The Washington herald., 1907-06-02
Editor he WasinEtgn Hsrald:

Editor The Washington Herald:
am very glad to see that President
Roosevelt is taking an interest in secur-
ing better homes for the poor I have
resided in Washington for forty-seven
years, and he is the FIRST President I have
ever known in all that time who has in
terested himself in attempts 20 better
the sanitary and other conditions Of the
nations Capital. When, in a former mes
sage. he spoke of the slums of Wash
ington and urged that something should
be done 20 abolish or improve them, a
District official in my presence expressed
his Indignation ard declared there were
no slums here I think any person who
viii go through the alleys of the city and
see the ShaCEs i'm which the mass of the
colored people live, or who will examine
the photographs Of them I'm the pub
lished reports Of the Associated Charities.
VIII agree with the President that there
are slums which are a disgrace to the
city and the nation. Only recently l
read in one Of our city papers OF one case
Of eleven negroes, five adults and six
children. being found in a shed I'm which
a rough board partition had been erected
10 form two rooms. In one Of these
rooms the five adults. male and female
slept, and I'm the other were the six girls
and boys. who had no clothing to cover
their naksuness. and were nearly starved.
Not Familiar with Conditions.
Those who reside in the fine buildings
seen 10y the occupants of the Seeing
Washington vehicles. as well as the
visitors themselves. have no conception
of the conditions in the alleys of the
nations Capital 1t is q shame and an
outrage that such condition of affairs
should be permitted to- exist and moth
ing but The most determined action on
the part of the general government whose
duty it is. VIII ever nd us of the evil.
At the last meeting ri the citizens
committee OF one hundred iu $780, I in
troducei "a resolution asking Congress to-
stop the building of dwellings on the
alleys The resolution was unanimously
adopted and "a committee appointed Co
prepare ID bin for the purpose. As chair
man of that committee 7 prepared. and
Senator PetriErew introduced, Senate bill
l'2, which made it unlawful t1 erect
dwelling house ON any alley of less than
forty feet width in the District. 1t fur
Their provided that mo- permit for the
erection Of such "a building should DE
granted until the alley on which it was
proposed 90 place the house was extended
% the full width of forty feet fits entire
length. directly through the square. and
until provision was made for sewerage
and lighting and the extension of water
mains iu the alley.
Nothing was done no that session. and
in 1872 I had the bin introduced again.
IN the meantime ID United States Senator
had purchased IL lot i'm the square where
] resided. and where the lots were 80
feet deep, and Le persuaded the commit
tee 20 change the bill 90 exactly nt the
condition of The alley as il then existed.
$50 as jo enable him to cut off the back
end uf his Iat inr the erection Of more
negro residences. The bill was so passed.
III the meantime. TWO real estate spccu-
largrs bought the back of some lots on
the opposite side uf the alley ON which
they aHfLt two I0Ws of houses. back TO
back. four rooms each. each Of which
was occupied bv two negro families.
f.H tih ...fa..ltr ifI .--HtAHr
and a single lyarauJ iu the alley was the
only water supply. At that time there
were $40 negroes living I'm that alley. and
nearly every uiEhy there We're rows and
fights, which sometimes resulted fatally
Dangerous InSauitation.
The alley extended leug.hwise of the
square. with IT. or cross alley 10 each
end, and had "a single opening midway OF
its length out 60 d street As the ground
was inclined. all the sIops and filth ran
down to the lower end of one arm of the
T, where it stood moro than q foot deep.
creating an iat0lera5Ie stencil When
there was "a rain this overGowcd and ran
into the back yards, areas, and Easements
of the houses ON the street fronts. and
when 10 citizen instituted "a suit against
the District for damage To his property
The court in its wisdom held that the
District was not responsible.
after seven years effort I succeeded I'm
getting the alley severed. paved. and
lighted bgt only by driving q member OF
the Senate District Committee i'm my
buggy through The alley. where the liquid
filth came nearly up 10 the hub. and. with
the assistance OF Senator Ingalls,. chair
man Of the Senate Committee, inducing
the two civilian Commissioners TO visit IL
themselves.
In another extreme case on Ninth street.
after years of effort. L succeeded i'm hay
iuE convenience condemned rs insani-
tsrv, and the owner was ordered 10 re-
move il. Yet IL remained there for seven
years until the lot was sold a couple of
years ago and built upon.
Now. these are cases within my per /
soual knowledge; and to-day there are
hundreds of others equally as bad. if not /
worse. Is IL any wonder that vice and /
crime abound. as may De seen any morn /
.ng by visiting the Police Court. or that I
the death rate of the coI0red residents of /
these sIUms should exceed that OF the
whites from 20 60 200 per cent,
Prolific Sources of Disease.
As shown by the medical society in Sen
lJe report no. 6-3. in 1seA. there were then
no less than 1902 box conveniences i'm the
District, of which $3.50 were in the cftvI
proper nearly all in the alleys, As if has .
been demonstrated that the flies which
swarm about such places and the aUevs
convey typhoid and other germs. is it.
any wonder That typhoid fever should /
continue, Notwithstanding the filtration
'f the water? If those who talk about
5eautityius the city. together with the
authorities, would give attention 20 these /
they would, in my opinion. ac-
,ompIish far more good.
am aware that Congress hes author
zod the condemnation Of ius8nit8ry