The Washington times., 1913-05-27

tertng places for crime and the breed
ing ground of vice.
Il could tell of horrible conditions in
particular alleys. but the whole system
is bad and inevitably gets worse.
The law of 1892 practically stopped
the construction of alley property: so
the buildings now occupied are at least
twenty-one years old, and probably
average nearer forty years"
Traces Sections Growth.
In beginning his speech, Congressman
Borland traced the distressing growth
Of the alley section. With the increase
Of prosperity. he explained, the rich ard
the moderately well-to-do move sradu-
ally from the older sections of the city
and go to the suburbs This leaves the
older sections to the uses of business.
which will pay a large return upon the
Increasing value of the land" he said.
"Honeycombed through all this district.
the common workshop and the meeting
ground, is found residential section
for the poor sometimes denominated
the slums."
These slums. said Mr.. Borland. nee
essarily shelter both the honest and
industrious poor and the criminal ael
semi-criminal elements of population
THE slum districts are Usually By
ways, hidden CORNERS of the great city.
filled with antiquated and delap!dated
cay" said Mr. Borland. Many are
not intended for human dwellings and
cannot fail to be incubators OF disease
and crime. The baneful influence Of
suhc districts permeates the entire city.
Recounts His Experiences.
PecountIng his experiences in the
sIurns of the National Capital Mr. Bor-
land continued.
'It Is horrible to think Of the army
OF tenants which has filed through each
of these buildings for forty years. 1t
is dreadful to call up the number OF
deaths from tuberculosis, pneumonia,
typhoid and cholera infantum which
those grimy walls have witnessed. They
still exist, radiating out in every di-
rection the germs Of infectious disease.
Even the worst alleys Of the city con-
tain a large number Of industrious
people who seek employment in hotels,
offices and private residences.
81 speak first Of the menace Of the
alleys from the standpoint Of disease,
but in the mind Of the legislator there
are other elements showing the fearful
cost OF inhabited alleys. They are un-
questionably the sheltering places for
crime and the breeding ground Of vice.
The general type Of these alleys is the
saloon on the street, either at the alley
corner or very close thereto. which does
a thriving business during the warm
summer nights in buckets Of stale beer.
Tho population Of the alleys Is crowded
so closely together that neither sex NOR
age Is any protection from the general
contamination.
The moral atmosphere degrades
and contaminates even the more In
dustrious classes. Alley fights and
alley murders are numerous, and the
police court record tells a convincing
tale Of the public cost Of alleys. Many
Of these alleys ere not opened straight
through from street to street, but
branch off behind other buildings,
sometimes in an H formation In the
last five years most of these alleys
have been paved and gas lamps erect
ed at the corners, but II 10 manifestly
impossible for either the police de-
partment or the health department to
have the necessary supervision Of
these blind alleys and hidden corners.
I'm the center Of the alley. gen.
orally. is found q little grocery and