Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-07-14

DECISION
IN HUDSON HAS
: NO BEARING HERE
City Counsel Nugent Thinks Ex-
+. hibition Here Cannot
Be Stopped.

EoAk1 ~ ~ allAOA
of Supreme Court Justice Francis J.
Swayze in declaring that he would
charge the grand jury to bring indict-
ments against anyone who attempted
to show the Johnson-Jeffries fight
pictures in Hudson county, would have
on the picture situation in this city,
Commissioner Baader. of the police
board, said he had Is yet not given
the matter his careful consideration.
He said 1t was still his opinion thai
the police would stop an attempt to
show the pictures here.
City Counsellor James r. Nugent
said that as yet he had not been asked
for an opinion by the police as to his
towards the pictures Inc opin-
ion regarding the statement of Justice
Swayze. He said, however, tina if his
opinion were asked he would simply
say hat the city authorities had no
legal power to interfere with the show
ing of the pictures and that the state
ment of Justice Swayze was simply an
opinion and not a ruling. He said
that he did not think 1t would alter the
situation here in the least, and that he
agreed perfectly with the statement
given out by the Mayor yesterday.
Chief of Police Corbitt. as usual. re-
fused to talk. Whatever opinions he
has on the subject are only matters of
conjecture.
Frank Coult and Bernard s. Levey,
the promoters, who are endeavoring to
show the pictures here, stated that the
matter had gone too far for them to
Io oTr o,,+ ord chat thew tyottlI cfpon1x
go on with their work and take a
chance, unless they were stopped by the
courts.
Pastors Letter to Mayor.
The Rev. James A. Solandt. pastor of
the Belleville Avenue Congregational
Church, has replied to the public letter
of Mayor Haussling in regard to the
exhibition of the Jeffries -Johnson fight
pictures in Newark.
The letter reads as follows:
ITO the Honorable Jacob Haussling.
Mayor of the City of Newark:
Honorable Sir-Your letter, indicat-
ing your stand regarding the exhibiting
of the prize-hght pictures, received by
last evening.
TN saying a few words in reply, 1
give. only my own personal view of the
matter. at the same time this may be
the opinion of many of the citizens
who employ o as a public official.
II need not say that l am both sur
prised and grieved at the position that
you have taken. You had a splendid
opportunity to show that you had the
true ends of government in mind. The
resolutions presented to 0 by the
ministers, the committee on instruction
of the Board of Education and others
represented the sentiments of mor
than 100000 of the citizens of Newark.
In this great number are found those
who are the leaders in all hat is best
and uplifting in the life of the city, and
who, in a special manner. are respon-
sible for the education and the instruc-
ton of the young. Had it been thought
at all necessary. doubtless many other
organizations in the city would have
expressed themselves against the ex-
hibitions. Such an overwhelming eX-
preston of public opinion would make
1T easy for an official to carry u the
will of the people.
"As to the technicality of the law, ]
understand that there rs a law in this
State against prize-fghting. 1t was
probably drawn up before the picture
machines were invented, or brought t.
the perfection that they are today
The value of the moving picture is its
life-like reality. Therefore, while the
letter of the law may not prohibit the
pictures the spirit of the law Is against
them.
Were Inclined TO Bar Pictures.
Until you announced your decision
the license committee and the police
commissioners appeared to be inclined
to stop the pictures on their own au-
thority. In fact, the officers stopped
the bout Monday evening, and the box
ing exhibitions in the open air on the
basis of the public good.
while there may not be any riot
or disturbance at the time of the ax-
Editions. at the game time utmost care
should be taken to guard the public
welfare against anything that might
stir up racial a~ntagonism.
I'm the forming and the expressing oil
public opinion there is no greater fac
tor than the press. In all this discus
sion the press of our city has been q
unit on the side of decency and the
betterment OF public opinion. dis now
conceded that the expressed wish o1
the public should rule. On this point the
me quote from Colonel Theodore Roose-
welt: we, the men who compose the
great bulk Of the community, wish n
govern ourselves. We welcome leader
ettn I..& me x..toh -. Ioo11.- 1910.