Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-28
COUNCIL ORDERS
BIC BILL BOARD
TO Be REMOVED
Sign of Stoner- McCray System
Taken Down for Violation of
Ordinances.
is THE SECOND oFFENSE
Company Threatens Litigation if Prop
erty Is Disturbed-Some Inter
esting Correspondence.

the city ordinances are to be /
thing of the past in Rock Island. This .
morning Building Inspector ]. H. !
Stapp, acting under instruction given /
him yesterday afternoon at the meet !
ing of the city commission, tore /
down the bill board on the lot on Fifth !
avenue between Twenty-third and
Twenty-fourth streets. placed there by
representatives of the Stoner-McCray
system, an advertising concern of Des
Moines.
There is an interesting bit of history
behind this action taken by the build
ing inspector. Recently o. O. Work
of the above company placed a sign
similar to the one destroyed on
lot on Third avenue be-
tween Sixteenth and Seventeenth
streets. This was 10 feet high while
the city ordinances state that the
height must not exceed seven feet.
However, because the company agreed
TO place the board back in the
lot, Commissioner Archie Hart per-
! mitted it to stand on the distinct
promise that the law would not be
violated again.
SECOND OFFENSE.
/ Nevertheless, the company at once
| proceeded to erect another sign of the
same kind on Fifth avenue between
Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth streets.
This action was naturally resented by
the city authorities and the building
inspector communicated with the
/ StonerMcCray system relative to it
but received no reply. Commissioner
Hart then took up the matter and re-
ceived an insolent answer which in
effect announced that if the property
of the company was interfered with in
any way, an injunction from the courts
! would be asked and legal action start
ed
City Attorney J. F. Witter, in an
opinion to the council yesterday after
noon stated that the city did have a
right TO regulate the size of bill boards
and acting on his advice, Commission
er Archie Hart offered a resolution
which was unanimously adopted, in
structing the building inspector to re-
move the bill board, regardless of
the proposed litigation.
HARRIS LETTER.
The letter of Commissioner Hart to
the company follows
Rock Island. Oct 20, 1913.
"Stoner McCray System,
'Des Moines, Iowa,
Gentlemen
"A few days ago o. o. Work of your
company was in our city relative to
one of your boards located in the Ill &
Eh-eb lot on Third avenue between
Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets.
After the matter was adjusted he
promised me no more sign boards
would be put up contrary to city ordi-
nance. Notwithstanding this promise
| you erected or had erected ano her
board in violation of the city ordi-
nance.
!. Since that time our building in
spector has communicated with you
or your firm, but has failed TO hear
from you in regard to this matter.
am writing you in regard to This
board as I do not intend to let this
matter drop until the ordinance has
been complied with. If | fail to hear
= from you within a reasonable time /
intend to remove this board until The
ordinance regulating the same has
been complied with.
Yours respectfully.
ARCHIE HART,
Commissioner"
THE SMART REPLy.
: The very smart reply of tie com
, pany is given below:
"Des Moines, Oct. 81, 1913.
, Archie Hart, Commissioner,
Rock Island, IL
Dear Sir
We are in receipt of yours of the
goth inst, in relation to our removing
certain signs which we are main ain
, Ing en- ground that We are holding
under written lease
Il do not know what promises our
, Mr.. Work made to you in regard to
these signs, but had I been on the
ground myself | would not have mads
: any premises but would have put up
the boards and if you had insisted on
interfering in any way, | would have
gotten out an Injunction from the
court. enjoining you from interfering
with our business.
Il do not know whether you are
anxious TO drag your city into lot OF
litigation. but If you do not want TO
&c this, If you will take the trouble u
!, look II up, or have your legal depart.
+ ment look after this. yoH will find
E char the courts have held at least q
5 dozen times that you can not interfere
; with the erection Of bulletin boards
unless il can be shown that they en-
! danger the life and health OF the
public
EFF you desire to be reasonable
5 about If, 1 will send yoa or the cor
S poration counsel all the evidence yot
I nay require to convince you that thil
d position Is eorrec but il you do no
q want to De reasonable xe all have Il
resort TO the courts to restrain yol