The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-10

Baltimore. May 9.--(Special )-Some- thing has modernized Baltmer (you pro- nounce it that way if you come fro.. here) When I was a small girl anc came to Baltimore to visit my daddy's people, the streets were paved with fist sized, multcolored cobbles which thought very handsome. Also the gutters ran with cloudy water from many an alley dishpan It was fun to wade in it and sail paper boats. But it was not appreciated by maturer citizens.
 Now all is changed. The streets and alleys are smooth and noiseless with as- phalt. Tall buildings have replaced the welter of squat stores and offices. The dishwater is gone from the gutters Motor buses skid down the hills of Charles street and otherwheres Gorge ous new hotels take away your dollars even as in New York.
 What has modernized Balt'mer? The great fire of 1904? Perhaps, partly. But mostly, they tell me. it's Mayor Preston. Handsome Harry" folks like to call him. And when city nicknames it's mayor, it's safe bet he is a good mayor. lovable fellow. an upright executive and the kind of man babies go to and puppy dogs leap to kiss
 HE'S A HOME RULER
 l was not disappointed in Mayor James Harry Preston. He is like that. He is now in his second term, his seventh year, and probably the people would Keep right on re-electing him if he would Keep on losing weight and law practice for the sake of serving his city. Mayor ing, he says, is a hard job. But, al- though he declares ruefully that he has parted with 60 pounds of good avoirdupois slnce his induction into office, 1 should say from appearances he has nothing to worry about.
 Whats so hard about your job?" in- quired Of Handsome Harry who amply justifies his affectionate sobriquet.
 Hardest problem l have at present. he replied. Ifs the extension of the city limits. l happen to be an advocate of Independent government for every large city. Large cities are modern growths. State laws were made before big towns. Consequently we have rural control, which interferes enormously with the wei fare of a congested community.
 "How can bunch of farmers know the problems of city? They don't, and eiiCy SeliA |, etHo ySI lllcy nave POWCl, cts things are now, to say what policing, taxation, market facilities. school boards and what not the metropolis shall have. It's all wrong. Every big city would be better off as a separate principality
 Baltimore is the most densey popu- lated city in the United States. There, You didn't know that did you? Popula- tion is nearly 100000, all contained in a territory of 30 square miles. Detroit has ..I. square miles. New York's five and a half millions are spread over 2S7 square miles. And look at New Orleans, with nearly 200 square miles for less than 400 900 souls
 ''Baltimore's trouble comes from in. ability to get little outlying places to come under her wing-territory which naturally and logically belongs to her. When the legislature gives 1t to her, Bal- timore will be the sixth city in popula- tion, as well as holding her present place as sixth manufacturing center"
 SUNLESS BALTIMORE
 Mayor Preston hopes to achieve this for his city before his present term ex- pires. He will then have a seventh feather in his already we'll decorated of ficial cap, for he had already repaved every street and alley in Baltimore, se- cured fine supply of pure water for the city, enlarged and improved the fire de- partment, greatly increased and bettered the public schools, raised the general average of municipal cleanliness and re- duced taxation.
 On my way to see Mayor Preston I passed through the poorest portion of the town. I was with newspaper girl, who knows Baltimore up and down, inside out and across.
 Where are your slums?" I asked. gaz- ing at the Yiddish and Italian signs and 5-cent movie palaces" that in my city indicate the parts where most crowding and least comfort exist.
 Right here" she said. At least they are the slummest streets we have l know" she added, at my look of sur prise, "because last summer my paper suffering in the poorer quarters on hot evenings, and couldn't find any suffer ing. We have no tall tenements, no frightful overcrowding. I have learned since that Baltimore has the largest per- centage of laboring men who live In their own homes. See all those tiny houses in the side streets? Well, those are work ingmens homes"
 I knew Baltimore was a great food cen ter-that fat oysters. wild duck and ter rapin almost drop into your mouth if you hold 1t open; that half the canned tomatoes in the country are timed here and that Maryland is full of truck farms With all this. and no slums, it seemed as If the high cost of food must be an un- known terror to the people, and the mayor who watches over them. But he promptly disillusioned me.
 "Whew!" he whistled. we had an awful time few weeks ago. Price of potatoes were frantic They came to me and I had to do something about 1t right off.
 HARRY ONE IN A BUNCH
 q took the city's money, calmly con tinued the good looking big mayor of Baltimore, "and bought potatoes from farmers. Then I ordered out 100 of our three-ton motor trucks. collected the potatoes. had them hauled to the public