The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-05-23
PUBLIC CENSOR
IS NOT FAVORED
Believed 0ver-Zealous MOralists
Foster New Law

The censorship bugbcar continues to
survive. Notwithstanding that the moIc
= ~ discussed the better intrenchcl
e.umrs tine position of those who
contend that Official censorship is ia .
yored by a comparatively small per
centagc If the people, says The Nov
mg Picture World. that it Is a poll
teal Joker unwittingly nursed by
n,cr-zcalous moralists and that such
censorship applied To motion pictures
alone cannot stand "a constitutions |
fest The latter is true despite any
hing To- the contrary that has. OF
ma, hr developed in Canada. The con
etitutioual rights and privileges In tho
Emitted States differ very materially
from those existing on the other side
If the border line in many respects,
so that an argument that the Cana
Jiqu government has solved the Off
,ial censorship problem carries No
weight on this side of the line. No
law of discrimination against the mo-
ton picture form Of entertainment,
whether il be that of oilicia, censor
ship or any other form, can withstand
Il court test IN argument that some
manufacturers and importers of films
refuse TO even make a prctcnsc of cen.
,orship viii not hold water when OF
Tercd as reason for advocating the
proposed laws. The authorities hav"
ample laws through which remedies
may he applied if occasions arise for
action.
.."."..
II is alleged that the stories told by
some moving. pictures tend to lead to
the commits sion of crimes Grant for
the sake of argument that this is true
and then apply it To the public press.
Take an issue of the New York World
Of th, past week and read how rob-
her, attacked woman IN her home.
Note the details of the crime given in
the article: how the robbers approach
el the victim; the materials used u
gac. blud and blindfod her. and the
manner in which they were applied.
It is extremely doubtful. that the au-
tho,uticS can point To n motion picture
nov ON the market that is more faith
mi ~ the details of II criminal opera
ton thaU was given in the article re-
forrrd TO-. OF course the comparison
would not justify the exhibition of the
picture hut it goes "a long way In sup
puY; or the contention that il there Is
TO 20, official censorship it must take
general form to he consistent
1885,.
Now tpkc the newspaper version oil
the question as reflected by Considcra-
ton @. the bill of Senator Works at
Washington to censor the press of the
District Of Columbia. which was re-
turned with an uufavorable recon-
mendation The commissioner of the
district reported that the publicity
,iyou by the press generally tends to.
lesson cyil conditions ana thus rem
dcrs useful service to the public.
Thai the dread of publicity has a de-
tcrrrnl influence upon those disposed
or tempted To- the committing of
crime may reasonably be Inferred
from the fact that most offenders
against law earnestly seek to avoid
exposure of the circumstances oi
their mIsbehaN ior in newspaper re-
rolls of their trial. The commission"
ers do not believe that the enactment
of The radical legislation contemplated
by the hin is advisable"
.........
The report does not Justify publica-
ton ot details of crimes as referred u
~ one of the paragraphs above. but
il does uphold FOR the newspapers what
Y claimed for motion pictures. II the
publication of the details of trials has
deterrent influence on the ,riminallN
disposed or tempted surely the opera
non OF a motion picture story that
reads up 10 moral aud "A warnlnI
must have the same effect. In this re-
sprct the newspapers and motion
pictures are 50 closely allied that "a
distinction cannot be seriously or con"
SlsIeutiN drawn. and Oh a proposition
OF official censorship both must be con-
sdcrad
....,....