The Washington herald., 1913-12-24
TRAFFIC in SOULS"
film AGAIN Shown
Commissioners Say Action Of Police
in Barring Picture Was error
of Judgment"
STATEMENT BY MR.. NEWMAN

Traffic in Souls" again was shown al
the Belasco Theater last night.
IAN error OF judgment on the part oi
the police" was the explanation given by
the District Commissioners yesterday fol-
the action Sunday night in barring the
pictures. The Commissioners, together
with Corporation Counsel Syme and sew
eral police officials. saw the film Mon
day night, and came to the unanimous
conclusion that there was no ground for
putting a ban upon its production.
Stoddard Taylor, manager OF the Be-
lasco, and Attorney Henry E. Davis, rep
resenting that playhouse. were highly
gratified over the decision OF the board
Of censorship yesterday. Mr.. Taylor
stated that he had cut about 100 feet of
the original reel before the opening OF
the test production" Monday.
These hundred feet represented a
dance, which. while being a true repro
duction from real life. might have been
So I cut this part of in order to avoid
any further trouble. I was not told to
do so, however"
Commissioner oliver p. Newman yes
terday afternoon gave out a lengthy
statement regarding the affair. He says,
in part:
''Basing our decision upon a report
from the corporation counsel and from
six members OF the playgoing commit
tee of the Washington Center Of the
Drama League Of America, we have con-
cluded that We have no authority TO pro-
hibit the production OF the motion pic
ture play, Traffic in Souls at the Bel
asco Theater.
"Our INQUIRY and our conclusion goes
no further than the enforcement Of n
specific statute. which We are convinced
is not violated by this production. In
their report to US, the members OF the
Drama League who witnessed the per-
forTnance. make the following statement:
"'All agreed that there was nothing in
this performance for which the police
might not close every moving picture
theater in the city. 1t contains no in
decencies or lewdness such as the statute
on that subject obviously intends to
cover.
"'Of course the committee would not
seriously approve any police censorship.
and they are all strongly of the opinion
that the police have Travelled far outside
of their proper functions in assuming
to make themselves the guardians of the
morals or dramatic taste of the commu-
nity"'
Mrs. Irvine MoIler, chairman OF the
committee on elimination of commercial
lied vice, who is conducting campaign
in the District for the Kenyon bill,
which proposes the abolition Of the segre-
gated district. pronounced Traffic in
Souls" as shown at the Belssco Theater.
"a great moral lesson and sharply
criticised the police attitude toward the
film.
Francis dc Sales Ryan. vice president
of Washington Truth Society, last night
said:
"On the request of the corporation coun-
sells Office the Truth Society sent TO the
performance a committee composed OF a
clergyman, the former judge of a juve-
nile court, the president of a young mems
club, and an officer of a prominent ma
tional organization. The committee unani-
mously declared the performance to be
a menace to public morals. a body of
clergymen, representing the Protestant
Episcopal Church. the assistant corpora
tion counsel. and the highest officials of
the police department, agree with this
opinion.
The opinion of one District official.
that the show does not violate the law
against exhibitions Offensive to public
decency,' is probably based on the con-
clusion that public decency no longer ex-
lists, and that, OF course, you can't offend
a thing that does not exist