Evening star., 1944-03-15
McCarran Asks
Horse Sense on
Alley Dwellings
Coils BiIbo Demand
To Evocuote $4,000 by
July I Impossible
BY DON S. WARREN.

Use of IAN ordinary degree of
common horse sense" in dealing
with the present legal requirement
that Washington's inhabited alley
dwellings be vacated by July /
was urged today by Senator Nc
Carran, Democrat of Nevada, head
of the Senate Judiciary Committee
and a member Of the District Com
mittee.
Commenting on the demand of
Chairman Bilbo of the District Com
mittee that the 200 inhabited alleys
be evacuated by July l, Senator Nc
Carran agreed with Senator Burton,
Republican, of Ohio that it would be
physically impossible to oust the
$4,000 or more "slum" dwellers from
their present housing by that date.
Congress Owes 1t to Self"
Both voiced belief Congress could
take some action between now and
the July / deadline which would
avoid any sudden mass evacuation
of the alley dwellings, although
agreeing decisive steps should be
taken to eliminate slums in the
Capital.
Senator Burton, who heads a Dis
tr1ct subcommittee which has held
lengthy hearings on the future of
the National Capital Housing Au-
thority, said Congress owes it to it.
self" to adopt some new program
and that the fact the present law
forbids occupancy of alley dwellings
after July l was one of the reasons
for hearings his committee was di-
rected to hold.
He said he hoped a new program
would be recommended to the
Senate before it took up the Dis
trict budget for the next fiscal year
and that, if there was any delay in
settlement of the housing issue, use
OF alley dwellings might be extended
by resolution for Comparatively
short" period. He said he believed
his subcommittee would be ready
to submit recommendations within
two or three weeks.
Commissioner Mason asserted that
unless Congress takes action tc
change the July l deadline, the
Commissioners will ask for a "rea-
sonable extension" OF the time be.
cause of "the impossibility of find
ing other housing" for the present
occupants Of the alley dwellings.
Citizens Issue Statement.
The Citizens Committee on Race
Relations, also opposing Senator
Bilbo's demand for evacuation OF
all alley dwellings by that date
issued a statement through its
chairman, Wilbur La Roe, jr. The
statement said:
Senator Bilbo's statement on the
alley situation is received by the
committee with extreme regret and
dismay. Not only does it show a
lack of factual information, but it
works serious injury to the cause of
good citizenship and of human
brotherhood at time when
throughout the Nation people OF all
races and all faiths are working
toward better understanding as a
contribution toward real democracy
"Our committee urges upon SEN
ator Bilbo and Congress a construc-
tive policy toward solving the ex-
tremely serious Negro housing prob
lem, which would be made tragically
worse If the alley dwellings were
closing July L."
Condition, Not Theory.
Senator McCarran, former chair
man of the District Committee, said !:
ITO begin with, we are confronted
with a condition and not a theory
condition with $4,000 to 14,0OO
people living in alley dwellings
people of all ages and conditions OF
life, and wherein nothing has beer
done in the past 10 years of effort
to make it possible for them to live
elsewhere.
Commenting on the Bilbo sugges-
ton that 10000 "slum" dwellers
could be sent to farm occupations
Senator McCarran said: 1--WE can't
move them out of Washington even
though farm labor be ever so short
Many of the alley dwellers never
saw a rake or a harrow or a plow
and wouldn't know a tobacco plant
from a weed or a blade of wheat
from potato vine.
Furthermore, most of these peo-
pie are employed in Washington
and If they moved out their places
would have to be filled by Others"