New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-04-26
CENSORSHIP AS IT IS
National Board Widely Recog
nized-Local Activity Inva-
riably Unsatisfactory.

Occasions on which the peculiar govern
:. mental organization of the United States
adds difficulty 10 the problems OF the day
are by no means rare. The jealousy
guarded right OF each state TO control its
own affairs is a most important one in a
country Of such extent as this. but il
often complicates matters, This is es-
pecialy true in the matter Of motion pict-
ure censorship. Almost from the birth Of
the industry certain persons have felt
that some sort of censorship should be
established over motion pictures. Censor
ship by the federal government has been
regarded as impossible because II would
be an infringement of the constitutional
provision forbldding Congress TO interfere
with the police rights I'm any state. AS a
result attempts have been made to satisfy
a wholly imaginary public demand for
censorship by the creation Of various crit
ical bodies. Accordingly, the censorship
situation is in many localities in a coodi-
ton of chaos, which is grotesquely anus
ing.
1t is obvious enough that il any censor
ship is to exist it must be the same for all
parts of the country Motion pictures are
dramatic productions, and to ruthlessly
slice sections from them simply because
a local censor feels that he must do some
thing TO make his work appear necessary
Injuries the structure OF the stories so doc
tored. besides representing a large and
needless loss TO the maker.
The ridiculous extreme to which local
censorship may be carried is illustrated
by the present activity of the Chicago
board Of censors. To attempt to follow the
mental workings Of this remarkable body
is useless, but the way in which films are
slashed in that city makes manufacturers
SILVER An even more dverting example
is found in New Haven Conn. At present
pictures are not interfered with there, but
only two years ago a wave OF censorship
struck the police force They decided that
all scenes showing shooting were immoral
and ordered that none be shown. Ac-
cordingly, operators had to stand by with
one hand on the switch and every time
any one drew a gun turn off the light.
Soon the police extended their ban to
knives and bayonets. They also censored
rosters. II poster showed a cowboy fir
ing his revolver piece OF paper had to
be pasted over the flash and smoke.
The foregoing facts illustrate what hap
pens when censorship is attempted by i'm
proper persons. Manufacturers are unit
ing to fight local censorship, and many
are opposed to any. In view OF this we
print for practically the first time the ac-
tual facts about the National Board Of
Censorship for Motion Pictures.
The board Is under the auspices, and
when necessary the direct control, OF the
Peoples Institute. it is under the control
of the general committee. which is made
up Of persons prominent in educational
and phlanthropic work, who are all
broad minded and thoroughly conversant
with the problems Of the day. No mo-
ton picture manufacturing concern is
represented in any way on the board.
For the funds necessary TO carry on the
work the organization is dependent on do
nations. Three film companies contribute
toward the work regularly. They are the
General. Mutual and Universal. A num-
Der of wealthy citizens also contribute,
but the three concerns named supply a
large part of the regular income.
The pictures which the board sees are
shown in private projecting rooms at the
offices OF their makers prior to their pub
lie release. A small staff of salaried sec
retaries, all OF them college graduates SUI
pervise the inspection, but the actual de-
cislon is left 10 volunteer observers who
vote on each picture by means OF blanks.
sTboee narecne receiVp no cOnnensatiO for