The Washington herald., 1907-11-17
Protest Against the Censor.

10 is evident that the movement In Eng
land against Mr.. Redford. the examiner Of
plays. is taking on a serious aspect The
prime minister has consented TO receive a
deputatiOn OF dramatic authors and con-
fer with them on the whole subject Of
the censorship OF plays. A letter signed
by seventy-one authors and playwrights
has been sent TO the press, entering a
formal protest against the retention of
the Office OF censor which, i, is declared
was instituted for political and not for
the so-called moral purposes to which II
has been perverted. They declare that
il is an Office autocratic In procedure. OPP
posed TO the spirit OF the constitution,
mon sense The formal protest as lodged
with the prime minister is as follows:
The undersigned dramatic authors protest against
the present censorship Of plays ohiee instituted
fer political and not for the solled moral ends to
which il is perverted an Office autogste IN pro-
cdme. opposed 10 the spirit Of the constitution.
contrary to common justice and 20 common sense.
They protest against the power lodged in the
hands q a single ofical-whO judges without a
publie hearing and against whose dictum there is
no appeal-to cast a slur on the good name aud
destroy the means Of livelihood Of any member Of
an honorable calling.
They assert that the censorship has not been OK
CrCised in the interests Of morality and that the
public, through their proper representatives are
the best judges Of their owG morals.
They ask 20 be freed from the menace hanging
over every dramatist. Of having the work and the
proceeds Of his work destroyed at a pens stroke
by the arbitrary action Of a single Official neither
responsible 90 Parliament nor amcnable 70 law.
They ask that their art DO placed on the same
footing as every other art They ask that they
themselves be placed in a position enjoyed under
the law by every other citizen To these ends they
claim that tho licensing q plays should be abol-
ishcd. The public is already sufficiently assured
against managerial misconduct by the present yearly
licensing Of theaters. which remains untouched by
the measure of justice here demanded.
The signatories 70 this protest include
Granville Barker. the censorship Of whose
play Waste brought all the trouble 10
d head; J. NJ Barrie, r, G. Carton. Had
don Chambers. Henry Hubert Davies. II.
V. Esmond, Sir w s Gilbert, Thomas
Hardy, Anthony Hope. Laurence Irving.
Henry Arthur Jones. A. +. W. Mason.
George Meredith, Arthur Wing Pinero.
Bernard Shaw. Alfred Sutro. Cecil Raleigh.
Algernon G. Swinburne. II. G. Wells. and
Israel Zangwill-that is 10 say. the lead
ing dramatic writers of England
The general opinion seems 20 be that
the protest will be availing. and il is
said that King Edward himself is Of the
opinion that the best interests Of the
drama Will be served by abolishing the
office of censor. He holds that the public
IS already sufficiently assured against
managerial misconduct by che present
yearly licensing OF theaters. which syz-
TEN viii remain untouched by the aboli-
ton of the Office Of censor.
In England too. the public Is quick To
resent any attempt 10 present those things
on the stage which the censor has been
supposed to prevent They VIII not toll
crate any burlesque or representation OF
living personages high in place. nor will
they patronlze plays which are obviously
immoral in tone In England. as in Amer
lea, the theater-going public may be
trusted to do all the censoring that is
necessary.