Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-12-12
BILLBOARD CRUSADE,
Tacoma's Plan of Campaign
Rapidly Proving Effective.
BOYCOTT PRINCIPLE ADOPTED

North End Improvement Society Asks
Advertisers Not to Use BiIlboards, as
They Are Objectionable Members
Not to Buy Articles Thus Advertised.
Tacoma, Wash, has a vigorous local
society known as the North End I'M
provement society. 1t is dead set
against %billboards, and it has adopted
a plan Of campaign which is rapidly
proving effective. In essence it in
wolves the principle of the boycott,
writes Clinton Rogers Woodruff, first
vice president Of the American Civic
association, in the Independent.
The society has made a list Of bill
boards in it's district, and it writes to
each advertiser that uses them asking
him to abstain, as the boards are OBJ
j~ectionable. If the first letter does
not bring results, a second and strong
er letter is sent, and this is followed
up until something happens, the last
step in the procedure being d rising
vote at a public meeting, at which the
members pledge themselves to abstain
from purchasing articles that are ad-
vertised by billboards in it's district.
Here are the results of the society's
efforts to date:
The billboard people have stopped eX-
tending their available space and have
curtailed their working force. The tax
against the boards in Tacoma has
been doubled. Most Of the old adyer-
Users have ceased to advertise, and
not very many new one are appear
ing. Several large boards have been
taken down. One immense billboard
near the University of Puget Sound is
down. This was a very large double
decker. Mount Tacoma, a beautiful
mountain about three miles high, COW
cred with snow and in plain sight from
many parts of this city, was actually
cut off from the view of the residents
Of the north end.
The society's correspondence with ad-
vertisers has been most Illuminating
and instructive, and the following let
ter and reply contain, in my judg-
ment, the cru of the whole question:
WV AaNC SodlS VI lIc Slol ull. dQNlSlIS
US that you do not approve of billboards
In Tacoma, some of which contain our
posters. We do not agree with you thai
our posters are ugly and u~nattractive, al
though the putting up of posters gener-
ally does not tend to beautify a city. We
do not know how we can help you at the
present time, as we have let a contract
with the billposters to post your city for
two or three months standing. After that
has expired we may not place any more.
But we think the best way to get at this
would be for you to have a law passed
In your city prohibiting billboards from
~dist1guring the city.
1t Is natural for a manufacturer to adj
vertise his wares in every possible way,
and you could not expect US to have much
concern for the identifying of cities. That
is, we might individually, but not as ad-
vertisers.
This is a very frank avowal of the
attitude of the advertiser, who sis not
in business for his health" The reply
Of the improvement society, however,
is most effective. Here it is in full:
If you will read our letter again care
fully, you will see that we did not say
that your posters were ugly and unat-
tractive," but that the billboard system Of
advertising is.
You state that you do not nave much
concern for identifying cities. Tina is,
we might individually but not as adver-
Users" The people whom you are trying
to reach are individuals and take pride
in identifying their city and 'have con-
Germ" in so doing. 1t appears to US that
you as advertisers" must take note of
this feeling OF the people of a city in OPP
position to billboards that disfigure the
city, because If q system of advertising
Is distasteful to people it is not a good
system, is it? Your object is not to Of
fend people. but to attract them, is 1t
not?
You possibly would not desire to have
billboards placed near your own home.
Other people feel the same way. How
many goods would you buy of a travel
Ing man who came into your office and
presented his wares to you in an offensive
manner? The manner of your advertising
strikes other people the same way.
If you will cease to have your posters
placed here. you will oblige and receive
our thanks.
When advertisers appreciate this po-
sition fully and realize that 800 live,
vigorous heads Of families are ready to
back it up by their personal co-opera-
ton it will not be long before all the
b%illboards in the north end district Of
Tacoma will remain unused.
A good suggestion comes from Buff
falo, where the Courier proposes that
the names of all persons who rent
their vacant lots for billboard purposes
should be published in the paper. This
for two that the tax as
SCISSORS may take such rentals into
consideration in assessing the proper
ty and so that the people may know
who are selling their civic pride and
patriotism for cash.
Value of Memorial Parks.
Nothing Of greater worth or perma-
nencY to q town could be provided as