Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-12-10

:
to revise rates and regulations. the re-
tvised rate to at once go into effect and
to stay IN eject unless and until the
court of review reyerses II.
steamship companies engaged I'm in
terstate commerce and protected in our
coastwise trade should be held to n
strict observance of the interstate COM
merce act
City of Washington.
In pursuing the set plan to make the
city or Washington an example to 9TH
er American municipalities several
points should be kept In mind by the
legislators. In the first place. the peo-
pie or this country should clearly I'M
derstand that no amount of industrial
prosperity and. above all, no leadership
In international industrial connection
can in any way atone for the sapping
of the vitality of those who are usually
spoken of as the working classes. The
farmers, the mechanics the skilled and
unsktlled laborers, the small shopkeeD-
erS, make up the bulk of the popula-
ton OF any country. and upon their
well being, generation after generation.
the well being of the country and the
race depends. Rapid development i'm
wealth and Industrial leadership Is q
good thing, but only IL 1t goes hand in
hand with improvement and not de-
terioration, physical and moral. The
overrowding of cities and the draining
OF country districts are unhealthy and
even dangerous symptoms in our mod
ern life. We should not permit over
n nj Ia, At
pean cities it Is provided by law that
the population Of towns shall not be
allowed to exceed a very limited den
slty Tor given area, so that the in
crease in density must be continually
pushed back. into broad zone around
the center Of the town, this zone having
great avenues or parks within 1t. The
death rate statistics show a terrible in
crease in mortality, and especially in
Infant mortality, in overcrowded tene-
ments. The poorest families in tenement
houses live in one room, and it appears
that In these one room tenements the
average death rate for q number of
given cities at home and abroad is
about twice what 1t is in a two room
tenement, four times what 1t Is I'm
three room tenement and eight times
what 1t Is In a tenement consisting of
four rooms or over. These figures vary
somewhat for different cities, but they T,
approximate in each city those given
above; and In all cases the increase of
mortality. and especially of infant
mortality, with the decrease In the
number of rooms used by the family
and with the consequent overcrowding.
Is startling. The slum eXacts n heavy
total of death from those who dwell
therein, and this is the case not merely
In the great crowded slums of high
buildings In New York and Chicago,
but in the alley slums of Washington. !
In Washington people cannot afford to
ignore the harm that this causes. No !
Christian and civilized community can
afford to show n happy go lucky lack !
Of concern for the youth of today. for !.
If so the community will have to pay
terrible penalty Of financial burden |
and social degradation in the tomor- !
row. There should be severe child la !
Dor and factory inspection laws. 1t is
vccy desirable that married women |
should not work In factories. The !
prime duty Of the man is to work. to
be the breadwinner. The prime duty
or the woman is to be the mother. the :
housewife. All questions of tariff and
finance sink into utter insignihcance !
when compared with the tremendous. |
the vital Importance OF trying to shape !
conditions so that these two duties of |
the man and OF the woman can be !
fulfilled under reasonably favorable :
, circumstances. III race does not have
plenty of children. or If the children do !,
not grow up, or If when they grow I'D !
they are unhealthy in body and stunt |
Ell or vicious in mind, then that race /
Is decadent, and no heaping up of |
wealth, no splendor OF momentary ma
terial prosperity, can avail in any de |
gree rs Offsets.
The congress has the same power of |
legislation for the District of Column
bia which the state legislatures have /
for the various states. The problems !
incident TO our highly complex modern |
industrial civilization, with its mani |
fold and perplexing tendencies both !
for good and for evil, are far less !
sharply accumulated in the city of I
Washington than in most other cities. /
For this very reason II Is easier to deal |
with the various phases OF these prob |
IenS IN washington, and the District |
of Columbia government should be n !
model for the other municipal govern |
mcnts of the nation In all such matters |
as supervision OF the housing Of the |
poor. the creation of small parks In |
the districts inhabited by the poor, in !
laws affecting labor, in laws providing I
Tor the taking care of the children, in |
truant laws and in providing schools.
In the vital matter of taking care Of !
children much advantage could be gain !
ed by a careful study Of what has been !
accomplished in such states as Illinois .
and Colorado by the Juvenile courts. |
The work Of the Juvenile court is real !
ly work of character building. 1t is :
now generally recognized that young |
boys and young girls who so wrong 1
should not be treated as criminals, not |