Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-25

| District.
| On the ptch-black stairway of an alley
/ tenement. where he could not see his
hand before his face. yesterday afternoon.
| Representative Borland of Missouri. a
member of the House appropriations COM
mittee came to the swift conclusion that
he had reached high tide in the squalor
of the city's slums. He then and there
determined that the Congress of the
| United States should hear from him on
| the crying need for one big, broad law
under which the Commissioners can act
/ to clean up the alleys without further
legal ENHANCEMENT. He said last night
he expected to make his speech in the
| House Tuesday.
! Representative Borland was enthus-
astic on the need for cleanup of all the
alleys when Star reporter talked to him
| last night. He described the twenty-three
miles of alleys through which he travelled
| in the afternoon and morning. and then
| explained In broad terms his idea of the
| law which the District needs to cure
those evils which exist and to prevent
recurrence in the future.
| The impression i received" he said.
was that every one of these alleys
should be cleaned up-made into minor
streets or into interior parks. i was
taken into all of them. l imagine,
Shows court and Goat alley and Pig
alley and all the rest of them but the
That place caps the climax for filth
and wretchedness of houses.
Particularly Vile Home.
TT lies between 1st and I'd, e and
streets northwest. particularly
vile home there is a three-story affair,
with two rooms to a floor. You would
scarcely believe that one has to light
match on the stairways to see the
walls. which are so black that they do
not show the mark where a match has
been struck
In each Of the two rooms on ea6h
floor an entire family lives. Each of
them pays dollar month, l am told,
and the property Is owned by a lawyer
who lives in an uptown apartment
There were other houses there in
frightful condition. The so-called san
itary arrangements were of the dis
ease-breeding kind. The whole place
is an object lesson for the kind of
houses which the Sanitary Housing
Company is building to take the places
of those alley shacks which will be
condemned.
Therefore I believe that the District
needs law under which the Commits
sioners can condemn an alley and
make it into minor street or a park,
| as the physical circumstances demand
| or warrant. / think this would be bet
/ ter than to be forced to introduce a
| bill for each separate square or alley.
Representative Henry George, jr., 1 be-
| lieve, introduced bill last session to
give condemnation turies the right to
assess benefits on the surrounding
properties in alleys to the amounts
which seemed justifable, the balance to
| be paid for out of the general fund of
| the District of Columbia
Cleaning Up One Feature.
But you must remember that clean
ing up the alleys and making minor
streets or parks OF them is but one
feature. We cannot tear down vile
| and insanitary shack and not give the
people living in them some better
place to live. and right there is where
the Sanitary Housing Company comes
| in. That company is erecting alley
/ homes on philanthropy and per
cent" basis. The homes are clean.
well lighted and furnished with bath
rooms and proper plumbing. and rent
| for practically the same as the shacks
| do-in some cases less.
| Il intend to address Congress on the
| entire subject and Will do SO probably
| Tuesday"
Subscriptions to the thou
| Sduu-uoiidr 1unQ Wnlch Will De nee0ed
| to erect the block of sanitary homes
were still coming in to Mrs. Archibald
Hopkins. chairman of the Washington
section. woman's welfare department
of the National Civic Federation. last
| night. 1t had reached $1,000 and more
was In sight.
A subscription of 81, 900 was received
from Mrs. George l.. Bradley. one for
$500 came from "a friend" and another
unnamed person subscribed 500.
L ia n of ha artv <,f
this company which is being handled
by the housing committee of the
| woman's welfare department. The
company has turned over a consider
able stretch of sanitary houses to the
women for the collecting of rents and
for charitable and philanthropic work
which the ordinary rent collector can
not do. This matter Is placed on a
business basis and the company pays
a percentage for the rent collected.
Mrs. Wilson to Speak.
i Considerable interest was expressed by
members OF the welfare department. last
night when IL became known that Mrs.
Woodrow Wilson would address the wives
of congressman on the alley situation.
The address is scheduled for Tuesday at
! Rauschers.
department has been doing in the alleys
recently has brought forth the heartfelt
and touching thanks of an anonymous
coiored woman, who wrote letter 10
Mrs. Archibald Hopkins yesterday.
Il have such pleasure in the Kindness >
the note read for the interest you have
taken in the poor of my race. You are
doing good work--like the samaritan.
There is Christianity In the ladies who
are working with yoL. Please thank
Mrs. Weodrow Wilson for the things she
mas done
1t was signed a Poor Coiored Wom-
an.
Tt Is beautiful lsitcr.'' said Mrs.
Hopkins, = want TO lind that woman
through The star aud thank her for il. !"