Evening star., 1915-02-01
SEEK TOEXCLUDE !
PAPERS FROM MAIL
Catholic House Members
Favor Measures to Bar
Objectionable Prints. {
DR.. McKIM SAYS BILLS
MENACE PRESS LIBERTY
Religious Controversy Over Pro.
posed Powers Giving Postmaster
General Censorship.

Three bills aimed at excluding scan-
dalous, libelous. scurrilous matter. etc,
from the malls on the personal veto OF
the Postmaster General drew q big
crowd to the House committee on post
oflces and post roads today. and to.
ward the close of the protracted hear
ing the discussion began to have the
appearance Of religious controversy.
The bills were one by Representative
Fitzgerald Of New York and two hY
Representative Gallivan of Massachu.
setts- These two and Representative
Maher of New York argued briefly 10
favor Of the bills, while Rev. DR. Ran.
dolph H. McKim. rector of the Church
of the Epiphany OF this city; Rev. @. +.
Williams, writer. OF Washington; 4
B, Horton. secretary Columbia Reli-
Buegan. Seventh-day adventist. opposed
the bills up to the time The Stars re-
port closed
As the hearing opened. Represents
tive Fitzgerald said the Postmaster
General found himself in a position
where the existing law did not allow
him to debar from the mails certain in-
decent and scurrilous matter, and as far
as Mr.. Fitzgerald went tho hearing
was confined to phase OF the postal
law. =
Representative Finley OF South Caro-
line endeavored to find out what lay
behind the bill, but Representative
Fitzgerald declared that the Post once
Department could furnish exhibits Of
the matter complained of. 1t was not
until Representative Maher spoke that
he mentioned that Roman Catholics in
his district are extremely anxious TO
curb some of the activities of six pub
locations. He mentioned only two
namely, the Menace and the Yellow
Jacket.
There is no man in this country
who believes in the criticism of a re-
guage." said Representative Gallivan.
in favoring his own bill. "and l want
to call attention to the fact that dis
tribution of that sort Of literature
paign resulted in the defeat of forty
eight democrats either at the primaries
or at the election. 1t is time soms-
thing is done"
Attack on Catholics.
This is a direct attack on the Ro-
man Catholic Church. said Represent
ative Maher after he had mentioned
the names of the publications sought
to be excluded by individual veto OF
the Postmaster General. 1.-THE Catholics
want protection from these slanderous
libels circulated through the mails"
In opposing tho bills. Rev. DR.. Nc
Kim said he appeared as an American
citizen to represent the views OF 800
Washington clergymen incorporated
into the Federation of Pastors:
This legislation is Inconsistent with
the principles of American liberty
said he, "and constitutes an attack oa
desire to defend the scurrilous and
libelous and filthy publications.. and
would to God there were none, but wa
should not get at them by striking at
see the press free than clean. il to
clean it we had to assault liberty"
He called attention to the fact that
the courts were open to redress In the
case of persons injured by slander and
libel.
THE bill is unconstitutional" he con-
tinued. The Postmaster General Ia
not responsible to the people and
should not have dictatorial power"
Would you rather see obscene mat
ter go through the mail than have tho
liberty of the press interferred with"
asked Representative Fitzgerald.
Excluding obscene matter from the
mails is not Limitation on the free
dom of the press" replied DR.. Mckim.
II would prefer that there should be
no press than that 1t should be at lib
erty to publish any unclean and libel
GUS statement"
Rev. G. F. Williams said that the
legislation is unnecessary. in his opin-
ion, because of the fact that the courts
have always been able to handle
charges of scurrility, etc.
Menace Press Freedom.
Sanford B. Harton, secretary of the
Columbia Religious Liberty Association.
said: with all due respect to the
authors of the two bills before this
committee at the present time. l sub
init that there is wrapped up in the
legislation proposed a menace to the
freedom of the press as well as to re-
ligious liberty.
These measures propose to amend
the postal laws SO to give to the
Postmaster General absolute power to
exclude from the mails pamphlets. pic
tures prints, engravings. Autographs.
photographs or other publications.
which in his judgment are. or are rep
resent ed to be. a reflection on any form
of religious worship practiced or held
sacred by any citizens of the United
States
w. L. Buesan, representing the Sew.
enth-day Adventists. said:
Thousands of Seventh day Adven-
lists throughout the United States, be-
lieving that the measures that have
by Representatives Fitzgerald and CAL
livan are the first steps toward the de-
struction of the freedom Of the press.
are engaged in a campaign of circulat-
ing petitions protesting against these