The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-06
THE NATIONAL CITY
 SHOULD BE A MODEL CITY

New York March 6.--tSpeclail-7A national committee has taken holu or what President Roosevelt has called model city" communication to members of Congress urging action at this session was sent out today over the signatures of Robert W. deForest, chairman of the New York State Tene- ment House Commission of lSQ0, ana the first commissioner Of the city ae- tartment organized to gragple with
 the evils of bad housing and conges- ton on Manhattan; Graham Taylor, head worker of the Chicago Commons ana a member of several of Mayor Dunne's municipal commissions; Jaeob Riis, author of How the other Half Lives
 and known throughout the country for his fight with the slum as po- lice reporter in Mulberry Bend: s. W. woodward. leading merchant of Washington and chairman of the Dis trict Board of Charities; and Edward IT Deviue. president of the National Conference of Charines and Correc- tion.
 These men are subcommittee of the national Publication Committee
 which was organized last year to get at the facts of social conditions and to put them before people so that pub- ! lie opinion can act fntelligently. One channel for doing this IS it's weekly magazine. Charities and the Com mons." the March magazine number of which contains the results of ten ! months work in finding out the un- deriving conditions at the National Capital What these are. are describ- ed by Justice Brewer of the United States Supreme Court; Charles P. Neill. Commissioner of. Labor: Col. H. i B. r. Mcfarland. chairman of the Board of District Commissioners; T. George M. Kober George Washington University; Judge Ben B Lindsey of the Denver Juvenile Court; William H, Baldwin of the Department of Com merce and Labor Dr. Emily O'Bryan of the Washington civic Center; Sam uel McCune Lindsay Of the National Child Labor Committee and others. Although it is pretty representative group of Americans who are enlisted in the movement and a pretty damag- ing set of facts which they present as . to the standing of the National Capital in the scale Of other American cities.
 Strong on Asphalt, ,Esut-
 l Washington Is strong on Asphalt It probably has the best asphalt in the world In that respect it is almost a model. From the top of one Of the Seeing Washington automobiles which roll down Pennsylvania Ave- nue, the average visitor exudes patri- otisrl and breathes big breaths Not until he starts to live there the year round does he find such deficiencies as 1 these
 No compulsory school attendance. and 10000 children last year not att tending school
 1 No laws against children's' work | No special juvenile court.
 | No all- l-the-year-round playgrounds. l No adequate housing laws, but slum conditions as bad as those in Chicago and New York. without the excuse of being great industrial center or be- 1 Ing crammed between rivers.
 1 The significant fact is not that Washington is SD much worse than other large American cities, but that movements for improvement have been blocked by indifference from the out ! side. The President has urged reform. The District Board of Commissioners in executive control of the district. have urged reforms. Progressive res- idents of Washington have organized movements to the same end But year after year has seen the defeat in Con- gress of measures that would prohibit child labor in the district. and would lessen it's frightful infant death ratei "A would require compulsory education ], sor it's children at the hands of the ll~ame authority which builds schools '( (ior the Tagalogs; and would rage alley
 shacks fairly under the caves of the
 Capital which, on the word of two Senators, are not fit to stable cows.
 COnGreSs as s Common council.
 Congressional indifference of about the bulk and shapeliness of the Wash ington monument was responsible for the failure of the entire grist of meas ures introduced last winter to better conditions The Washington monument has a stone from every state in the Union The civic neglect of the Ma tional Capital comes from the same quarries. There is the southern Con- gresman who opposes compulsory edu- lcation because Washington schools are already too full. The son of friend could not be admitted to school room It has not occurred 10 him to urge more schools He would keep more children out to make room for his lprotege The most important sani- tary measure of last winter was killed by a Western Senator because of his pique at the local health offiGer's order affecting his own COW stables. A clean shaven Northern statesman dozed ! through a committee hearing, indifer- ent to the disease and misery described | of Washington alleys. Suddenly he sat ! up with a jump 1t was when Speak CT brought home the fact that in the midst of this squalor hung the wash of the Senate barber shop. On the l other hand, certain members of both houses have given much time and ability to the affairs of the district For the most part, it is to be believed, there is no intentional disregard of the general welfare of the district. Members of Congress live but a part of
 the year in Washington and their time is in heavy demand. If the facts are once brought thoroughly to their
 attention t is believed that prompt action will result.
 To this end the national publication
 committee $ going at the situation in
 the same matter of fact way that the
 residents of a Chicago neighborhood. or a St Louis side street, would set about cleaning up their ward politics or getting q pavement. Civil leagues, woman's clubs, charitable organizations and the like throughout the country are being asked to bring the matter Il before their Representatives and Sena- tors. ''The National Capital ought to lead" they are told 50 long as 1t drags behind. it flinders progress in 1 your town and ours, Residents of the i District have no votes. It is the Sena- tors and Representatives from your State and ours who are the common council and State Legislature and pow 1 ers-that-be generally for the District of 1 Columbia. Voters in your State and 1 ours are he only ones who have any say. directly or indirectly, in the at- i fairs of Washington. Whether or not the American people have capital city sss----%---a---zs------as.--..