The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-04-10
WASHINGTON LETTER

ant the worst OF H. The smell from
them garbage cans is awful You see
the folks that live upstairs don't come
down to put the garbage In the cans
They Just throw IL al the can ana IL
never has lid on and the smell ana
flies is something awful One outside
toilet is found here for each four ram
lilies.
From the same report the follow
ing account. given by teacher In one
Of the public schools, OF her exper.
ience in searching for n truant child
is quoted; The front room was ex-
tremely dirty with filth OF many kinds
and particularly that OF chickens on
the floor. over in one corner Was a
bundle of rags which had evidently
been used as bed. There Was no
furniture in the room and the girl,
who .old me she was in service down
town, but was visiting her aunt lea
me- into the kitchen. As no one was
there. she said. Come upstairs with
me, my aunt is upstairs | started.
and when about half way up could
see into a room where colored man
VAS living on the floor drunk. and |
heard the voice OF woman. seeming
" in altercaiotn with him Then the
don't Won bring any one up here |
wen back TO the kitchen and the wo-
man came down there. The room was
so dark that | could scarcely dis'in-
guish her at first, but after a while
saw that her face was almost eaten
away by cancer. one OF her eyes
having been DESTROYED | asked her
who the man was upstairs. She said.
lie is just friend OF mine. He
works az the --- hotel and came
down her OF spend his aftervoon off
then asked about the little boy and
she said he was the child Of a woman
who was in service downtown and
who came to see him often and paid
her a little something for keeping
him
This word picture gives faint idea
of what might he multiplied a hun
dredfold. This is the kind OF thine
Mrs Wilson saw
The reason these conditions exist
may be found on another page Of the
same report. Speaking OF the Logan
Court tenements. il says. One man
owns nine tenement houses OF six
apartments on Pierce-st. and also the
Ten houses of four apartments each.
making In all "a apartments. One OF
the apartments in Logans Court IL
usel as a repair shop for the janitor
who looks after all the houses. The
other go rent for s. per month each.
end they bring in s273 per month. One
set rents for 81 and another for 80
per month The total income per
month from these groups OF tenc-
ments. assessed for taxation at sl5.-
600. is approximately STA. or IS Sos
per year Note the discrepancy be-
tween the income and the assessed
valuation This is another respect In
which washington is model city.
Since 1873 this problem has been
/ pressed on congress. II could be rem
edied by proper legislation at any
time and the failure to secure such
/ legislation is due entirely to selfish
real estate owning interests and the
| Influence they can exert on members
OF congress who ISakc up the district
committees in the senate and house OF
f, representatives.
These alley conditions are one Of
the reasons for the present agitation
in favor Of local disagreement for
the District OF Columbia
When President Wilson wakes up
the problem he will be confronted on
the one side by earnest-minded peo-
pie who say that Washington should
be a part Of the United States and
govern itself in local affairs. and on
the other by claque OF real estate
interests. supported by public service
corporations. which will talk about
! Washington az model city" and the
best governed city in the United
States. and protest against any
! ''smirch unOn the fair mama NJ our
nations capital"