The age-herald., 1898-02-20
MATT MINOR
 <zzu~>IN ANNISTON

Anniston Is a delightful little city, but, like Birmingham. it needs a great many im- | provements. It is poorly lighted and its streets are not in the best condition. It may be a model city in some respects, but from municipal point of view 1t is not what it should be. Anniston, like Bir- mlngham, has been over-boomed. I had never been in Anniston until last Thurs day. I read a great deal of this marvellous city, and went there impressed with the be- lief that it was model city in all the term implies When taken into consideration that Anniston Is only sixteen years old, 1t Is entitled to a great deal of credit. It celebrated It's sixteenth birthday on last 1 Wednesday. It Is a well-grown, we'll developed girl now, and is wearing long dresses. It has the usual pride incident to that age, although it is not particularly modest about proclaiming it's beauty.
 It's sixteenth anniversary was a great success. It was bedecked in the apparel of | innocence of youth and made notable ap pearance. It Is a well-bult city and if 1t lives long enough 1t ought to become one | of the very large cities of the state. The people of Anniston are clever. They don't seem to be possessed of an ambition to overdo things, but they do them, and do | them properly. There is a good deal of self-pride about the Annistonians. Every | man in the place believes himself to be an architect of the city. He points with pride to its achievements in the past. There is no reason why the people of Anniston. if they care to, should not believe that hundred thousand people will be domiciled there within the next five years. No doubt many of them believe this to be true. They have the privilege of believing anything they wish regarding the future of that city. l don't suppose there is a person in Ala l bama who is so mean as not to share in the | hope that Anniston might have the largest 1 population in the state. There is not pent-up Utca in the Anniston people. They do not look upon the boundless continent | as theirs, but they have hopes of making Anniston the greatest city of the common wealth. It cannot be said that the streets | are very clean. Some persons who are envious of Anniston's career made the re- mark that they ought to be clean because there is not enough travel in them to make them dirty. No one would make this re- mark who was not envious. For city of
 
 place.
 I was particularly struck with the enormous placards throughout the munich palty, on which was printed in large type | the word "Welcome." Anniston is not the first city that has made the mistake of placing Welcome" upon its banners. If 'welcome' in this sense meant anything it would be all right, but it does not. Any person who has brains enough to get in out of the rain knows that crowd of peace able visitors is welcome to any city, espe- cially if they have money to spend. man without money is seldom welcome at any place. He is not welcomed as often as he should be. The majority of people believe that when the word "Welcome" is dis played by municipality, indicating gener- | ous treatment toward visitors, should read "Welcome if you have the price," Annis- | ton welcomed the visitors to the celebra- | tion of it's sixteenth anniversary and 1t | also welcomed the delegates to the good roads convention. It was apparent to every visitor to Anniston that he was in fact l welcomed. It is true they all paid their hotel bills, well as the cash for incl | dentals. There was considerable money | spent in Anniston. It was good thing for Anniston, and it is not believed that there was a single visitor there who regretted | having spent money in that city
 There was a great deal of oratory un- | corked and let loose on Wednesday and l Thursday. There are more natural born | orators in the state of Alabama than in any other ten states in the union. I did not see anything of the birthday celebra- tion, but got in at the finish the good | roads day. The opera house was filled with | men from all parts of the state who went there for the purpose of agitating the ques- | ton of better roads. It seemed to be a | representative gathering. What was done in Anniston last Thursday in behalf of good roads, should have been done in Ala | bama twenty-five years ago. There is noth- ing that will add more wealth to this state than well constructed public high ways. I suppose there are more good roads in the state of Maryland and Pennsylvania than in any other eight states in the union, especially in the agricultural dis tricts. The result is that there are more farms in a high state of cultivation than can be found in any other particular sec ton of the country. The state of Ken lucky is in advance of all the southern states with the exception of Maryland, as regards good roads. During the turn pike era Kentucky became so absorbed on the subject that for some time the people up there actually stopped distilling whisky The state went daft on the subject of build ing turn bikes. This was way back wonder before the war. The turn bikes were built by the counties and were toll roads, It used to cost almost much to ride or drive over Kentucky's turn bikes as it costs now to travel upon a railway train. The toll rates were high, but the roads were good.
 One of the striking features of the good roads convention was the number of poli- ticians, especially candidates for office, that were in attendance. It seemed at one time that the convention was in danger of being