The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1909-06-17

DISCLOSURE
HomesCommission
Reveals Awful
Conditions.

parture for the jungles of Africa for a
carnival Of slaughter of wild game, eX-
President Roosevelt gave utterance
through the columns of the Outlook to
ferocious attack on socialism. The ar
ticle in question was so unfair and un-
Just that it aroused widespread indig-
nation among fair minded, both social
lists and non socialists alike. The chief
burden of his attack was that socialism
would destroy the sanctity of the home
and would introduce into this country
a system of RIGHTEOUSNESS and debauch
giving free rein to the animal passions
of men and women. Many conscientious
people do not agree with the socialist
doctrines of government, but none but
the most bigoted or most ignorant be-
lieve that such condition of affairs
could ever exist in socialist regime.
The Appeal to Reason in its issue of
June 5th makes an awful indictment Of
Roosevelt's capitalist system. 1t appears
that during Mr.. Roosevelt's administra,
tion a Homes Commission" was APP
pointed to investigate the condition of
home life among the poor of several of
the great cities of the country. The re.
led in senate document No. 644. They
We're so revolving and were all in all
such terrible arraignment of modern
society that the report was Suppressed
and never made public. Hundreds of peo-
pie have written for this document and
have received the steroptyed reply, "out
of print" The Appeal prints verbatim
extracts from this report. We care not
what the political sentiments of our
readers may be. We believe that you
will be interested in these statistics. II
they are untrue the Appeal management
lays itself liable to criminal prosecu-
tion by the government. If they are
true it is convincing proof that there is
something terribly wrong somewhere
with our whole industrial system.
In this and subsequent issues we
shall print the article as it appeared in
the Appeal to Reason OF June 5th
(. o 8
Let us preface direct quotations with
an article from the Utica. n. v, Globe
of May Is. because this explains the sit
uation in Washington in briefer form
than the report of the Homes commits
sion does Roosevelt should have known
of it, for he lived in Washington eight
years:
The slums of Washington rival, if
they do not surpass, those of any other
American city. The spacious blocks and
large sized lots paved the way for the
opening of alleys which have become
sinkhoes of vice and menace to pub
lie health through the msanitary condi-
tions in which many of their inhabitants
live. As the values of land rose the own
ers of lots fronting on the regular thor
oughfares permitted the use of the rear
ends of their lots for purposes that
would yield an income and help to pay
the taxes on the increased values
Stables and ramshackle buildings that
have become the last resort of the poor
for shelter were erected on this surplus
land in the centers of the blocks. As
entrances Were required for these struc-
lures systems of alleys have developed
These are vertable labyrinths of narrow
0assageways buried in the eenters OF
the blocks. They are often reached only
by means of single narrow alley. Some,
times this passageway is no more than
4 foottpath, giving admission through
Ia rectangular opening in building
fronting in the street, A person passing
along the street would be in absolute ig-
norance of the presence of a colony of
the poorest of the poor in the rear of
the highclass apartment houses, the
club houses and the well to do homes
bordering it. The centers of these blocks
figuratively, are sepulchres full of dead
mems bones. There are more than 250
of these labyrinthine alleys. Living in
them and exposed to filth, vice and dis
ease are upward of 10000 persons.
1t is said that when President Roose-
velts Homes commission some months
ago decided to send through the mail
copies of its report certain inhabit'
ants of Washington sought to have it
excluded because of the nakedness of its
descriptions of the conditions found in
the capitals slums. 1t is believed that
the conditions could hardly be duplicated
anywhere in New York city, where the
population is many times larger and eX'
cuse for congestion is much greater
Where running water and sewer connec-
tions are wanted they are had in New
York. This is frequently not the case in
the Washington alleys. Sometimes an
entire alley is dependent upon a single
faucet from which the water occasion
ally will run and frequently will not
This faucet may be out of doors and OF
service only to those who are willing Il