Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-18
D1SFlGURING POSTERS
MOVEMENT TO DANISH THEM
FROM THE BILLBOARDS.

Il regret to see" remarked an enterprise
ing Washingtonian to d Star reporter, that
the capital has not been the second city TO
fall into line with the Cincinnati idea for
the suppression of the dsfguring billboard
those who are interested in civic i'm
provement had hoped.
The disfiguring billboard is still with US,
or, more properly speaing, the disfiguring
billboards are still with us in greater and
more glaring conspicuousness than ever. 1
am, however, glad to note that The Star
has ever been an earnest advocate of the
abolition of this eyesore from our beautiful
streets, and all citizens who are interested
in this laudable movement to Danish this
means of DISAGREEMENT have applauded it's
slogan that the billboard must 60
THE point. however is to make it go,
and it will not go until public sentiment
and general and continued agitation finally
az. AIKEN some sort of action in line with
the Cincinnati plan. | am sorry to see.
for our sakes, and am glad for the people
of st. Paul, Mimi, that that city has been
the second to join in line with Cincinnati
and to make organized attack upon the
billboard to the end that 1t will no longer
offend the eyes of the citizens of that
place
"One reason why the citizens of Cincin-
natl have been successful is because of or
ganiZed effort the part of the different
sects and societies, including the Roman
Catholic Federation of Societies, the Young
Mems Christian Association and the Mu-
nicipal Art League Surely this is a strik-
ing example of unity of purpose in civic
Improvement which may well be emulated
in other cities. In St Paul one of the prin-
cipal clubs in that city has taken up the
movement and other organizations are to
fall into line.
1T cannot be expected that the billboard
will go until those who are responsible for
arn oil lad 10 hnp dn,, tic
use, and this desirable accomplishment is
not to be attained without the use of
stronger means than mere argument and
persuasion.
1T seems to me that the question which
confronts US here Is this: What organiza
ton will take the initiative? Since Wash
ington cannot be the second city to adopt
the Cincinnati plan, then let it be the third
municipality which has come out in organ
lied effort to put the billboard out of bust
ness. While some of the farins and lurid
posters thereon may not be termed actually
indecent, there are others which pretty
closely approximate such a statement. All
are unquestionably disiiguring, and none
Is elevating or instructive. 1t should be
just much against the rights of the resi-
dents at large of a city to piacard the
street with billboarGs it is to distribute
and to scatter handbils upon the sidewalks.
The billboard space in this city has been
largely augmented within the past five
years, and with each succeeding year this
space will expand rather than decrease 1t
cannot now be questioned that the lurid
posters depicting crime and vice as exhib-
tied upon the boards of theaters given over
to this class of plays tend strongly to COR
rupt the mind of the youth and they are
forever outstanding and offensive eyesores
to the public at large.
Yet this is only one form of the many
offensive classes of advertising matter
which appear upon the billboard. Indeed
these various forms of offensiveness take
on so many aspects that they need not be
enumerated. Those in sympathy with the
movement in Washington will note with
much interest the result which follows the
efforts of the citizens of st. Paul.