Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-21
WASHINGTON CITY ALLEY
TENEMENTS DESCRIBED
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON. April 21:-The
national capital is facing a strange
situation, On June first the city's
great network of alley dwellings Is
scheduled 10 be closed, and appar-
eotly between 10000 and $4,000
people, mostly colored, will be forced
to find homes elsewhere.
Ten thousand people are a great
many for a city to redistribute at
one time ever II housing conditions
| are not tense. But In this case there
is no place for the people to go. In
all the city, housing experts say,
| there are practically no vacant
| houses that the alley jewellers can
afford to rent.
The prospect of 10000 Of the city''s
| poorest people being set adrift is
| alarming those who realize what the
| resulting situation may be. Trouble
is prophesied, because the alley sys-
tenn breeds bad conditions OF all
sorts. The alley tenants are already
apprehensive and disturbed over the
| impending loss of their homes. What
| their state of mind will be If they
are evicted On June first can be
easily imagined.
That such a possibility should be
faced by a city in this country seems
impossible. 1t probably could happen
nowhere except in the capital where
congress manages local affairs when
II can spare time from it's other
business. At the last session congress
could not see its way to giving the
District of Columbia much time, and
the alley legislation which would
have postponed the closing date was
lost in the final confusion OF ad-
journment.
It should be understood that clos
ing the alley houses of Washington
is altogether a needed reform. Mrs,
Ellen Wilson was greatly interested
in the proposition when she was in
the White House, and she was in
strumental in having the law enact
ed to close the alleys on a set date.
There were then 5000 vacant houses
available, and the city could appar-
emily care for the families who
would be affected. But the war came
and Washington's population rose
The date for the taking effect OF the
law had to be postponed several
times.
Now, the capital might be expect.
ed TO be back on a fairly normal
basis with smaller population and
some vacant houses. But this is not
the case. The city is officially rant
ed a 473,000 population, but housing
experts say the real population, in
Guiding the never-ending stream OF
visitors and transients, must be near
| err it's war level of 100000.
Police viii Enforce Law
Yet at this time congress failed
to extend the date set by law fol
| closing the alleys, and the police de-
| partment, it is understood, expects Il
obey orders and close the houses OF
the scheduled day, The only appar'
ent a out of the difficulty is fol
| the courts to grant an injunction II
stay the execution of the law. Al
| attempt is now being made to Obtain
an injunction, as the situation other
wise is regarded as impossible" L
| has also been suggested that the Law
may be proved unconstitutional.
Mrs. Clara Sears Taylor, rent com
| missioner of the District, and chair
man of a citizens committee on thu
| alley emergency, is M of the Wash
ingtonians who are greatly concern
| ed over the situation. A few of tn
people from alley homes who are no
apathetic or defiant I'VE the Law
come to Mrs. Taylor to know wha
to do. The better class, respectable
residents of these homes tell pathet
ically of the unrest and desperation
that they and their neighbors feel.
Conditions are already bad enough
they say. The alleys are shut ava,
from the public streets, hidden In tn
center of the city blocks. often wit
only a single narrow outlet to tn
street. Whole rows of houses hav
no lighting or plumbing fixtures
Many of the houses shelter tw'
shifts of residents-men and wome'
who are at home at night, and other
who sleep in the day. Forty person
were counted as occupants of on
two-story and basement house con
tanning perhaps ten rooms.
Renters of these homes tell o
conditions almost approximatin
slavery. Some who fall behind !
rent payments can only work out tn
debt, and there are said to be case
where the householder is obligate
to the owner of a house for years.
They tell of rents so high tina
every four or five years the value c
the house is paid out by the tenan
Rows of alley houses n known q
one Of the most profitable real estat