Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654 of 654

unsanitary buildings. I don't remember the position of these streets to each other exactly, but I think there's Minetta Street, which looks like an ordinary street branching off lower Bleecker. Then you follow that along a little way and there's another little dark narrow passage. That's Minetta Place. Off Minetta Place there's Minetta Court, which is, as its name implies, a little court or blind alley. Minetta Place is also a blind alley. It doesn't go any further. These were very bad places, very unsanitary, very unhealthful and so forth. There were many other such places, as well as many spots of considerable beauty.

I remember LaGuardia referring in this speech to what Greenwich House, its residents, and Mrs. Simkhovitch particularly, had been in the way of a lighthouse in that area. He referred to their courage and insistence despite the protests of landlords and owners of property that rented at a profit, insisting on the condemnation of this Rookery. He spoke of the intelligence with which they had proceeded to the rebuilding and redevelopment of the Minettas and other neglected parts of the area.

It was a lot of hooey of that sort. It was partly complimentary, but it also gave you the conception of this young Italian-American Congressman who allied himself intellectually and emotionally with the aspiration of those