Evening star., 1895-08-31
CRIME IN ENGLAND.
The Corrupting influence of Cheap,
Trashy Lie nature on the Young.

The Corruptdng Influence OF Cheap,
Trashy Lie nature on the Young.
From the st. James Gazette.
Mr.. Hogan usefully drew the attention of
the home secretary yesterday to the GRIM
inal literature question, though he asked
for little too much. He was quite right
to irqure whether some effort might not
be made to check the circulation Of So
called literature of "a grossly demoraliz-
Ing and corrupting character among the
young" But he went too far when he
asked whether Sir M. White Ridley did
not see his way to "arm some responsible
authority with supervising powers in this
connection similar to those that had been
dissemination of unwholesome and objec-
tlonable literature from the stage" This,
OIL course would amount to general CEN
sorship of literature. But the censorship
Is not wanted. The law already under
takes to deal with obscene. blasphemous
and seditiCus'' publications after their ap-
pearance. 1t does not require that all
writing should be licensed in order to be
sure that no obscenity, blasphemy or Sc
dition shall appear. The questions are
whether this trashy, cheap literature" of
crime Is not of a character to render those
who publish 1t liable to punishment al
ready, and II not, whether some practical
steps cannot be taken to class 1t with the
obscene, the blasphemous and the sedit.ous.
We are sorry to learn that Sir NJ. White
Ridley is no more hopeful Of the possibility
of doing anything effectual to stop what he
Justly calls this unwonted evil" than Mr..
II. Matthews was. The former unionst
he me secretary was at least Of the opinion
that the "law as 1t stands is tolerably
effective weapon. and that, under the
powers conferred by Lord Campbelrs act,
by the metropolitan police courts act, and
by the vagrant act. ample powers We're
given. which, If effectively used, would
prevent the circulation of immoral lttera-
trre." Mr.. Matthews thought that these
ample powers" could not be made use OF,
because juries were not to be trusted.
This was bad enough. but Sir M. White
Ridley went further yesterday. He laid 1t
DOWN that the law is not "a tolerably
effective weapon" but is, on the contrary
helpless against literature which Is only
immoral and ''quasi-criminal." Under the
existing law" he said, mo means exist
of stopping such publications unless they
be OF an obscene blasphemous or sedi-
tious character" These are terms of art
which have been so defined as not to include
mere immoral rubbish and pestilent scrib-
bling about crime and bloodshed. As for
this sort of thing, Sir NJ. White Ridley Is
Of opinion that 1.-The difficulties of legisla-
tion with respect to quasi-crminal litera-
ture not coming within the above descrip-
tions have been, 1 am sorry to say, in my
Judgment, rightly regarded as almost pro-
ffbittye." Mr.. Matthews, at least, thought
that We could stop the nuisance If we
would. Sir NJ White Ridley finds himself
&C nstrained to decide that. however much
we may wtsh)to do SO. We cannot. 1t is we
trust, no presumption to decline to accept
either of these contradictory statements
implicitly. Where two highly qualified gen.
tlemen. both acting by the best advice, are
FOUND so much at variance. 1t would seem
that the rights of the case cannot be so
very clear. Surely the way to arrive at
certainty Is TO bring the question to the
test Of experiment.