The Washington herald., 1921-03-01
Crafts and Griffith Pre-
sent Views on Films to
ID. C.. Commissioners.
HEATED SPEECHES
ENLIVEN DEBATES
Alleged Catholic View
point Leads to Denial
By Donovan.

4
hour. no-decision verbal bout on
censorship of District movies at a
packed public hearing yesterday
afternoon before the Commissioners
at the District Building.
Griffith. artist extraordinary,
frankly admitted there have been
some tainted apples in the barrel.
But in an impassioned appeal, fol-
lowed by the greatest applause of
the session, he cautioned that CEN
sorship was a thing of kings. ~
grave act in which was hidden as
great a danger as that found in
historic religious beliefs whose
creeds-"ThinkI as l think"-had
brought to the world untold blood
shed.
| Crafts speaks.
! Crafts. reformer extraordinary,
declared mo real censorship is pro-
posed" He said the International
Reform Bureau sought only such
government inspection as that to
which packers submit their meats,
that Bad meat may be detected be-
] fore il kills.
| Though adjournment at Sis came
without decision from the Com
missioners sitting in Judgment, a
phrase dropped by Commissioner
kutz in a short discussion with
Griffith may or may not be taken
as an indication of what that de-
eision will be, should il be made
during the present. or a subsequent
reign of the current board.
Kutx's Question.
When Grihth's applause had
ceased kutz asked Griffith:
How about rules to eliminate
such pictures as You admit should
tnever be, Shown?'-f - s y -
1 ''Toniy ask 10 have fctpidde n such
things as the majority claims to be
Objectionable" said Griffith.
/ And then in the discussion which
! followed kutz referred to George
! w. Darr, who arrayed the anti-cen-
sorship battalion. as speaking
against the opinion of the Commits
sioners."
1
Judges seat before the complete pre-
sentation of evidence, was accepted
III anti-censorship quarters to be an
admission upon the part of the COM
missioners that they We're listening
TO case which they had already
| Irejudged.
Gaynor's stand.
Griffith, as first speaker for those
! opposing censorship. read the late
Mayor Gaynors statement when the
latter vetoed bill providing for
censorship of New York City's films.
In which the then mayor declared
every citizen should be free to speak
and write on all subjects.
IN this late civilizations" declar-
ed Griffith, lit seems strange indeed
that we should come to the National
| Capital to plead for free speech. The
moving pictures are nothing more
than a pictorial press, and IL you
| would censor pictures il follows
that you must censor the press.
How do the stories presented by the
two differ? 1 admit that there are
| some pictures which should never
have been exhibited. But there are
also many words spoken. and many
novel written, which should never
be spoken or written.
/ Brain of Child.
I'VE must be careful not to meas
ure everything for the brain. OF a
child. Who of us can agree upon
| what is right or what Is wrong in
| pictures? Censorship is but re-
verting to the Think as l think"
belief of ancient religions.
What Is right, and what Is
wrong? Advocates of censorship
| favor the elimination of murder,
seduction-crime. Yet David Cop
perfield, story of seduction, is one
of the most beautiful stories of the
English language. Hamlet, Shake
speare's masterful tragedy, has In
il five murders. With censorship a
modern Shakespeare, who wrote a
drama having five murders, would
be condemned.
Too Many Laws.
I'VE have so many laws now that
we are losing respect for them
through their nonenforcement. If
you order censorship of pictures,
the next step will be the press, and
finally we shall be followed by de-
tectives reporting to headquarters
our personal conversations. Before
you consider censorship, be care
ful-
At the conclusion of Griffith's an
peal. Crafts left the room. He was
absent during the remaining ~testi-
mony and did not hear the sum
ming up of the anti forces by Darr.
who took off his gloves when he
made reference to Crafts and his
record.
Catholic View.
Charles A. Mcmahon, who claim-
ed District residence for the mast
two years as a member of the Ma
tional Catholic War Council, and
who said he was authorized to
speak in behalf of the National
Catholic Welfare Council. an od-
ganization promulgated by ninety.
two bishops for the purpose OF in
vestigting social problems. was
openly attacked by Thomas ]. Dom
ovan, president of the Central Citi-
zens' Association.
Mcmahon followed Crafts in pre-
senting the pro regulation argu-
ments and declared he was speaking
FOR 10000 Catholic organizations
In this fight for a clean stage and
clean movies"
Donovan charged him with not
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