The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-02
BILL BOARD WAR.
just a Little Firing on Skirm-
ish Line Last Night.
City Council, After Discussion
Decides to Do Nothing.
GOES TO A COMMITTEE
Councilman Horn Makes UNIQUE
Defense of Autographs.
City Attorney Drenning Gives
Review of City Cases.

Il don't care what the posters in this
city put on their bill boards. 1 find
| that it is the man who never amounts
to anything anyway who allows bill
| board girls to affect his mind"
This is a part of the speech given by
Councilman Horn before the city coun-
Gil last night. The bill board question
| was up again and through the efforts
| of Councilman Howard a resolution
was introduced asking the city to pay
$500 for a supreme court decision
from Chicago in an effort to get valua-
BILE information on the supressing of
immoral and suggestive pictures on
bill boards.
Topeka has had a long tough fight to
keep the bill boards out of the city
and the old sore was reopened last
night. Alderman Horn admitted that
bill boards were unsightly things but
he saw no reason why a PERSONS NOR
ais should become spattered with the
sIush of these pictures. Mr.. Horn went
on to say that in every art gallery in
the country the display of the perfect
ly nude was in a prominent place and
those who desired such things could
receive better satisfaction by going
there instead of gazing at actresses on
bill boards. His speech was a blow to
false modesty and took the city council
off its feet.
In an effort to bring up the bill
board proposition before the council
again Councilman Stanley solicited the
advice of the city attorney and Mr..
Drenning gave a short talk on the 19OS
laws which show that the city can
make the owners of the boards take
them down at their own expense: To
do this it would be necessary to eX-
tend the fire limits and then this would
affect only the frame bill boards. At
the present time there are a number of
metal boards in the city and this is a
great move for the bill boarders on
account of the failure of a city to con-
denim such structures-if they may be
called by this name. Alderman
Hughes almost stopped the discussion
when he arose and told the council that
they were helpless in the cure of this
evil He cited many incidents in other
cities where it was impossible to do
anything with the boards. Many of the
councilnlen spoke on the proposition
and it gradually cooled from immoral
pictures and shows to unsightly bill
boards-or in other words it went from
bad to good.
After an hour of arguing and diff
ference of opinion it was decided to re-
fer the whole matter to the judiciary
committee in connection with the city
attorney. 1t was first given them the
power to act but their action was
killed and the matter was simply re-
ferred.
A petition from property owners in
the Fourth ward was sent to the coun-
Gil last night asking for sewer dis
trict to be formed to include the alley
between Fillmore and Clay streets,
First and Third and alley between Clay
and Buchanan street, First and Fourth
streets. The petition was referred for
investigation and will be reported at
the next meeting of the city council.
The communication of the Topeka
chapter of Methodist Brotherhood ask
ing the city council to place a ban on
all immoral plays, features and adver-
tising was referred to the police COM
mittee This is the communication that
really started the billboard fight and
was sidetracked in order to carry out
the real purpose of doing away with
billboardS.
Mayor Green asked City ATTORNEY
Drenning to give a review of the cases
now pending against the city in the