The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-05-14
WAR ON The DOCS
Civic improvement Committee
Takes Up Battle Cry.
David Oyermyer Says They Have
No Place on Streets.
ssTOPEKA-BEAUTIFUL'
That Is the Slogan Adopted By
Committee.
How to Make This a Better City
to Live In.
Topeka BEAUTIFUL"

"a ten thousand club and greater
Topeka. is the slogan adopted at the
meeting of the civic Improvement COM
nittee of the Commercial club this
morning. The entire committee which
consists of twelve members were with
one exception present at the meeting
to discuss plans for the identifying of
the city Without doubt the meeting
this morning was the most enthusiastic
Of any ever held and more genuine in
terest was exhibited by the members
without exception than at any of the
other sessions.
To the slogan Topeka the Beauti-
full which has been adopted by the
Commercial club will be added the
watch cry of the committee of civic
Improvement ten thousand members
and ten thousand dollars to aid in the
identifying of the city.
1t was proposed this morning that
club of ten thousand members be or
ganized from the citizens of Topeka,
the fee to be one dollar which Will con-
stitute the perpetual fee as well as
dues 1t is argued that there will be
no trouble in securing one dollar
apiece from ten thousand citizens OF
the city to be expended by the civic
pride committee of the Commercial
club in the identifying of Topeka. A
committee will be appointed at once
and the city thoroughly canvassed by
sections and the money raised turned
into the treasury of the Commercial
club to be used solely for the purpose
Of the civic committee.
Councilman S. T. Howe was appoint
ed to confer with Mayor Davis and Sc
cure his cooperation in the action of
the committee in securing a uniform
system of care for the parkings and
city property which is adjacent to the
streets as we'll as to devise some plan
for the care of the trees in the park
ings, and on the land which belongs to
A committee Of three. consisting Of
David Overmyer, A. B. Quinton and L.
c. Bailey, were appointed to confer with
the compa MES which have poles ana
wires on Kansas avenue, to see If plans
cannot be devised whereby the number
of poles can be decreased It was sug-
gested by the committee that the num-
Der of poles might be materially re-
duced by several companies attaching
their wires and cables to one pole It
was also suggested that the companies
be required to move their poles from
these thoroughfares to the alleys but
this proposition did not meet with much
favor. It seemed to be the sense of the
meeting that an agreement could be
! reached between the committee and the
offending companies and that they
would probably be willing to assist in
identifying Topeka if the request made
of them We're within reason.
S. T. Howe, representing the Bell Tel
ephone company, was present and stated
that his company had but one pole on
Kansas avenue and that it would come
down at once, and hat all of the wires
of the company between Fourth street
and Tenth avenue are in conduits, s
well as between Monroe and Van Bu.en
streets.
The committee announced an unre-
lent1ess warfare against about every I'M
slightly thing imaginable, among them
dead trees, ash heaps, dandelions, dogs,
weeds. alleys and the hitching posts On
/ Kansas avenue. It was when the sub
/ ject of dogs was mentioned that David
| Overmyer, candidate for attorney gen
eral, SHE'D his caster into the arena and
! opened his campaign, not for the attor-
ney generalship but his campaign
against the canine population of Tope-
ka- He said:
ct don't wish to be misunderstood.
I have no objection to dogs in their
! proper place. but the public streets of
a city is not the proper place for them
! to run at large. A farmer has use for
/ dogs and even a resident of city may
have some use for them, but they are
kept by people IN a city mainly as a
sort of an Indulgence and not for prac-
teal use. It is a rule of morals as
we'll as law that every person must so
use his own as not to interfere with his
neighbor or the public. People who
are not the owners of dogs are con-