The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1907-11-15

regulation there has been consider
able already done. There is an arous-
ed public sentiment against the bill
boards, and this will eventually do
more to abolish them than the law
makers will, and may be effectually
put into operation in two ways: BY
| bringing pressure to bear upon mer-
chants and upon real estate owners.
If good customer says to me grocer
that he does not like to see lne gro
GERS posters defacing the neighbor-
ing scenery, the grocer is going to
think about it. If a number of his
good customers express themselves
similarly, the grocer is going to do
some hard thinking. So with the
druggist: Let a few good customers
tell him that they prefer to use
soap the proprietors of which do not
contribute to the billboard corruption
of the village, and there will surely be
a letter written to the proprietors of
the offending soap.
The billboards are advertising. Ad-
vertising depends for it's value upon
Its power to win the favor of the
people. If it has a contrary effect it
will be summarily stopped. The peo-
pie of any village could Danish bill
boards from its territory if they
would unite and refuse to patronize
concerns using the bill boards, and
would so notify the billboard adver-
tisers.
Another method which villages
might properly adopt is to tax the
billboards as personal property, and
assess them up to the extreme limit
of their estimated earning power, or
even higher; the avowed object be-
ing to rid the village of them rather
than to raise a revenue from them.
A Rest Room for country women
when they come to town to do their
shopping, is subject that comes
within the scope of Civic work. We
will not attempt to set forth the
many good things that might be said
about these rest rooms There is
that we can think of that |
could be said against them.
The installment of public water
ing troughs FOR. horses in all towns
that have a water system, is another
practical measure for Village I'M
provement Societies to consider.
Village Improvement Societies can
also do good work by aiding in the
establishment of, and maintaining of
public libraries, for in helping to i'm
prove the minds of both old and
'oung, you will help to improve the
moral, and general conditions in your
own. Our Society has undertaken
o establish library, and at present
We have 240 volumes of good works
hat have been donated by the citi-
ems. The Society will invest $25. 100 k
IF more in good books. We realize {
lready, that it is going to be hard
ask to maintain the library, but we
ave hopes that we will secure aid
rom the City Council later on, as Ia
here is such law which gives them c
he authority to levy a tax for the '
of public libraries.
These are some of the things that !
an be accomplished by the Village a
Society. To do any of il
hem requires the unitde and deter b
lined efforts of the society, with t
lch outside help as can be enlisted. a
he first and we believe the best t
clip for any society to secure, is the n
ONE newspaper. We have been very p
ortunate in this respect. Our home n
aper, the Examiner" edited by Mr.. "
/. e. Wright, has taken deep in a
crest in all the work that we have
1t is said, you know, a
lat ''The pen is mightier than the a
word" and the pen of your home ed t;
or, If directed in your behalf, will {,
results that can be OBJ h
lined in no other way. d
A live important society with the n
,sistance of live newspaper, can c,
ork wonders in the way of home n
nd public improvements, and right it
ere let me ask, what are you doing N
your Village to make 1t better? cl
OF for the visitor, but for yourself p
I'd YOUR neighbOrs. To our mind 81
ill~,e life is the nearest to the ideal it
any we have yet approached. 1t oI
'esents the best opportunity for the st
,st development. The great advan- el
ge of Village life is, that it makes e.
sociations with our fellow citizens tt
,ssible. This is difficult for the T
rmer, and still more difficult for the W
ty dweller. Nearly all in life that tt
worth living for comes from as
Citations. The city man seldom
,Owc hic nparnst neiphhor Yaarc