The Washington times., 1921-02-28
PROTEST
ONCENSORSH|P
Remonstrants Crowd Hearing
Room When Stricter Film
Regulation Is Urged.
Continued from First Page.)

CONTINUED from First Page.)
that the clean minded. average citizen
protect himself through Government
when he has failed to do SO by per-
sonal protest and the Intervention Of
rivate civic organizations"
The hearing will continue all after
noon and promises to develop into
one OF the liveliest sessions held IN
the District Building.
GRIFFITH TO SPEAK.
David Wark Griffith. producer Of
"Way Down East" and other fsniOus
photoplays. representatives OF local
moving picture theaters. and repre-
sentatives of various organizations
about Washington will speak tais af-
ternoon opposing censorship.
Ar,t NC the organizations to be rep
resented as opposing censorship are
the Central Labor Union, Chamber Of
Commerce, City Employees Association.
several citizens associations and
others.
Monsignor Cornelius F. Thomas.
pastor of st. Patrick's Roman Cath
Ollie Church. and one OF the most
prominent clergymen in Washington.
today denounced the International Re
form Bureau.
In a letter to District Commissioner
Hendrick, Monsignor Thomas declared
he had no sympathy with the efforts
Of this bureau to influence legislation
and the action Of the Commissioners
in the matter of movie censorship.
The letter follows:
LEGITIMATE TRIBUNALS ENOUGH.
whatever censorship the stage of
the movie theaters needs" said Mon
signor Thomas in his letter, "can be
given by legitimate tribunals which
do not need the advice of such ire
sponsible sources as the lnterna-
tional Reform Bureau.
Government supervision of men
and morals should be sufficient with
church influence on the consciences
of the people to destroy any and all
effects Of public shows without the
interference of self-constituted people
or societies.
''Unless the efforts Of such are cur
tailed, nation and State will suffer
much in the future. People and soci-
eties with money and persistence may
succeed in carrying out any measure
they espouse without consideration Of
the harm it will do to individual lib
erty and happiness"
Seventy protests against censor
chanics, laborers and clerks, were re-
eeived by the District Commissioned
today. The protests came from every
section of the city.
PROTESTS UNANIMOUS.
The protestants practically all were
unanimous in asserting it would be
impossible for the Commissioners to
select a censorship board for Wash
ington that could Judge moving pic
ture shows with fairness to the pub
lie and the movie producers.
"Citizens of northeast" fifty in
all, in a petition. declare the pro-
posed movie legislation is un-
American and cannot accomplish the
purpose for which it is created, and
therefore they ask that there be no
-tampering' with the movies.
DR.. Wilbur F. Crafts. superinten-
dent of the International Reform
Bureau, in a letter to The Times
today gives his version of the meet
ing Of the executive committee of
the Chamber Of Commerce last
week at which that body went on
record as opposed to censorship.
DR.. Crafts declares reports of the
meeting did not represent either the
facts or spirit of the meeting and
says they were wholly one-sided.
His version Of the meeting follows:
The discussion was lively, but good
natured and courteous on both sides.
| save the one charge of Colonel Har-
per that l was reluctant to show the
telegram, wishing to put something q
over. Why did l carry the telegram
there II not to show it? His preju-
dice prevented him from seeing that
the telegram contained the very thing
/ was submitting II for, to show that
B. B. Hampton, president of four fllm