The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-01-30
Placarding Pest Houses.

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rest Of the people Of the world. The
cry of unclean" was the warning to
the world to beware. Kenosha is fol
lowing that old custom Of crying out
warning. There are no lepers in
Kenosha, but there are pest spots in
Kenosha which threaten the lives of
people just the same as leprosy. These
pest houses are houses sanitarily unfit
for the occupancy of people. They
have existed in Kenosha for years as
the monument to the greed Of men
willing to accept money for rents even
though the acceptance of it brought
into jeapordy the lives of men and
women and children.
No movement that has been started
in years is more worthy of the general
support of the people Of the city than
the survey which is being made under
committee Of officials starting this
week. 1t is going to mark the un-
sanitary houses in Kenosha. 1t is to
be hoped that they will be marked
with a sign so red that it will designate
the blood money that the owners Of
these places have taken from innocent
victims in the past. 1t is to be hoped
that the committee will be merciless in
marking these pest houses and it is to
be expected that it will mark as well
the people who have made them posi-
BILE. 1t matters not how affluent these
people may bet matters not what
may be their position in the COM
munity. If they have taken profits at
the expense of lives they should be
exposed to the general view Of the
public in order that they may be placed
in their rightful position.
There is probably no place in Wiscon-
sin where the renting value Of property
is so great as in Kenosha. Real estate
is a real asset here. 1t brings real
returns and in compensation for these
returns the owners of rented property
are expected to make it at least q
healthful place for people to live in.
OF course the property owner is not en-
tirely to blame. This survey Of the
city is going to show that people must
be taught new modes of living. There
are lot of places in the city where
the people who inhabit them should
shout on the street Unclean--Un-
clean" These people are themselves
to blame for conditions Of filth. They
have refused to follow the regular laws
Of the Board of Health and keep places
clean These people should be punish
ed-not by lecture from the Mayor
or the Health Commissioner-bu by
appearing in the courts and paying
heavy fines for maintaining homes in
unclean conditions.
Tf the man responsible for these con
ditions could be separated from inno-
cent CHI m, it would not be so bad,
but the city owes it to the little
children to sec to it that tley have a
chance. They can't have chance to
grow up under right conditions so long
as the city officials stand idly by and
little lives choked out in improperly
ventilated and little souls blackened by
the filth of such houses. This move
ment to clean up Kenosha is one of the
greatest movements in the history of
the city. 1t must not hesitate to do
its full duty. That duty is not ended
with the placarding Of houses unfit for
habitation. 1t must force the cleaning
up Of these pest places. 1t must make
fire traps safe, even if it is necessary
to have the places torn down and re-
built 1t must educate some of the
people in the city into new modes of
life. Men and women must be
taught that they can not be real citi-
zens and be housed in filthy places
like sardines in boz.
This survey is going to emphasize
the fact that Kenosha is in need of a
lot more houses. This commission must
be prepared to appeal to men of wealth
in the city to invest their capital in
homes as we'll as in industries. Or
gained effort is going to be necessary
to meet this demand.
To reveal the conditions as they ex-
list in Kenosha, will be of little value
unless this revelation is backed up by
a determined effort to better these con-
ditions, The movement started this
week can not be completed in months.
Ut is going to take years to get the
real fruition of it. It must be a
thorough going survey and the results
of it must be presented to the people
in convincing manner which will call
upon them to remedy them. The only
way to bring the real remedy is to build
more homes-to build homes which will
be within the purse of men who work
for wages and plans must be worked
out to permit these men to buy these
homes A man who owns his home
and who has an appreciation that this
home must be maintained in sanitary
manner, is a real asset to community
The rolling stone who has no interest
save the pay envelope never was much
Of an aid to the city.
The men who make up this commits
sion are men who have made study
Of the very problems that must be met
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