Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1914-06-04
100000 SEE
MOVIES EACH DAY
Congress May Pass Censorship
Law al This Session.
TO AFFECT $4,000 THEATERS

Film Makers Protest, Saying Their
Products Are Good-Advocates of
Proposed Measure Say Children Are
Led Into Crime by Some Photo Plays.
Some States Censor All Reels.
WashjngtOn.-SiXtccn million persons
daily attend the 1900 moving picture
thcatcrS now in operation in the Unit
CG States. A large proportion Of the
patrons are children. There are APP
p~roxiinatcly 2O,OOO,OOO school children
in the United States. The attendance
Of the picture shows therefore repre-
SCENTS four fifthS OF the daily enrolment
Of the public schools and far exceeds
that reported by churches, libraries
and other institutions of human bet
torment.
These facts, or what are represented
to be facts, were brought out before
the house committee on education. The
committee has under consideration a
bill to establish a federal censorship
commission over moving pictures. The
measure has strong support, and the
chances are that it will be enacted
into law ut this session Of congress.
1t has been indOrScd by clerGymen,
educators and some moving picture Elk
hibitors.
Other exhibitors oppose it on the
ground that film makers censor their
product and that federal censorship
would interfere with the business. An
other objection urged against the bill
IS that It's passage might serve as Il
precedent for legislation abridglng the
liberty Of the press.
Those who voice this objection argue
that If the federal government under
takes to censor moving pictures it may
extend the authority to printed matter.
Advocates of federal censorship of
moving pictures say that these cXhibi-
tions are hurtful or beneficial to the
youthful mind according to their char
actcr. 1t Is asserted that many crimes
'N'Ii " ' Nv ith
witnessed drbaSing scenes in moving
picture houses.
For this reason it is argued that com
pctent inspection and effective censor
ship of films are needed. The two
sides of the story were told in the
house committee.
MANY parts of moving picture eXhi-
hitinnG urn IlnrfnhtIV brnDnp nail thn
Rev. IL. n. rringlc, assistant Supcrin-
tendent OF the international reform bu-
rcau. "Othcr parts may be objection
able because they present ut times pie
lures of murders, robberieS, holdups,
assaults, hurglaricS and nearly the
whole catalogue Of crimes.
Every few days you may see in the
newspapers illusions by criminal court
judges to the connection between juve~
nile crime ana the demoralizing pres
c%ntationS just mentioned, This bin
proposes the examination and censor
ship of picture films SO that tainted
and diseased amusement may not be
sent out from about fifty film manufaC-
turing firms and importing firms to
liNtl -'.'V' Nv lllS llNlult lIlNlItI1
to injure millions of immature persons
who daily see these productions"
w. Stephen Bush of New York. rep
r%csenting Il moving picture publication,
made n defense of American made
moving pictures.
Respect for the ordinary dccCncies
of life charactcri2es the producers OF
p,nlin,r t;,t,,Vn. - Jn ,nil s'Jl,n, orn
anxious to please. not to offend, 1t is
n fact that the American producers
supply not less than - per cent of the
worlds market of moving pictures,
NO matter where YOU so in Europe,
You will find a strong percentage of
each program is made up Of pictures
made In this country Why? Because
the American pictures with negligible
exceptions are clean.
They are made by men whose eyes
and ears heed public taste and scnti
ment and who do not want to cater to
any morbid or depraved taste, Now.
censorship has been responsible in the
countries of Europe for Il great de
crease In the number Of pictures made,
and absolutely no good is accomplished
by the censorship such rs exists In
Russia, Germany and other countries
1t was hrouGSt out that Ohio, Kan
sas. Pennsylvania and California cNcr
else cenSorShipS over moving pictures.
Boards of moving picture censorship
also are in operation in many cities.
among them New York. San Francisco
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