The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-03-31
CITIES NOT CURSED
BY BAD POLITICS
his Commercial-Appeai.

Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Two hundred and nifty miles to the
south and west Of Memphis 10 Birm-
ingham. Ara, a city which stands where
there were old fields thirty-five years.
ago.
One hundred miles south of Birming-
ham Is Montgomery, Ala, a city that
was ancient in years even before the
war.
progressive Memphian would do
well to visit Birminghansrano Mont.
learn something BY visiting Birming-
ham and Montgomery.
Memphis has q larger population than
both Birmingham and Montgomery.
but in appearance, in things which 60
to make UP a city's comfort and health,
Birmingham and Montgomery outstrip
OF course. Memphis is a great sity
inland cotton market in the world. the
world" Memphis has almost s5o,000s.
900 on deposit in Der banks.
Birmingham has more than 100000
population. Every. street is broader
than Main Street. The sidewalks along
these streets are in perfect condition.
The pavement is brick, bitulithic and
broken limestone. The streets of Biz
mingham are clean.
There are no old houses in Birming.
ham. because there were no houses IL
Birmingham forty years ago.
Inc City Hall q
large and imposing building. The en-
tire city impfesses one as having rulers
of high standard or efficiency. They
are progressive in Birmingham. The
chief Of the fire department there uses
automobiles.
Montgomery is city OF contrasts.
The older part of the town carries TIA
age beautifully. The old buildings are
not permitted to show the scars Of
their decay. but are freshly painted and
when they become entirely useless they
are torn away and new and modern
ESaPs street put n n r IS Wen
kept in perfect order. The police Of
ficers are intelligent and neat.
one can ride from any part of Mont
gomery to any part of the county at
the rate OF fifty miles an hour in an
autom obile. and be In no danger OF
striking a mud-hole in a bad road.
In the negro quarters Of the town
the houses are in good order. The al
leys are clean. The streets are clean
and an air of solid and refined comfort
has a GLASS of property owners who
build Niger houses" which are never
painted and so scar SO many places In.
Memphis.
The transition in Montgomery from
the old to the new is along sensible
lines.
An old residence in Montgomery is
kept in decent repair until the time
comes to tear 1t down and put up q
more modern one.
The people of Montgomery and Biz
mingham do not have as much money
the people of Memphis, but the tax
| payers of these cities get dollars
value for every dollar they contripute:
Montgomery is not torn by warning
political factions. The best, people RUE
in Montgomery, and the best people
seem to rule in Birmingham.
State politics in Alabama Is on az
low a plane as in Tennessee. IN ootn
states the demagogues have been IN
| the saddle about the same length OF
time but the people of Montgomery
and Birmingham seem TO KEEP tneis
politics free from the Gorroding ana
forward and prosper in spite of the
| In Efficient state government.
| In the city of Memphis. however, our
officials seems never to make a move;
whether it be to build union cepot
or appoint a dog pound keeper Lntil
the question Is thoroughly discussed
and gone over as to what effect II Will
have in helping one or the many war
Montgomery and Birmingham are
we'll governed cities in spite of bad
politics in the state.
both cities refuse to be dominated by
! political cliques. The people OF Mem
phis ought to do this same thing;
The taxes In Birmingham are state
county and city, $2.35; state and coun-
ty. sis6; city ST. The paving is done
after the front-foot plan.
In Montgomery the state and county
taxes are $1.S5; city. $l.12 Ia StrsSss
plans, with payment distributed over a
There is no prohibition, either. In
] Montgomery or Birmingham, except on
the law books.
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