The Havre herald. [volume] (Havre, Mont.) 1904-1908, 1907-11-01
BILLBOARD CRUSADE,
Tacoma's Plan OF Campaign
Rapidly Proving Effective.
BOYCOTT PRINCIPLE ADOPTED
North End improvement Society Asks
Advertisers Not to Use BiiIboards, as
They Are Objectionable - Members
Not to Buy Articles Thus Advertised.


Not to Buy Articles Thus Advertised.
Tacoma, Wash, has vigorous local
society known as the North End I'M
proyement society. 1t Is dead set
against blllboards, and it has adopted
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 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
iectionable 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 a rising
vote at public meeting at which the
members pledge themselves to abstain
from purchasing articles that are ad-
vertised by billboards in its 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 adver-
Users have ceased to advertise, and
not very many new ones 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, 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.
vertlsers has been most illuminating
and instructive, and the following let
ter and reply contain, In my judg
ment, the crux Of the whole question:
We have yours OF the 21st ult, advising
us that you do not approve of billboard
In Tacoma, some OF which contain ou
posters We do not agree with you tina
our posters are ugly and unattractive. al
though the putting up of posters gener
ally does not tend to beautify city. w
do not know how can help you at tn
present time, we have let a contrac
with this billposters to post your city 70
two or three months standing. After tina
has expired we may not place any more
But we think the best way to get at thi
would be for you to have law passe
In your city prohibiting billboards fror
disnguring the city.
It Is natural for a manufacturer to ad
vertise his wares In every possible way
and you could not expect US to have niue
concern for the identifying Of cities This
Is, we might Individually. but not as Al
vertisers
This is a very frank avowal Of th
attitude Of the advertiser, who sis nl
i'm business for his health The repl
Of the improvement society, howeyc
is most effective Here il is in full:
II you will read our letter again car
fully, you will see that we did not s.
shat your posters were ugly and una
tracttVe" bat that the billboard system
advertising is
You state that you do not have mut
concern for identifying cities. That
We might Individually but not as adve
TIERS. The people whom you are tryiE
to reach are individuals and take pri,
in beauufying their city and have CO
Germ In 50 doing. 1t appears to lis tt
you as ''aavertiseFs'' must take note
this feeling Of the people CT q city in o
position to billboards that disfigure t
city. because IL a system CT advertiser
In distasteful to people 1t is not & go
systeu. Ia Ii? Your object Is not to c
fsnd people. but To attract them. in
nets