APRIL 13, 1905
TAQB It
T5he Nebraska Independent
SQUALID
DISTRICTS
DISAPPEAR
Applied Populism Brings Health and
Happiness to English Cities
(Sixth Article.)
. In 1875 the most squalid district in
t England la like a festering sore ad
jacent to the business center of Bir
"mingham. It was thus described by
- Counselor White in an eloquent plea
. before the town council for improved
conditions:
"It is not easy to imagine the dreary
. desolation which acre after acre in the
very heart of the town presents to
those who will take the trouble to visit
. it. Little else is to be seen but bow-
ing roofs, tottering chimneys, tumble
.down and disused shops, heaps of
bricks, broken windows and coarse
rough pavements, damp and sloppy. In
one case I found a house of only two
rooms, about, nine feet square and six
and a half feet high, and in this hovel
lived husband, wife and four children.
Amid such deplorable conditions 12,
. 000 of our fellow townsmen are spend
ing their lives, with no bright thing
"about them and nothing of joy or glad
ness in their homes."
. - Joseph Chamberlain was then mayor
of Birmingham, and the city had not
yet attained the proud distinction of
the metropolis of midland England,
nor had ' that brilliant young man
climbed far toward his present fame.
He had evinced marked talents in mu
niciDal affairs and was an enthusias
'tic advocate of public ownership so
much so, in fact, that his political en
emies declared him a socialist. It
.was due to his efforts and energy that
Birmingham had purchased , the gas
plant and the waterworks from private
owners, and the success which fol
lowed these ventures gave him a pres
tige of which he was not slow to take
advantage. "The desolate tract popu
lated with thousands of miserable per
sons aroused his sympathy, but he was
more than a social reformer; he was
"one of the shrewdest business men in
Great Britain. He surveyed the field
as a general does one of a coming bat
tle. He formulated a plan, one so
startling in its originality, so radical
in its scope and so stupendous-in its
magnitude that his friends and sup
porters hesitated when he proposed it
10 tnem. -
Mr. Chamberlain urged that Bir
mingham proceed to purchase every
and he included in it fifty or more
acres practically in the center of the
city. He" proposed to ignore all exist
ing street , lines and to devote a large
percentage of the land to broad thor
oughfares. He proposed 'tb demolish
every house in this district, to lease
part of the site to reputable landlords
who would erect dwellings under the
supervision of the city authorities and
to lease the remainder of the land for
business purposes. He admitted that
for years this investment would, im--pose
a burden on the taxpayers, but
contended that in the end it would
prove a splendid investment. More
than that, the eradication of the slum
area would increase the value of every
foot of property in the city.
The future statesman formally intro
duced the matter to the town council
and, in one of the most masterly
speeches of his career, urged its adop
tion. He claimed that Birmingham
could never aspire to the commercial
supremacy of its natural territory so
long as it permitted thousands of its
townsmen to live in misery.
; "I believe," he said, "that the town
and, above ' all, the next generation,
will have cause to bless the town coun
cil of Birmingham if it carries out
this scheme and exercises what I ven
ture to call a sagacious audacity. We
know how from time to time upon our
coast vast operations have been under
taken by which large tracts of land
have been redeemed from the sea, and
what was formerly the sandy bed of
the ocean has been converted into
smiling fields.' I say that no less meri
torious and no less necessary is the
work which we are 'undertaking in
this inland city by which we hop to
wrest from the fell grasp of disease,
misery and crime whole populations
which would otherwise be abandoned
to them. . . - . ,
"I heard it 'said the otb.er day that
the position of these people was their
gaily their fault if they steal, and
when they do we send them to jail,
and if they commit murder we hang
them for 'it. But if the members of
this council had been placed under
similar conditions- if from infancy we
"had grown up in the same way does
any of us believe that he should have
run no risk of the hangman or the
jail? For my part-1 have not- suffici
ent confidence in" my . -own -Inherent
goodness to believe that' "anything can
make headway against such frightful
conditions as Ihave described. The
fact is it is no more the fault of these
people that they are vicious and in
temperate than it Is that they are
stunted, deformed, debilitated and
diseased. The one is due to physical
atmosphere. The moral atmosphere as
necessarily and surely produces the
other. It is the only occasion for
which I ever wish to live beyond the
ordinary term of human life in order to
see the results of these improvements
and to hear the blessings which will
be showered on those who have the
courage to begin them."
The above is a brief extract from a
speech which aroused the staid Bir
mingham councilors and aldermen to
enthusiasm, as by a unanimous vote
they indorsed and adopted the plan of
their youthful colleague. This was in
1875. .
Few men have lived to see so wild a
dream come true. As I stood in Corpo
ration street, which traverses what
once was the foul center .of Birming
ham's slum district, I wondered what
are Jcseph Chamberlain's sensations
when he gazes on that magnificent
thoroughfare, the. finest in Great Brit
ain outside of London. Where the hov
els once reeked in -filth great-marts
and business palaces rear their fronts.
The district from" which respectable
persons turned with loathing is now
the fashionable. shopping district. Delicate-fabrics
have taken the " place of
the rags of the pauper. As if Aladdin's
magician had waved a Wand, the grew
some district has , v disappeared. . I
would rather be Joseph Chamberlain
and .walk up Corporation . street, Bir
mingham, than be able to pay the Rus
sian national " debt.
At. an expense of $8,500,000-the city
purchased about forty-five, acres of
slums and proceeded to transform an
irregular 1 strip having an - extreme
length of about a mile; Starting at
New" street, one of the best business
thoroughfares, it surveyed a- broad
road through the center of its new
and strange property. Having laid
out new streets in every direction;1 the
municipality offered the frontage . to
those who were willing to build in
consideration of seventy-five "year
leases. There was a demand from
powerful interests that the leaseholds
be extended to ninety-nine years, but
Mr. Chamberlain was "firm in his- re
solve that Birmingham should come
into full possession of its reward at
the end of the shorter term? He in
sisted that it would be possible, to rent
every square foot of the, land-on the
terms specified, and his judgment was
accurate. He also predicted ,tha'tthe
average annual charge against the
taxes would not exceed $60,000: , This
would meet the interest on the, bonds
and make up the deficit after allowing
for rents and other revenues. -In brief,
he estimated that the eventual cost
of the investment would not; exceed.
The scheme has been .greatly en
larged since its inception, -but when
the last payment is made in 1950 Bir
mingham will own in "fee simple the
most valuable tract of real estate in
the world, and the price paid will fall
below that set by the "boy mayor,"
who has a chance to live to see the
partial fruition of his "audacious sa
gacity." If offered for sale in the open
market today the former slum hole
would realize $15,000,000. Its improve
ment did more than, any one thing
to make Birmingham the "metropolis
of the midland counties." It is no ex
aggeration to assert, that the decision
of the council of 1875 had the direct
effect of doubling the value of every
square foot of land in the business dis
trict, and .it would be , impossible to
put a money value on the blessings
which have come with a lowered death
rate, diminished crime, an aroused lo
cal pride and the prestige which comes
from a great campaign valiantly and
successfully pushed to success.
TALLIOW
, ill
Cheer upt lams' roses are
bloomln?. Tbeio are bU
wpitk" italllons
(over ell). The pattern
be tells at 1000-1M0. larnt'
barna are "full to th
toot" with "iojnatchara"
end lamabason A"n
elothat" every day (alwaja
at borne.) -
He owna and nll mora
fiist-class stalllortf than any
roan In U. S. He la "stlrrlaff
upTHanlmala." Ho baa
"earn poll tra out on th
' roof" - watching him aell
Hop notchars lama hJW
tlzea bis buyer wltb la
class, yolins', sound, blj? "prHcb- nnd i-hiii" mliloiis at "let live prleaa." FranclaA
finance. Is a "warm bunch." But It's a lOOO to 1 It you visit lams and will pay cash or
(five bnnkablc notes you will positively buy a slallicmof blm and save $1000. lams sells stal
lions "on honor," lams has
. 80--Black Pcrchcrons, Belgians, Coachers--80
2 lo 6 years old, w't 170U to ftO lbs,; 80 rer cent black. 60 per cent ton homes. All registarad
approved, stamped. It's n"ciuch" that lama Will unv? you SHOO and sell you a "money
luakar."- ' . .
Farmer Ikcy! What a "rich irraflM tlicpe'old brlrk atatilon nalesmen" are working
on the "honest farmer", helling 4th rate slullions nt i'.GCO to H(W with worthless guarantee,
lama sells "lop-notcheia" fo Kuod, bl and heap tbot they don't need to ha "peddled" to
baaold. lams sells direct to "aseiV'suvts buyers aUc'ouiuitMtouat!d"middl-mun'fproflta.
$1O0O-SAVD AT IAMS-$1000
Teddy, lams "mekf a irood" every fctntcnunt in idd or ealnloa;. Guarantees stallions
as good or better than pictures in catalog or pay yon $100 lor troublu to sec stallions, lams is
making .
SPECIAL PRICES
For 60 days. He owns every lit-2nd and twcpainkt-K winners in' all ages at 1904 state
fair, In Ferohernns tirl;lttti, Coacher-. - lams shipped 100 etatllons by "apealal traia" l'JOt,
the "wida-a-n-TvaBn kind."
Mr. Stallion Uuyer; "Imttinfky." St-e Iarrs stallions yourself. Take no "rld brick stal
lion aalaamn'a -word. Look out for "kncrkr." iams 1 as "(h Rood" you raad abont
Ifis estnbllshnieut Is wortli volnif 2ti0 miles to tee, " lama mukes competitors "hollar" lie
is knocking "high prices" out oi the "Xmaa tie", larus -uvs wood, "Butts lu" sells more
staljlons each year. ;
Gt orgie dear be good buy a stallion of lams. His J1200 stallions are ninth better than
our neighbors paid those Ohio men HOl'O lor. (Hun 1 cun wear the diamonds.) lams speaks the
languages buys direct lrom breeders pays no buyers, salt snuen or interpreters, has no 2 to 1J
men as partners to divide profits wltb. His 25 years of suci eKsiul business makes blm a safe man
to . do business with. lams guarantees to sell a better stallion at 11000 to $Hu0 than are sold to
Stock Cos. f or 825U0 to J5O0O by slick nalamii" or pay you Jloo lor trouble, you to judge, lams
pays horses, freight, buyers tare, plves 60 per cent breeding guarantee. Write lor "aye
opener." ureaiesi catalog on earui.
References: ftt. Pan! Stale Knnk and Citizen Katlonal Ilnnk. ...
' FRANK IASi
St. Paul, Nebraskd
We
charges
Ignatius Donnelly
call him brave, who
through
A firing line of deadly foes,
His work well done God only knows
If it were well, or if he died
For hate or glory, who stall tell;
We only know that he defied
His foes, "and a proud shaft arose,
To guard the spot whereon he fell.
' One," gray, heartsore from truthless
words, .
And savage thrusts from shameless
foes, . -Thrust
through by oligarchs with
swords "
Of beaten gold behold! a sage arose,
A braver man could never be.
No braver man on earth or sea
And beat them back Brave Don
nelly. Who fights afield and wins a name
All goryred, because he slew -Some
4 luckless foeman Christ, the
' shame '.
' To call It glory- Behold! the true
Grand man, the sage we knew,
Percheron and Shire St allions
M ben you go to buy a horse ftop at Lincoln, Nebraska and tee Wat
. fen M oods I5ro.$i Kelley's Fcrchercns and fc'hirep. fiOhead oh hand,
fend lor bcsutiiul pboU gtapliB oi latett Importation, and price list.
Ibese arc tree to all who mention The Independent. Address ' ,
WATSON WOODS BROS. & KELLY, , Lincoln,'' Kib
" " yfPllghtnlin? Proof,
niMTITnil ll Hiniiiiiimmiiiinii,
1 1 m i n 1 1 1 1 m ; 1 1 m i mmm in t m mw i ,-nt m
Painted red on both aides
i :. 'k G2.00 Per 100 CqzinrQ Feci
Most durable and economical corerlng for Roofinpr, Sldlnpf or Celling, for Barna, Shed, Hoaaea. atorea,
Churchea, Poultry Haue, Cribs, eie. Cheaper and will last longer than any other material. Sheets
elx d eight feet Ug. Oam.aV ' 49 CSmmM .
Wo Pay Uiq Freight '
points East of Colorado, ercept Indian Terrttnrj. Ofcinhoma and Texan. Write for priceii for shipment
:h points. This rooting at C2.00 per square is our No. 10 grade, flat, semi-hardened. FMO for corrtifrateu,
no experience
to all
to suci
" V" crimped or pressed standing seam,
y. - BentJ vs tou
WRITE FOR FRKB CAT ALOW IK Ho. C 45 - on Building Material. Wire. Pipe, Plumbing; Material.
noeessar?
S2.S5fo brick sldlnir and beaded celling or sldlnar.
' ttena your oraer lor immrii&w stupmenc we nave otbe grades.
Furniture, Household Goods, eta We Bay at BherlBV and Uecelvcrs' Bales.
CHICAGO HOUSE WRECKING CO., 35th & Iron Sts., Chicago.
The scholar, true as steel was- he,
He strove for truth and fair human
ity. ; .
Peace lo his ashes who dare say I
He was not greater than the lord,.'
Who marshals hosts and wins the fray
On murderous fields, with bloody
sword.
Tis sacred soil wherein he lies,
Where prairie winds blow passing
free. ' .": '
A bugle call for liberty. .
Rest, rest in peace, brave Donnelly.
The Old Guard falters, forithe ranks
are thin, "
And the soil is drenched beside the
trail
That Cooper blazed, but truth shall
-win,
The harvest ripens for sickle and
flail.
Asking No Questions
In has armchair in his sanctum
Sat the President of the Board
To the oil.-king he was writing,
"What rare good youj gifts - afford,
to the poor benighted heathen! t
And we heartily disclaim
All intentions of rude questions
As to how you got the same.
We have met In solemn conclave
And have voted, as you see, ,
, We're as thankful as can be
t To your Christian charitee,
Aand the never-failing bounty and the
Providence of God."
Then the stranger puffed his lips out,,
And he blew a little flame
Winked one eye, while through the
sanctum , ? '
A most sulphurous odor came. -"Tell
your naked Kanderroos
Swinging under their bamboos,
I'm a pious business gentleman
Whom foolish men abuse. , .
'Prue I press on to my goal
Though each penny costs a soul,
'Tis the way to honest profits
These are strictly proper views , -In
your donor's lists print me r"
As the DeviL, and then see
Just how thankful you can be ''
To my Christian charitee,; ':
And that never-failing bounty, and that
Providence of God!" : . : ,
WILLIAM STEARNS DAVIS.
Cambridge, Mass.
Stock Merchandise
For La. rid
Large general stock of merchandise
now running in . a good Minnesota
town and doinjr good business which
I will exchange for good improved
land and some cash.
FRED F. CLARK.
426 Boiton Bik.; . -Minneapolis,
- Minnesota.
