The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-24
berlin SHAMES CHICAGO
COMPARISON OF THE TWO CITIES
ENTIRELY IN FAVOR OF THE
GERMAN METROPOLIS
PROF. SMITH GIVES SOME FACTS
Conclusion Is That Every Argument
FavOrs the Municipal Ownership
of Utilities, Such as Water,
Gas, Street Transportation.

CHICAGO, March 21.-(special.) 1.-The
| city of Berlin Is already formidable
| rival of Paris not only in respect to po-
| litical and commercial Importance, but
| also as the most beautiful European CAPT
| tai city. During the past ten years 1t
| has made tremendous progress. And the
| desire of the present emperor that Ber-
| lin shall rank first among cities, except
| in population, will probably be realized
| during his lifetime. A visitor is imme-
| diately and powerfully impressed by the
| evidences of solid grandeur that are
found everywhere about him from the
| time that he leaves the train, until he
quits the town. Everything about the
great station is in perfect order, and no
tumble down shanties, no neglected bullo-
ings, no squalor, no dirt make an I'M
favorable impression. He will note the
perfect discipline that prevails about the
station, and the intelligent and courte-
GUS demeanor of officials, porterS and
hack men.
Upon taking a cab, he is driven leisure
ly along wide thoroughfaro, beautifully
shaded and ornamented with wonderful
statues, and he can turn from these to
the Thiergarten, one OF the most Deau-
tiful parks in the world. There are no
laundering noises, no shouts and yells,
with rearing or plunging steeds. On the
contrary there is a delightful sense of
security and of enjoyment. You emerge
upon a broad square, ornamenteu with
the splendid column of, victory, and MAY
pass under the great arch into the very
beautiful thoroughfare known as Inter
den Linden. 1t is all harmonious, de-
lightful, charming From the windows
Of your room i'll the hotel, you can watch
the people below. There is no mad rush
no wild hurry. The crowds are quiet,
deliberate, sensible. The reckless dash
after train; the hurrying rush after
changing car just passing a street corner;
the holding on by straps, and singing
from platforms-all these things are I'M
known. The shop people are quietly
busy. Very often in the small shops the
wife is in charge, and you can see her
in the doorway surrounded by her chill
dren, sometimes holding an infant in her
arms
Police regulations are excellent. A
strict account of every new arrival must
be kept. The police are scarcely 50
numerous as in Chicago, but they know
their duties perfectly, and carry them out
fully. 1t is safe to say that no well
known thieves are allowed to go unques-
toned. There are no "dens'' where con-
spiracies and crimes are planned, known
to the police, and neglected by them.
There are nc squalid, neglected, unsGnt-
tary districts reeking with slime and
filth and rife with contagious and cpl
denies Nor is the sun obscured and the
heavens darkened by clouds Of smoke and
dust This picture is not overdrawn, and
could be expanded greatly without ex-
aggeration, but your space will not allow
1t.
CHICAGO.
George Chetwynd Griffith, correspond
ent of the London Express, thus speaks
of Chicago: II have seen cities in many
parts of the world, from the smoke
grimed, flame-crowned, c1oud-canopied
hives Of industry of middle and northern
England, Of Belgium and northern
France, to the marble palaces and broad
veranda bungalows which sleep among
the palm groves by the white shores Of
tropic seas; but never-North, South,
East or. West-have / seen a collection
Of human habitations and workshops so
utterly hopeless irretrtevably ugly as
that portion Of Chicago about which
wandered during my three hours wait
for the starting Of the Overland Limit
cd"
He speaks of the roadways in which
mud and slush have come up over the
pavements, and their covering "of every
variety of filth" and continues: Now
and then you reach a crossing or open
place where you emerge from the tun-
mel Che refers to the continuous arch Of
the L road from semi-darkness into
comparative light, and you see vast
shapes of stiff-angled, steep-roofed
buildings lifting their sixteenth or sew
enteenth story up into the murky, smoke
laden sky. They are part and parcel OF
Chicago-huge, ugly, dirty and exceed
ingly useful" He speaks of the unlovely
roaring streets, and the hiS OBS wealth
crammed stores and warehouses;"
The Chicago Tribune or Sunday March
II, makes editorial reference to the above
statements, and says the picture is not
overdrawn. 1t is good for us sometimes
to see ourselves as others see us. The
lack of art is not the serious Shorc.
| coming Of Chicago. 1t is the lack OF
cleanliness" Nor is this confined to
! any particular part of the city Electric
cab service has been abandoned at
great loss to its promoters because the
condition of the streets makes it i'm
practicable; vacant lots are IAN abomin-
alton of desolation." The water that the
! people must drink is contaminated, and
the street cars in which the people ride
! are dangerous to health because they
! are full Of the germs Of disease. This
| is dreadful sort of picture to draw
but one has only to read the papers, to
| attend public meetings and to listen to
| eminent speakers to know that not half
has been told.
COMPARATIVE CRIME
In respect to comparative crime Ber-
lin has an immense advantage over Chi
cago. The amount of crime, from murder
to petit larceny, published here every
morning in the papers is simply appall-
| ing Referring to a robbery that took
| place in the city some time ago, a morn
| ing paper stated substantially that any
| man who would carry more than Sc in his
| pocket at night in Chicago was a fool.
There are hundreds, possibly thousands
of thieves in the city known to the po-
| lice, who know also that these men are
| here for no other purpose than to COM
NIT crime, and yet nothing is done to save
the people of the community from them.
| There are houses, literally dens of
thieves, that are known, so it is said, tc
the authorities, and yet undisturbed.
| Nickel-in-the-slot machines policy
shops, parlors' where vile pictures are
shown, are left to their nefarious pur-
poses because there Is need of them in
a community having so varied a popula-
| ton" I'VE must have no blue laws en-
| forced. We have outgrown them" SO say
the authorities. Such is a mildly partial
| picture of Chicago; and yet there are
| more lectures on municipal art and on
| art education in Chicago IN one day thar
| there is In Berlin in one month. There
| are more meetings Of civic leagues and
| woman's clubs and various benevolent
and philanthropic organizations having al
| heart the publication of Chicago in one
! day here than there are in six months in
Berlin. The annual budget amounts tc