The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-10-12

The abnormal" picture was hit and
hit hard by the members of the Board
of Education at the meeting held at
the City Hall on Tuesday evening when
the members of the Board by a unani-
nous vote directed the superintendent
Of schools Of the city to send at once
a protest to the owners Of all moving
picture theatres in Kenosha against the
presentation Of the abnormal and SEN
sational in motion pictures. The mem
bers Of the board did not give their
sanction to pictures just because they
had been passed by some board of cen
sorship and the board will be an active
factor in the battle for clean pictures
in Kenosha. The movement in the board
was inaugurated by Mrs. Beatrice Ives
Welles, commissioner from the Second
ward and she made a strong plea that
the board of education be the active
factor in forcing the questionable pic
lures out Of the theatres of Kenosha.
Mrs. Welles was named by the school
board to appear before the common
council at it's next regular meeting and
urge upon the council the necessity of
the passage of an ordinance which viii
make impossible the production of pic
lures of Objectionable nature on screens
in Kenosha.
1t is understood that the action start
ed by Mrs. Welles has the backing of
The City Club of Kenosha and many
other organizations among the women of
the city and that these women are ready
to go into finish fight if necessary to
eliminate this class of pictures from
Kenosha. While all theatres have not
offended against what the women of the
members of the school board hold to be
the proper treatment of the children
of the city was held that there should
be no discrimination in sending out the
protest and that it should be sent to
the owners of every theatre where NOV
ing pictures are shown in order that
it might deter any managers from en-
tering the field of showing pictures
which might offend against common
deeency. The discussion of the matter
before the board was especially aimed at
theatres which advertised pictures "for
adults only" and with the further in
junction, emo one under twenty-one
years admitted. 1t was held that
these statements had not been followed
closely in Kenosha and that young girls
and boys had been permitted to visit
theatres where pictures of a sensational
and abnormal nature were shown.
"We are hopeful that protest will
be Of value but we believe that the com
mon council should at once pass an or
dinance for the regulation of the NOV
ing picture business in Kenosha," said
one of the interested board members
this morning. ''We have protested
before and the protests brought tenn
porary results but every once in a while
some theatre insists on bringing one of
those nasty sensational pictures here.
We do not believe that they are the
right things for the boys and girls of
Kenosha to see. We care nothing for
the statement that they are for adults
only for we have facts to show that
children have been admitted to see
pictures which are disgrace to the
community. They are not fit for
adults only to say nothing of the
children. We are hopeful of support
from the common council in this matter.
There is no reason why Kenosha shozld
not have it's own board of censorship.
IF we can not go this far we certainly
can put an end to the presentation of
some of these pictures without being
forced to appeal to the district attor-
ney."
Several of the owners of the theatres
in the city declared today that thew
would accept the protest in the spirit in
which it was being sent and that they
would be pleased to cooperate with
the members of the board of education
in cleaning up the picture business and
keeping it clean. 1t is known that
several Of the local managers have re-
fused to present pictures of the class
termed abnormal by Mrs. Welles in
her suggestion to the school board.
1t is expected that the formal protest
will reach the theatre owners before
the end Of the week and that a copy
of it win go to the common council at
the same ta4e,