Evening star., 1914-09-27
Work of Mrs. Woodrow Wilson for
the Betterment Of
Washington.
Mrs. Ernest p. Bicknen Refers te
Alley Law, Recently Enacted,
as a Memorial.

advance.
Mrs. Wilson's greatest achievement
along this line was in her championships
Of the ALLEY bill' to clean out the
slums of the ca pital and give breathing
and playing spaces in their stead. Her
dying wish for the enactment of this
legislation won the sympathies of Con-
gress. and an alley bill has been passed
by both houses and signed by the Pres
ident. Her other activities for the re-
lief OF suffering. for easing of poverty
by providing suitable employment and
for promoting health and happiness
generally among the less fortunate
people of Washington are recorded by
Mrs. BickneN.
Mrs. BickneIl is the wife of the ma
tional director of the American Red
mittee on housing, National Civic Fed
Grafton.
Mrs. Bicknell's Tribute.
Her tribute follows:
when Mrs. Wilson came to Wash
angton to take up the new and trying
duties of mistress of the White House,
she was not deceived by the outer
beauty of the city, but felt sure that
improvements were needed here as
elsewhere. When she announced her
self and of helping in the work of i'm
provement, a new hope and inspiT alton
came to the social workers of Wash
ington
MRS Archibald Hopkins was chair
man of the Washington section, wom-
ans department. National Civic Feder-
alton, and / was chairman of the COM
mittee on housing. We had been work.
our chief interest was, and still is. in
the alleys. For this reason We wished
to show these to Mrs. Wilson first, be-
Heving that II we could arouse her in
terest 1T might mean their final aboli-
ton as places of habitation.
Visits the Alleys.
so We drove through alley after al
ley. explaining that the death rate was
twice as high as on the street; that
one out Of every two children born in
the alleys is illegitimate: that drunken
ness and crime are fostered by such
seclusion.
among the alleys visited that day
was Goat alley. where 200 people live
entirely shut on from the public view
Q law unto themselves. The houses
some day that these houses will be
torn down. wide openings made
through to at least two of the four
surrounding streets and a splendid mu-
oongested district.
"We went also to Logan's court. one
of the most congested. picturesque. vice
end disease producing alleys in the
city: also one where net profits on
rentals have amounted to as high as 20
rhen on to the famous Willow Tree
alley, where between 300 and 400 peo-
pie lived within three blocks of the
Capitol under most shocking condi-
lions. After much discussion and five
presidential messages. Congress finally
appropriated $4,000 for the eondem-
When We were there the houses were
nearly all torn down, leaving a clear
space within the block of between four
and Hys MRS a%a ne
excellent thing for the neighborhood
II a municipal washhouse could be To-
Gated at one corner of this square. She
afterward talked Of this hope to num-
bef Of officials, but her dream is as
yet unrealized.
Providing a Playground.
.After all the expense of condemna-
tion had been paid there remained an
unexpended balance of $4,000. This
has since been used for improvement.
Willow Tree alley has been converted
Into a combination playground and
park, but it remains inclosed In the
same way that the old alley was. and
unless most carefully supervised 1t may
be Just as harmful in its influence. 1t
II hoped that later Congress will make
an appropriation for buying the prop
erty on the four surrounding sides. SO
that this can be made into splendid
"On another day Mrs. Wilson visited
our group Of sanitary houses. We call
1t our group because our housing COM
mittee has charge of the houses and
a
lects rents and looks after the ten
ants according to the Octavia Hill plan
The houses were constructed for the
sake of demonstrating that small sani-
a reasonable sum and yet, by good
management, be made to pay a fair
profit. The 10s two-family houses in
and . bath each. rent from s75o to
$12 SO per month per family, pay 8
Per cent on the investment. besides
the per cent allowed for repairs and
, per cent as reserve fund for the
purpose of rebuilding
Mrs. Wilson was as charmed with
these houses as she had been dis
tfessed with those In the alleys. and
was delighted to see that the houses
were occupied by colored people. the
race for whose elevation she had long
been working.
Winning Congressmen.
After Mrs. wilson Joined our cru
sade people docked to our standard
and everybody wanted to help in the
alleys. II was laughingIy said that no
one could move IN polite society in
Washington who could not talk alleys
I'VE made daily trips through the
alleys with congressman and others.
always ending at the sanitary houses.
illustrating by these how the alley
people might be housed II we could
get them out on the street Mrs Will
son often went with US, and when we
mad some one we were especially anx-
1ous to win over to our cause that one
was invited to accompany her.
"A committee of fifty on alleys was
formed. William c. Woodward, w no
had gone through the alleys, first as
District physician to the poor, then
US District coroner, and now as health
ohicer of the District of Columbia
and who knows the demoralizing in
huence Of the alley perhaps better than
any one else, wrote the bill. 1t was
Endorsed by Commissioners Newman
and Siddons. and finally sent to Con-
gress as the Commissioner bill II
was also simply known as the ALLEY
bill. and as Mrs Wilson's BILL
During her illness and anxiety, Mrs
Wilson did not lose interest in her bill
even though she heard nothing Of il
On the very last morning Of her life
she said to the President: I should b,