Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-06-28
RAPID TRANSIT
TO END SLUMS
AID IN EQUALIZATION OF CITY,
SAYS BARTLETT
LOS ANGELES MAY ATTAIN GOOD.
NESS WITH GREATNESS
Head Of Bethlehem Institute Talks to
City Club on Passing of Con-
gested Districts Every
where

With optimistic vision and faith the
Rev. Dana w. Bartlett talked to the
City club yesterday at its noon lunch
con at the Westminster on the processes
by which the slums of any city will be
eventually eliminated. The address did
not apply to Los Angeles except Incl
dentally.
The Slums Must Go" was the sub
ject and the emphasis was on the word
must" DIR. BARTLETT was introduced
by the Rev. William Horace Day, who
lauded his work, THE Better City"
The factory conditions were primarily
the cause of congestion in home life,
and from this congestion came the
tenement, DIR. Bartlett said. The tene-
ment developed into the Stun, and 1t
brought buildings, with the architec-
ture of rapacity, that had little light
and practically no ventilation. The
saloon and the brothel found thrift In
such environment, and those who have
made themselves familiar with tene-
ment life in larger cities knew the de-
generacy that such habitations soon
produce Not only moral but physical
degeneracy, SO that DR.. Bartlett ex-
claimed:
children are not born In tenements
but are cursed into life. Those who
know of the growler rushing, the fight
ing, the obscenity and the blasphemy
of tenement house living know what
that means. Under such environment
the saintliest parents could not hope
for good children"
There was only one playground for
the children of the tenement, and that
was the street, where the danger of
crinninality exists and the policeman
is the enemy of the child. DIR. Bartlett
did not find such conditions In Los Arr
geles, but he did find the beginning of
such conditions in the Eighth ward,
where his Bethlehem has been minis
tering for some time.
Prohibit Tenements
why the public will permit the con-
struction of unhabitable buildings
when it knows how to make them san
itary and healthful was a problem. And
in his inquiry dnto causes. rather than
results, he thought he had made ample
inquiry, he found that the unsanitary
tenement was the chief cause of pow
erty. It was the pathway to the saloon.
and this was the key to the subsequent
criminality.
II look forward to a time. though I
may be called a dreamer" he said,
when poverty will be abolished"
Abolish the slums and the power of
the political boss will be broken. 1t is
in the slums that the bad politicians
house Johns and others of that class
gain their power in municipal govern
ment and bring about corruption.
1t was the duty of every citizen OF
Los Angeles to concern himself about
the work In the Eighth ward. The man
who declares he has no interest In this
ward because he lives In fine subur-
ban home fails to realize his duty, for II
left to itself the slum district of this
ward would soon visit It's criminal de-
velopment on the buildings and homes
and families OF the rest of the COM
munity. There is a direct responsibility
of all the people to such things.
1--WE heard last Saturday IN this
room" said DIR. Bartlett, "strong pres
entation of what the Greater Los An
geles will be when the harbor is doone.
We must acknowledge that this picture
was we'll drawn, and we must join IN
the work OF making 1t a cleaner, better
city. We must fight to redeem II from
political bossism and graft and Sums
and saloons. If we begin this now we
will attain goodness and greatness to-
gether."
The trolley is the key to the abolition
of the Sums. Rapid cheap transit is
making a new age. Instead OF build
ing up cities In congested form the
new plan is to ruralize them, ana IN
this development the slum will perish.
Factory conditions are changing. me
factory builder no longer wants
cramped conditions but seeks ample
acreage in the suburbs. Around Los
Angeles are to be found a score OF
hamlets where the homes and yards or
thousands of men who can pay but
dollar a week are living in health and
moral inspiration. Besides the munich
pality is itself alleviating conditions by
it's 900 settlement house in the
Eighth ward which will be ready for
use about August 1.
The club at its session YESTERDAY
adonted resolution making 1t the rule
in future that all resolutions of thanks
to speakers who discuss topics at the
weekly meetings must first be sub
mitted to the executive committee.
Meyer Lissner, who presided, said this
was merely to prevent the adoption OF
resolutions which might cause con-