The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-13
|NDORSES M'CART|N IN RECENT REQUEST Citizen Thinks Garbage Ques-
 ton Is Serious GRASS GROWS IN STREET Protest Made Against Allowing Grass To Flourish on First Avenue and
 Nineteenth Street - More
 Equipment Needed.
GRASS GROWS IN STREET

Charles Morgan, representative of the Texas and Pacific railroad. is strongly in favor of Street Commits sioner John McCartin's plea for the doubling of the equipment of the street department.
 Any one who has even slightly noticed the condition of things around Birmingham will admit that Commis- sioner McCartin is extremely just in his request" declared MT. Morgan last night. But while the removal of gar bage Is the principal matter under dis cussion l wish to deviate a bit and say something regarding the condition of the streets.
 TO make long story short, there was good friend of mine from Louisville in Birmin gham today. He had read much of Birmingh am. and this being his first trip here he was very anxious to see the town, and I took hlm on seeing tour. He noticed the office buildings and his exclamations Of delight were great. It's just as I heard it was he declared. Then took him down First avenue and we hadnt gone block before I was sorry l hadn't kept him in his room and filled him full of tales regarding Birmingham's greatness.
 Ihis sure is town,' he declared as We started westward on First ave nue from Twentieth street, We stopned Tor moment at the corner of First avenue and Ninteenth street. and now l regret I stopped. In the car tracks several blades of grass are apparently enjoying the best of vegetable health and my Louisville friend discovered them immedla tely.
 take back those words of admir- ation, he exclaimed. Any town that has grass growing in it's streets is way down, and I can't say anything nice about it. Imagine my feelings. Here l had been boosting Birmingham and this man hit me solar plexus blow with this street grass proposition. what could l say? I endeavored to ex- plaln that the packers of the city beautiful movement were experiment. ing with new kind of grass. but this man had travelled too much to listen to any such 'gush,' and simply declared that Birmingham was behind.
 "The Louisville man who I have re- ference to is a man who is widalv quoted and upon his return home inc first question asked him will undoubt edly be in reference to Birmingham. What will his answer be? T saw grass growing in the middle of the principal streetsP What do you suppose his hearers will think? The newspaper men there will quote his remarks and from the Louisville papers other newspapers will copy. You can see by this that Birmingham is bound to receive A hard knock, and every man among us who is just will be unable to deny it.
 Really, I don't know wh I am in a position to register kick on this particular subject or not, but I am heart and soul for Birmingham's future success, and for one I am very anxious to see the streets kept in proper condition. There Is no one among us who can deny that Street Commissioner McCartin's statements relative to his department are just. He undoubtedly needs more help and needs 1t badly. and l, for one, am very much In favor of giving 1t to him. From health standpoint the need of more garbage wagons is great. The awful skeleton of disease Is constantly staring us in the face, and every serious minded man should readily understand this. The removal of grass from the streets and the many other features of the street repair work is a thing which every public spirited man wants to see. and it should be done."