The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-12
SUNDAY. JUNE 12, 1904
AGAINST The RILLRoARps

Not only lovers Of art, but all who
dislike to have their vision panied by
the passage of a constant procession Of
glaring offenses against every law Of
beauty will wish success to the State
Art society in it's crusade against bill
boards. This campaign, we think, in
order to be successful, must be carried
out by unusual methods. There cannot
be a reliance upon law. There is no
statute of the state and no ordinance
of the city that will apply to the or
binary billboard. If the placards that
it flaunts offend decency in any way,
they can be banished. AS rule they
simply weary rather than disgust. OF
that offense neither local nor general
regulation can be cognizant, nor is 1T
right that either should.
There are two considerations that
work into each other and ought to be
the doom of the billboard. The first
indicates the line along which members
of the State Art society should work.
The billboard will come down when
ever the public revolts against it. The
purpose of it is to attract the public,
who make custom, by advertising the
various wares displayed. If it fails In
this. it will fail altogether; and its
patrons will cease to pay money for
what they are convinced has no value
Suppose now the art society should
make continuously an appeal to the
people not to patronize concerns whose
commodities are advertised conspicu-
Ously on billboards. Suppose they cir
cularize the public, send out letters and
make personal appeals to the effect
that those who help to make public
places hideous by .billboards should
suffer in public estimation. We are
convinced that very short course Of
such treatment would effect the So
ciety's purpose by cutting off the bill
board patronage.
Even without this, an appeal to the
intelligence of those advertisers who
now pay large sums for the use of bill
boards ought to be sufficient There
was time when the billboard was ef-
fective. This was when it was com
paratively new, and when only one
board was placed in any given location,
So that the notice occupying it was
conspicuous by it's loneliness. AS it is
now, the commonness of the device has
completely neutralized it's advertising
value. When you run through a tunnel
such as exists in many places between
the Twin Cities along the interurban
line, formed of enormous board struc-
lures on either side; plastered with
flaming handbills, you cease to notice
the advertisements, or notice them only
to declare internally that you will boy
colt forever the concerns causing Won
this annoyance.
The multitude of these billboards has
ahnulfed their worth for advertising
ends. Where dozens or scores Of them
succeed one another side by side or in
rapid succession, nobody reads what
any one of them contains. AS far as
possible the eyes are closed to this dis
ffgurement of the landscape, and, as we
lave said, the only feeling that remains
is one of intense hostility to every
concern and every salable commodity
that has. had a part in the offensive
show.
very small percentage of the money
absolutely wasted in this country every
year in Improbable forms of advertis-
ing, as utterly thrown away as if it
were heaped UP in a pile and burned.
would support all the $haritable insti-
tTtions in the United States. OF the