The sun., 1919-05-29
FILM CENSORSHIP
Is HOTLY OPPOSED
Directors to Proposed Measure
Appear Before Council
Committee.
CALL PLAN PRUSSIAN1SM
Aldermen to Study Situation
Carefully Before TAX
ing Action.

Vigorous opposition to the proposed
ordinance establishing a municipal CEN
sorship OF moving picture films, to be ex-
ercised by the Commissioner of Licences
developed at the hearing held in the City
Hall yesterday by the committee on gen.
eral welfare OF the Board Of Aldermen.
II was declared that the proposal was
''bit of Prussianism." that 1t was I'M
American and would increase the social
unrest. Many Of the opponents repre-
scented producers of pictures. who, under
the ordinance would have to get n license
costing 81 for every Aim shown. Re-
plying to their declaration that Mayor
Gaynor had vetoed a similar ordinance,
those who favored 1t called attention TO
the fact that the moving picture bust
ness had developed wonderfully since
then. AS to the assertion that the former
Mayor had declared II to be unconstitu-
tional, Canon Sheafe Chase of Brooklyn
said that a similar law in Ohio had been
pronounced constitutional by the United
States Supreme Court.
DR.. d. Everett Martin, director of the
Cooper Union Forum, who opened the
argument for the opposition, said he
thought he was a competent witness be-
cause for the last ten years he had en-
deavored to find out what the public
thought on the moving picture question.
Fears One Man Power.
''It would be dangerous to put such
power in the hands of one man." said
Mr.. Martin. such things are not easy
to regulate. Censorship should be in the
h, H. -, I,vt, In hA
present state of the public mind such
power as provided for in this measure
would increase the social unrest"
'T believe we have enough laws" said
James Z. Holland. president OF the State
Federation of Labor. IF they were en-
forced they would prevent the type of
picture that is complained Of. The or
dlnance as proposed Is un-American.
w. Stephen Brush of the Motion Pic
ture Exhibitors League of the State of
New York said that only four of the
forty-eight States had censorships
Fifty thousand people see pictures on
Broadway every Sunday" he added,
land where can you find a cleaner or
more refined entertainment? We are
bringing the four corners of the world
to our doors. If you censor the scenes
as represented in the moving pictures to-
day you indict the taste of the American
public"
"I will acknowledge that some scenes
in the moving pictures should be cut
out" argued Mrs Grace Humiston, but
IL Is impossible to find one man to censor
all the pictures. With all the other
duties he has to perform the Commits
sioner of Licenses could not begin to
do It"
This would be the beginning of
censorship on everything we have" said
Ralph Folks, representing motion pic
ture producers. II do not believe we
are going to- import this bit of Prus-
sianism into our city"
Mrs. Ellen O'Grady, Deputy Police
Commissioner, told of some of the dis
gushing films she had seen. BY the time
the Police Department could stop them,
she added, the harm had been done.
Sees Filth" Increase.
Mayor Gaynor wrote his veto OF
similar ordinance twelve years ago"
she continued. The exhibition of filth
has increased tremendously in those
years. He would not write that veto
to-day.
our foreign born citizens get an idea
of our institutions from moving pic
lures. There is no question that pic
lures are Of great educational value, but
they must be clean. l don't care who
the censor is but there should be one"
Canon Chase said 1t was simply a
question between an efficient and an
inefficient way of accomplishing the end
desired,
This is not a censorship" he de-
clared. although we use that term. 1t
Is simply the use of licensing power
that is used all over the country. 1t
cannot be called Prussianism. You IL
cense a theatre when it is opened so as
TO provide that it will comply with the
law in every particular. You do not
wait until an accident has occurred be-
fore you look into the matter
1t was intimated that the Aldermanic
committee would consider the question
with unusual care before submitting it's
Recommendation TO the Board.