New-York tribune., 1902-02-15
NO POSTERS IN THE SUBWAY.

w IOCI IIhS ~ IHL bCDHhI'
The suggestion of the Municipal Art Society
that the contract for the Brooklyn subway be
drawn so as 10 reserve TO the Rapid Transit
Commission the power to restrict or wholly pre-
vent the display of advertisements in the sub
way and its approaches is a good one Not
only the Brooklyn tunnel but the whole rapid
transit route should be free from this weari-
some nuisance. The right of our street railway
companies TO fill up their cars with posters as
they do is open TO grave question. Their char
tiers do not give them the authority to transact
general business or use their cars and stations
for advertising purposes. They have simply,
after the manner of such corpora tions, assumed
such powers as suited them, and filled their
cars with posters; and so far nobody has thought
it worth while to make a test of the matter in
court. 1t would be intolerable TO have city
property misused in the same way. and steps
should he taken to make sure that 1t will not be.
Originally the Brooklyn Bridge cars were free
from posters, and proposal made few years
ago TO allow signs in them aroused violent pro-
test Even now the cars belonging to the city
are free from the excrescence, but with the sur
render of the bridge TO the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company that restriction ceased to be
Of much moment for the company's cars, both
surface and elevated, which have mOnopolized
the structure, are veritable moving signboards.
As the letter of the Municipal Art Society
points out the public is rapidly getting edu-
Gated to dislike being held up at every turn
and compelled to take notice of pills and pow
ders. The courts in this State have recently
given the highest judicial sanction to the doc
trine that an offence to the aesthetic sense may
be as much a public nuisance an offence to
the sense of smell or hearing and subject TO
abatement accordingly. The bill recently intro
duced in tho Assembly nv Mr. IandOn imposing
a small tax on posters has met with extremely
favorable comment Over in Philadelphia
movement Is on foot for a municipal tax Of 10
cents a square foot on posters, five times
that proposed in this State. These are signs of
the times. People have had enough of the riot
of crude and offensive posters. They want them
excluded from public works, and then they want
such regulations and taxes will encourage
poster advertisers TO make appeals TO good taste
instead of trying TO force attention by visual
assault and battery.
Nobody would dream of allowing posters on
the front or in the corridors OF the City Hall.
Yet they would be just appropriate there as
in a municipal rapid transit tunnel Unless
positive reservations are made when granting
the contract TO run such tunnel 10 a private
corporation, there is danger, as has been seen,
that the corporation will assume the right and
sell the privilege Of access TO the attention Of
passengers, though, so far as the charter rights
Of any common carrier are concerned, il might
with equal right sell to drummers and book
agents the privilege or urging their wares upon
citizens who were cooped up in cars and could
not get away from them. The subway is
great public monument. and should at all times
be treated with dignity. and not vulgarized and
made 70 look like the fence Of a vacant lot in
Harlem.