The Washington herald., 1910-06-21
EDUCATION GIVEN
AS ALLEY PURIFIER
Only Sure Solution, Holds
DR.. Woodward.
CONDITIONS NEED ATTENTION
awhile Washington Is Not Worse
Than Many Cities" Says District
Health Officer, sHer sIums should
BE Cleaned Up for the Good of
Public. Health aE soon as Possible. -

Education as a relief from poverty is
necessary in Washington" said Health
ofcer w. C. Woodward yesterday while
speaking Of the question OF unclean
alleys.
''The condition OF the alleys and by
streets are worse than the average citi-
zen has any idea. One has only TO
walk around nearly any block In any of
the more thickly populated portions OF
the city TO see the dirt, and the utter
disregard for cleanliness that exists IN
most of them
THE question now arises: What are we
to do about It? If the city is honey
combed with dirty alleys, for which there
seems to be no remedy in the health de-
partment regulations nor in those of the
/ building department. what is TO be done
to remedy the condition so that the in
habitants OF the alleys may have a chance
for life and rear their children so that
they will know and desire something
better?"
Buy Up the Alleys.
According 20 Health Officer woodward,
no action of Congress. such as the bond
speech on this subject on Sunday. can
possibly better the conditions. The only
method that he can see to improve things
is to have the government buy up the
alleys themselves and either sell or give
them TO the property holders. This would.
OF course, involve the expenditure OF an
immense sum Of money, and II is ex-
tremely doubtful If 1t can be carried into
effect
But, on the other hand, the people
who live in the alleys can be educated
and taught that there are other and
better things that they can look UP to
and then laugh the means 20 attain
these ends. This seems to me the better
OF the two ways" said DR.. Woodward
1T is not so much the fault Of the peo-
pie that live IN the alleys as II is the
fault of association. If you and were
TO live in an alley for a while the condi-
tioon of the alley would undoubtedly be
better for a time, but after we had lived
there for three or four years. we would
most likely sink to the level of those
who lived there before we came. In
other words, we would not raise the
alley TO our level, but we would sink to
the level of the alley. This, think. you
viii find 10 be true in nearly all cases.
Dwellings Ought to Go.
I am not in favor Of doing away with
the alleys altogether. but 1 am in favor
of doing away with the alley dwellings.
The best thing 10 do with the alleys
after they had been bought by the gov
eminent. if such should occur, would be
10 turn them into Fairgrounds for the
block. if it is not considered feasible to
turn them over TO the property owners
near by. as I suggested before. | am
certainly not in favor of making narrow
streets Of them. for l do not think that
streets OF forty or fifty feet are good.
Another thing that makes the alleys
what they are now is the fact that in
1892 there was passed a law prohibiting
the erection of any dwelling or house in
an alley nearer than forty feet from a
line passing down the center OF the alley.
This has been strictly lived up TO since
that time, with the result that very few
new houses have been erected in the
alleys, as they cannot be built more than
forty feet from the center Of the alleys
with any degree of convenience, as the
general run Of alleys are TOO narrow 10
permit of this. This causes the old
houses-those built prior to Is92-to re-
main Just as they were then. They have
not been repaired, because their owners
do not consider that they are worth it,
and they cannot be torn down, for the
new house cannot be built in their place.
So they are left standing there in their
present insanitary condition.
Same in Other Cities.
But you must understand that Wash
ington is not so much worse than some
other cities-Boston, for instance. Any
one who has lived in Boston knows that
the conditions there are as bad Or worse
than they are here. OF course. this is
no excuse for the alleys here, but It
goes to show that the situation is not
unusual Every city has it's Sums Some
thing should be done TO alleviate the
conditions Of those who are forced to
live in these places, and 1t should be
done quickly. We are moving in the
right direction, but we are moving slowly
II needs just a stimulus Of this kind to
bring the people TO a sense OF their duty
and to show them what lies hidden in
the interior OF their city. in the parts
to which persons very seldom penetrate. |
but in which exist conditions that are at
times unspeakable. There is an alley
known as Willow Tree alley-in the south |
western portion or the city that is very
often spoken Of as the worst in the city. !
1t is pretty bad, but not nearly as bad
as others that 1 might mention. II is |
an illustration OF what mean when I |
say that we are moving in the right !
direction. for Willow Tree alley is 80 |
per cent better to-day than It was Eve |
years ago-but the other so per cent |
should be just that much better than # |
is now.
One or two other things that I can |
think Of that would better the conditions |
are the doing away with the present sys- |
tee OF high board fences and the passing
Of ordinances providing for a larger force |
of inspectors for the health department |
together with a change In the regulations
which demand that a warning be given |
the householder before he is required 10 /
appear IN court for having his premises |
in an insanitary condition.