The Washington socialist. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1914-1915, 1914-06-04
Fails To Answer The Critics"
TALKS OF WORK IN
CITY OF MILWAUKEE
Seldel Gives His Version Of What His
Administration Did There.

Emil Seidel, who was mayor or Mil
waugee during the administration of
affairs in that city by the Socialist
party. spoke here at the Peoples
theatre Thursday night to an audience,
among which were several score OF
women, that filled the auditorium,
The speaker delivered an address that
was to marked degree free from
the stock phrases of the Socialist
orator. presenting the Milwaukee ad-
ministration as viewed by the admin
istrator
When the Socialists took office,
said Seidel, they found condition of
deficiency and duplication throughout
the citys departments. There was a
separate fire and police alarm sys-
TENS, tools were scattered over the
city. The first act of the administra-
ton, he said, was to take an inventory
of municipal property, revealing this
to have value OF S45,000,000, whereas
the city's wealth had been estimated
at s35,000,0 900. Everything on hand
was listed, everything purchased was
listed, and when the administration
ended by vote OF the people OF the
city two years later, complete list of
everything on hand was turned over.
"At least" said Seidel, Everybody ad-
mitted the Socialists had been hon
est"
The next step, he said, was the or
ganization OF three departments, one
to install better system of account
ing, one to create standards Of eff
cheney on scientific bases, the third
to study social problems and find their
causes and the remedies. Briefly he
sketched the work of the first two;
regarding the third he spoke at length.
Socialists at Work-HoW Babies Were
Saved.
In districts into which the city was
divided, said Seidel, were established
nurses, employed by the city, had
headquarters, serving those who called
there and going into the homes where
babies were and where babies were
expected. These nurses maintained
history cards for all the children born,
showing weekly records of their de-
velopment and condition. When moth
ers learned and understood that this
work was to save their babies they
co-operated readily When babys
condition was unfavorable a red-ink
entry on the history card was made,
and the physician employed by the
city, scanning these cards, learned
more from the records than would be
known by the average family physic-
ian, and he gave prompt attention to
the case. Mothers were taught how to
feed and care for their babies, and the
result. said the speaker, was that at
the end Of six months the death rate
among babies had decreased 81 per
cent.
For this initial work $4,000 was ap-
propriated, and this, said Seidel, was
promptly attacked as illegal, although
an appropriation Of $5,000,0O0 for new
wharves was urged as entirely legal.
This work, he explained, was really
the second stage in child welfare
work, the first being that among the
women.
The Art Of Being Practicable.
Properly, said Seidel, child welfare
work begins before the child is born,
the second stage continuing until the
child enters school, the third during
the school age, the fourth after gradu-
ation-one-third of the human span Of
life. What do you offer the boy after
he graduates?" he asked. "You shut
him out of the saloon, the poolroom,
the moving picture show, Your po-
liceman runs him off the streets, and
your curfew makes him criminal,
DuJ nave you dlly pI"SS ~ 'A'A4
which you can invite him and make
him welcome?"
The problems presented by the I'M
employed the garnishment of wages,
the need of healthful recreation, the
effects of unsanitary housing, and
tuberculosis, were attacked by the
Socialist administration, said the
speaker, and considerable progress
made during the administration.
Seidel's review Of the administra-
ton was presented most comprehen-
siyely when he summed up the rea-
sons as he saw them, why the Social
lists were retired from power. AS the
interests of the working people were
looked after by the Socialists, Re
publicans and Democrats failed to
land appointments This was one