Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-30
CLUBWOMAN WARS
ON POLITICAL SIGNS
Wealthy Pittsburgh Resident
Begins by Tearing Down
Ads With Own Hands.

A wealth Pittsburgh society and club
woman, Mrs. j. @. Pontefract, has
stirred up one of the hottest politics
fights that that hotbed of Pennsylvania.
politics has experienced in years.
Fired with a zeal that drove Carrie
Nation into action against the saloon,
Mrs. Pontefract recently sailed forth
from her Edgeworth residence to visit
destruction on the scores of uHsightly
political advertisements that marred
public property on the principal boule-
wards of the Pittsburgh district. She
began to clean up these posters in her
own immediate vicinity With her own
hands she tore down the banners and
posters of favorite political candidates
attached to poles and trees along the
right of way showing no favoritisrn with
any candidate.
Pittsburgh was in the midst CT keen
1y contested primary in the municipal
and county elections. which are yet to
take place. Rival candidates, without
authority. had plastered the city with
posters and signs that not only marred
public property, but confused motorists.
Publicity Accompanies Attack.
Informed by the American Civic AS
ISOLATION. of which she is member. that
the posting of public property was a
cided to take matters in her own hands.
Her attack on the political signs was
accompanied by a blast of publicity.
Other club women joined the cause.
notably Mrs. William Thaw, jr.. an off,
Ger Of the Civic Club of Allegheny
County. Aided by the press, they resort
ed to vigorous campaign to rid Pitts
burgh of the glaring political posters
that had been plastered indiscriminate-
~ along SIDE iwalls, trees and poles on
public property.
The Battle of the Posters" among
supporters of rival candidates reached
q climax when Mayor Charles S. Kline
and the director of public works, Ed
ward G. Lang, ordered the removal of
all such signs from city property.
In their attempts to attract public
attention to their merits for public Of
fee, some of the candidates had resort
ed to ingenious advertising. Traffic
Magistrate william j. Soost is an ex-
ample He is a Kline candidate for the
City Council With q zeal for originality
he painted his advertisements in huge
letters on the surface of some Of the
principal streets Motorists approaching
would slow up. thinking 1t was eau
ton sign. When they could detect the
lettering, they read Boost Soost."
Candidate BIames Enemies.
AS the campaign progressed. rival
candidates INDUCED In charges and
counter charges. State Senator Coyne.
a candidate for county commissioner
deplored the orgy of signs and protested
his political enemies had plastered his
name all over the city. Others did like
wise and it was almost impossible to fix
responsibility.
Municipal officials, however, began to
enforce the city ordinance that for
babe such advertising on public property
Fines of SIS were imposed wherever
possible and Director Lang put truck
crew to work and joined the club won1-
en- in tearing down signs along the pub
lie highways
Meanwhile. civic clubs have been hold
ing mass meetings and hundreds Of
women and public spirited men have
Joined in an independent campaign to
put an end to the political advertising
nuisance.
Mrs. Thaw declared that at no previ-
Gus election time have political signs
been painted on retaining walls and
the roadbed Of Bigelow Boulevard and
other main thoroughfares. The women
declared they would not rest until the
last sign was removed from public prop
erty
Latest reports received at headquarters
OF the American Civic Association in
Washington were 70 the effect that the
Battle of the Posters" was still being
waged with a constantly diminishing
number Of signs left standing.