The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-09-08
Irving Times for BiIIboards.

Montpelier is endeavoring to Sc.
cure for herself the largest possible
amount of beauty with the equipment
already furnished her by nature abet-
ted by circumstance. In this cam
paign, the billboard on country roads,
on side streets and even along the
main streets themselves, is one of the
Objectionable features which are rare
ly to be classed as aesthetic from any
point of view and which are, most
often, a veritable eyesore to passers-
by adding nothing to but detracting
largely from the wholesome appear
ance Of the space which they occupy.
Under the above heading Leslie's
Weekly has the following to say
which may be stimulatiye of renewed
hope on the part of those who oppose
billboards but whose efforts have thus
far yielded little definite result:
"A Missouri Supreme Court deci-
sion has handed solar plexus' blow
en- the obnoxious BILLBOARD nuisance,
BY it the permanent injunction OBJ
tanned by the Cunning Advertising
System against the major, chief Of
police and building commissioner OF
st. Louis is reversed ana the validity
of the city billboard ordinance is up
held. Locally the immediate result is
the elimination of fifty percent of the
space formerly occupied by billboards
in St. Louis and the decision will
hearten all municipalities that are
moving against the nuisance. In the
language of the court, the average
billboard illustration is a constant
menace to public safety, health and
morals and the boards constitute
hiding places and retreats for GRIMM
ais Judge Woodson, in expressing
his individual opinion of the nuisance,
took the ground that it might be en-
tirely suppressed by statute and that,
too, without offending against either,
the State or Federal Constitution. In
the fight that Chicago is waging, the
Missouri decision has already been
used with effect by the City Council
committee in it's negotiations with the
billboard owners.
aside from legislative SUPPRESSION
of the billboard nuisance, the most
effectual line of attack is the method
of taxation. Property owners will
IN vacant LOT c
for such purposes so long as there is
a big profit in it. regardless of all the
aesthetic and moral arguments that
may be brought against the billboard.
In St Louis the total value of the
board structure was about $4,000,
yielding gross income to the bill
posting companies of $450,000 and on
this large sum the only taxes paid
the city was a $40 license fee by each
of the three companies. If the man
who owns a little home has to pay
what is often a heavy tax for the
privilege of living in it, it is no more
than just that billboards, bringing TO
their owners tremendous revenue
should be taxed proportion to the
benefits they receive from the city
Let the work of educating so on; but
to make the campaign successful
there must be system of taxation as
well. Besides st. Louis and Chicago
other cities which have taken up the
cudgels against the BILLBOARD are Day
ton, O., Boston, Providence and Phil
adelphia. These we would place up
on a roll of honor. May the list con-
tinue to grow until every American
city with pride in its appearance and
its institutions is found on the roll.