Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-12
SAYS DEATH RATE is HIGH
In Magazine Article He Gives Fig
ures From Census Bulletin.
DWELLs ON INFANT MORTALITY
Quotes Ex-President Roosevelt, ia
cob Riis and Others on Condi-
tions in the Capital.

| w. OYSTER, III an open lettel pun
| Ished in the current issue of the Trades
Cnionist, appeals to the churches or the
| city, the Board Of Trade. the Chamber
| Of Commerce and the citizens associa-
tons to join in crusade for the purlnca-
| ton of Washington by the elimination
Of the slums Of the city. To show the in
sanitary conditions that exist at present
in some districts of the National capital
he quotes from President Roosevelt, The
Evening Star, Jacob A. Riis and others,
| and shows by statistics Of the census bu-
reau that Washington has an unusually
high death rate, due to the slums, he
claims.
THE following death rate figures"
| says the letter, ARE taken from census
bulletin, No. 1O4, mortality statistics
1908:
Washington, 1873 deaths per 1000; Bos-
ton. 1911; Cincinnati 1875; Baltimore,
17.5; Philadelphia, ia; Newark, 17.3;
Vienna, Austria. 17.3; New York, 1853;
Kansas City, 16S; Louisville. 1850; Buff
falo. 1873; Detroit, 1876; Berlin. Germany,
Chicago. 40; London, England. 1873;
Milwaukee, 1876: Indianapolis, 1875: Oma-
ha. 49, Minneapolis. 1913; ST. Paul, 10.1.
During the past ten years Wasington's
death rate has averaged about twenty
per thousand. almost double Minnesota s
twin cities in 1908.
Mortality Among Infants.
1.-The death rate of babies under one
year of age is startling. In the health
officers report for hostile last one in
print-the population Of colored babies in
health district No. under one year of
age is given as n, and the number Of
deaths D.. In district No. the popula-
ton is given as Z and the deaths as &.
In district No. 10 the population is given
as il and the numer Of deaths as II. In
district No. 20 the population Is given as
Il and the deaths as b. This indicates
death rate in these districts of about
400 per thousand. Districts Nos. and Z
are in the northwest section Of the city,
and districts Nos. 10 and 20 are in the
| northeast and southeast sections. In sub
| urban districts 81, 81, 40, 81. 81, 53 the
population of colored children under one
year is given as -, the same as in city
district No. s. In the city % died-s per
cent-while no deaths are reported for
these six suburban districts. These fig
ures show in a most striking manner the
effect of sunshine and pure air on child
life.
The death rate OF colored ba bies under
one year in the twentythree city dis
tricts in 1903 was about $50 per thou
| sand, and of white babies about $40 per
thousand. The death rate of colored
babies under one year in the thirty out
sand, and of white babies about so per
thousand
Slums Are Blamed.
1T is within bounds to say that the
slums and congested sections of Wash
ington are responsible for one-fourth the
total number Of deaths in the city and
are responsible for at least one-third of
the deaths of babies under one year
1T would be both useless and unprof-
liable to endeavor to fix the responsible
ity for the present insanitary condition
OF affairs in the National Capital.
The Evening Star says: If the we'll
| TODD citizens of Washington could go
forth on such nights as those that have
lately been endured here and look into
| the dark corners, the blind alleys and
the inhabited courts and see how human
ity swarms and suffers there, an outcry
would arise for changes wiping these
settlements out Of existence. 1t would
| then be understood that in truth the
problem of Washington today lies in its
alleyways, In it's crowded corners. it's
slums. And at the next session of Con-
gress, perhaps, the voice of the capital
would be heard in terms that would ad-
| NIT of no further delay in the attacking
of this grave problem and a provision of
Quotes MI. Roosevelt.
Mr.. Oyster quotes ex-President Roose-
welt as follows:
For the District of Columbia a good
factory law should be passed, and, as
powerful indirect aid to such laws, pro-
vision should be made to turn the IN
habited alleys, the existence of which
is a reproach to our capital city, into
minor streets. where the inhabitants can
live under conditions favorable to health
and morals
He also quotes Jacob A. Ris
II am not easily discouraged" said
Mr.. Riis, but l confess 1 was sur
prised by the sights 1 have seen in the
National Capital.
You people Of Washington have alley
after alley filled with people you know
nothing about. There are 23S such al
legs! They tell me the death rate among
the negro babies born in these alleys Is
457 out of a thousand before they grow
to be one year old. Nearly cne-haif!
Nowhere l have ever been in the civilized
world have l heard of a death rate like
that Why l have never seen places like
those you have here.
For such condition there's no de-
fense Where does the blame lie? With
the owners of the slums you will prob
ably say. But it lies equally with the
community which permits such shame
full and sinful condition of affairs TO
borders