The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-07-27

Weenl6kt0n, ~. C.s SuIy IVA
Alley, Pig Alley, and CAsey's Court
are not inventions Of moving pic
ture producers. They are the ad-
dresses of . number Of people In
the National capital. Congress Is
being urged to sweep such places
from the map of Washington and
leave, them entirely to, tenement
fiction.
Washington 10 generally known
az q city without slums. Certainly
no tourist to the Capital ever saw
any conditions such % New York's
East Side openly displays. Even
old residents of Washington have
been known to say that the city
had NO slum district. They said it
in all good faith. They had never
visited the alleys or they never
thought of them AZ slums.
Washington has NO slum district,
it is true. But through the city.
like hidden sores, run terturous al
leyways with rows Of shacks
crowded with humanity. mostly
col0red.
An investigator who spent six
months living in one Of the alleys
gave the following rs = typical in
stance of bad conditions: A four
room alley home sheltered Is per-
sons. The mother Of the home had
had-16 children. Her S grown
daughters all had illegitimate chill
dren. One son was in the insane
asylum. One Of the daughters was
dying OF tuberculosis. Another was
in Jail for cutting q man and q
woman.
According to the story, when the
last daughter was a little girl, "she
! begged from door to door, saying
that her dead mother lay awaiting
burial in their desolate home, OF
that the family lived in the country
where all their possessions had
just been destroyed by fire."
The alley situation in Washing.
ton is unusual. There are 224 in
habited alleys, the homes Of 1880
people. In another American city
this condition would have been
made q political issue long ago
The necessary funds would have
been raised and the alley homes
torn down.
But Washington must wait or
congress, and congress is constant
ly busy with national affairs ant
always anxious to economist. i
takes money and careful PLANNING
to revise a city and to move 1880
Of the poorest people in it withou
panic or great disorder. Further
more, the alley system works t.
the benefit of the more affluen
classes. So there has been apathy
The alleys have continued since be
fore the Civil war, a hidden blu
insidious blot on the beauty of tn
capital.
How the System Started.
The system started in a Quee
way. Washington was laid out il
deep lots with plenty Of back yar'
space. Lanes between lots becam
alleyways veining the center of I
square. Outhouses were built il
some of the back yards and ser
wants sometimes were quarters
there.
When the Civil war ended larg
> numbers of soldiers we're in Wash
: ington and wooden barracks wer
built for them in some Of this BAG
yard space. The soldiers left, bu
, thirty or forty thousand negroe
!, came swarming into the govern
ment at that time and the barrack
were eagerly taken over for home
A few of these Civil war barrack
, are still standing and inhabited
I Other negroes found shacks in a
leyways. The people who employ
ed them were glad to have thel
living conveniently at hand.
Domestic servants were in d,
mand in Washington and house
were built for them on the bac
lots. In time these lots often b
came entirely separated from tt
property facing the street. Row
Of alley houses were bought up
. land sharks because they brougl
l in good profits.
William Deane Ham, member ,
the citizens housing committe
= says that these sharks are opera
I ing today. They own long rows
l. alley homes, and derive large il
e comes from the rents. A four roo
a house in one Of these rows is va
:. ued at about $500. 1t rents on q
t average for II a month, or $144
e year. In other words every thr,
n years the tenants more than pa
for the houses they rent, and son
e Of them have lived in their shaci
|, for so years.
Most Of the houses are tumb
down wooden or brick structure
y Mr.. Ham has made a survey whis
II congress will get in the fall. I
says: