Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1901-02-22
SCENERY DETACHMENT.
What Is Being Done TO. Prevent Ad-
yertising Abuses

Nertising Abuses.
The Disagreement of scenery by ad-
vertising forms the subject for an arti-
che in the January Century by Arthur
Reed Kmball. After citing how the
abuse has been fought in various Eng
lish and continental cities he contip-
ues:
These sporadic and often ludlcrously
ineffectual attempts at advertising con-
troll are in themselves advertisements
of what the fight on Disagreement
means. Here at home so much energy
Las gone out toward saving the big
things that appeal to national pride
Niagara falls, the Yellowstone park,
California's giant trees, the Palisades.
otc.--that little has been left for the
humber rescue of everyday scenes and
streets. Yet in the village Improvement
society or the park improvement asso-
citation is to be found the instrumental
ity ready at hand for the work, with
only the zeal the motive power, lack
ing. For illustration of what individual
effort can do one has but to point to
the campaign of DR.. G.. Alden Blumer,
who, while a resident Of Utica, " Y, in
charge of the state asylum. cleared the
road from the town to his country resi-
dence of its advertising signs, an
achievement widely chronicled at the
time.
Most important of recent announce
10 nf (NnNApnpr nnIlinS, .,f
New Hampshire. In a published letter
called out 10y the Indignation of visit
or to the White mountains over the
Disagreement of Crawford Notch, the
governor writes, Il intend to Introduce
Il bill in the next legislature to stop
that sort OF thing" If Governor Rol-
Inns induces New Hampshire to lead
the way, what may not he hoped for
from the example!
Some states, strange as it may seem.
have laws indirectly affecting adver-
tisements. In New Jersey any city
that cares to has the right to pass an
ordinance regulating or restricting pub
lie advertising. Ohio has a similar
law, including villages as well as cities,
but confining the restrictions practical
ly to the advertisements of nonresi-
dents San Francisco has an ordinance
protecting telegraph, telephone aud
electric light poles from advertising
Disagreement and prescribing that
signs on buildings shall not be over
three feet high and those on any prem
ises not ever ten feet high. Chicago,
with characteristic progressivencss,
gives distinct recognition of aesthetic
rights in an ordinance which. in addi-
tion ia determining the size and height
of signs and bllboards. forbids their
erection on a boulevard, pleasure drive
or residence street without the consent,
In writing. of three-fourths of the resi-
dents aud property owners on both
| sides of the street in the block where
| it is desired to erect such sign or bill
| board.
This Chicago ordinance may possibly
to local Disagreement or as an encour'
| agemcnt to similar ordinances in other
cities. For. should it be contested In
the courts. it may lead to the determi'
nation Of the legal status of the often
sive advertising sign. whether or moi
it can be classed as a nuisance
This question. obviously Of the first
| IMPORTANCE to any general crusade
against advertisement disfigurement, is
exhaustively discussed Mr.. Frederick
Law Olmstead. Jr.. of the American
/ Park and Outdoor association. In his
report as secretary of the association
special committee of investigation Mr.
Olmstead finds that the right to permit
advertisements along the highway is
in general especially in country dis
tricts, recognized as belonging 10 the
ablltting property owners. wight thus
definitely settled by statute in Mas
sachusetts. This, in Mr.. Olmstead'
view. is a mistake. because the rights
of the individual landowner within the
limits Of the highway tend constantly
to decrease and the rights Of the travel
ing public to increase" change he
characterizes as both wise an1
healthy" Mr.. Olmstead would put the
control of advertising on highways, as
he would the right 10 remove trees
into the hands of the local road authorl
ties, believing that in both cases the
interests Of the general public wouia
tins be better served.