on New Yark24 east side. H
gave full erodl for what had brHa
dom and ue es1' aeuld rod 45s report
Witl.out shagja2 lis re~lact for. tAe
workers in tlle oaasa= ot .9meijoratn4
the let of dc lEtyEe1 gapa.ati4n Of II
teuemeuts.= =H@t liz se.eisd His Nltieh
profoundly ~54t##3Hz ~ y eonsfi H
ton =to Ile=s1'ili4yl of tae=" ="reeAIeM e.
housing ia,# r#9".'
"05. a.=.,-- tn eh4.3e1ee -lc4
"a ese=#f 55s
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in1-lslzarz=
+, .ut .G,l.
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