The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-02-05
STATE PICTURE
MEN WILL FIGHT
CENSORSHIP
Meeting Held at Rutland to OPP
pose Change In Law
REGULATION NOT NEEDED
No One Person or Group Should Be
Given the Right to Control
Moving Pictures
REGULATION NOT NEEDED

Rutland, Feb. 5.--War on the bill
to create state censorship of NOV.
Ing pictures In Vermont was declared
yesterday by 30 representative exh b
itors OF pictures IN Eages hall. Or.
sanitation was effected TO combat the
measure with all the strength of the
Industry. ]. J. Whalen, manager of
the Strong theater, Burlington was
elected chairman and T. w. Mckay,
manager Of the Strand and Grand
theaters In Rutland, was made secre.
tar.
Chairman Whalen outlined the gen
eral att tude of the industry at large
and of the Vermont exh bitors In par
ticular on the matter of censorship.
Remarks were also made by II. d..
Sparrow, manager OF theaters in Boil
lows Fsils and Springfield; B. Harte
OF the IIarte theater and Bennington
Opera house, Bennington; A. X. Hall
ct the Strand and Music Theater at
Randolph Walter H. Grace of the
Black theater at Fair Haven and Al
fred Black. owner of various theaters
On Vermont
Following the meeting Chairman
Wholen issued the following state
ment
I'm many communities there are in.
diyiduals and groups OF ind viduals
who desire TO control and direct the
kind OF films which may be shown for
reasons, which, while TO them sutiic.
lent, are not founded on fact and are
urged because OF clear lack OF
knowledge OF the motion picture and
IFS most beneficial uses.
Cons rsh p affects not only the
FIN Industry but the rights of every
citizen. The harm that can be visited
upon investors and exhibitors in the
motion p cture industry lis chiefly one
Of dollars and cents but In the con
troll apd direction oe'a great medium
for public entertainment and educa.
ticn In It's widest and best sense, the
Censorship idea ccnta Ms elements of
evil which would undo the very fabric
OF our democracy.
I'VE. are a people governed in what
we SEQ and do and hear by settled
laws-laws which state plainly and
with accuracy those things which are
prohibited. II man bur Ids house or
sells mi X. writes a booR. produces a
play, publishes newspaper or makes
speech. he knows exactly what be can
do under the standards OF established
law Every situation. business and
phase of life must be regulated and
controlled BY definite law. That law
etnanates from our legislature and Is
final construct on is left TO our courts
In no other way can persona liberty
and freedom OF action be guaranteed.
''But now tho champions of film
censorship argue that the motion pic
tnre should be governed by a new
method OF law and board of censors
should have tho absolute right tc de-
termine what other mill ons shall have
the right TO see--and the Judgment OF
such board shall be final
Such an arbitrary and unusual
form OF drastic regulation savors OF
the days OF the Spanish inqu sition
and surely has no place In a modern
form Of government
There are now on the statute
hooks ample laws to cover the entire
situation and to prohibit the showing
OF any picture which is harmful or OFT
an indecent nature. Why should the
motion picture because 1t is a sue
cessful and popular form OF amuse.
ment come in for this unreasonable
sort OF control when the principle Of
censorship as applied to the press,
the spoken drama and literature has
been adjudged evl?
Tho plea for censorship is really
the entering wedge OF movement TO
censor the press. the stage and to-
make a 0nal and deep stab at the
heart OF personal liberty. Three hun
dred years ago, group of individuals
braved the ocean and sought danger
to escape all this and now we, their
followers. are forgetting Plymouth
and It's lessons to listen TO the ins'd.
ious plea OF censorship and through
II to check the freedom we now en-
JOY to decide for ourselves what we
shall do and hear,
III control OF the press, the novel
and the stage by handful of official
censors would be subversive of the
pvblios best interests, how much
more dangerous to pace the future
of the screen in the hands of political
appointees with no law to guide them
TOO LATE TO CLASSIFY