The Washington herald., 1922-01-26
CHARGES MOTION
PICTURE MEN AIM
TO RULE POLITICS
Witness Before Senate
Committee Urges Film
Regulation.

Motion picture interests have en-
tered politics to become a factor in
the election of every candidate from
alderman to President. according to
charges laid before a Senate inyes-
tigating committee by Canon Will
lam Sheafe Chase. chairman Of the
motion picture committee Of the So
ciety for the Prevention Of Crime.
This. Sheafe declared. was the
reason the industry employed Post
master General Will Hays as die
tator." Use of the power of the
screen in this way. he said. consti-
tutes a menace to free government.
The committee. which met yester-
day. had before it the resolution OF
Senator Myers. Democrat, of Mon
tana. calling for a Senate investi.
cation of the political charges. as
wen as charges that the industry
Is violating the antitrust laws
through combination.
Myers Urges Censorship.
Myers spoke at length in favor of
censorship. II 1t were true, he
argued. that a few men were seek
ing political power to enable them
to remain free to exhibit debasing
pictures, the situation merited a
thorough investigation at the hands
of the Senate.
Senator Shortridge. Republican, of
California. and chairman of the
committee, dismissed as idle talk"
the accusations concerning Hays.
Senator Ashurst. Democrat, of Art-
zona. exhibited hostility to CENSOR
ship, around which most of the dis
cussion centered. arguing that 1t
would be a reversion to principles
which Anglo-Saxons long ago had
discarded as undemocratic,
Debate among Myers, Shortridce
and Ashurst at times became quite
animated.
Points to Influence,
canon Chase called attention to
the tremendous influence exerted by
the movies, which. he said, was
greater than colleges or schools. He
discussed five previous inyestiga-
tlons-one In Congress, two in Great
Britaln, one in New York, and one
in. Chicago-all of, which had re-
suited in recommendations for reg
ulation.
But the political activity of the
industry is a new development" he
said.
-Four or five men control the
screens of the country. When il
Is realized that these men have en-
gagged as their manager this fail
the Postmaster General and former
chairman Of the Republican Ma
tional Committee, the Importance of
an investigation is seen.
Suggests Hays Duties.
Possibly killing this resolution
Of investigation is one of the tasks
assigned to Mr.. Hays. He may have
been hired because of his executive
ability, but IL is curious that a man
Of such political prominence was
selected"
Chase suggested also that one of
Hays duties might be to meet the
charges of combinations in the mo-
ton picture industry made by the
Federal Trade Commission. In New
York. he said, a politician had been
hired to seek the defeat of assem-
blymen who voted for a censorship
bill there.
Marcus LOew and Adolph Zukor
were mentioned'by Chase as two of
the half dozen men he said con-
troiled the screens of the country.
Not Comparable to Press.
When comparisons of movie GEN.
sorship with newspaper censorship
were made. Chase argued that the
Supreme Court held that movies
were an agency of amusement and
were not comparable to the press.
If man Is opposed politically
IN newspapers he can hire space to
reply" said Chns.
Or he can do what did in Cali
fornia" Shortridge interposed. land
hire films. That's why I'm here.
Chase went on to say that the
trust" could entirely dominate the
industry through the control of
theaters in forty key cities.
On the same theory" Shortridge
replied. I've should prohibit the
newspapers of the country falling
into the hands of one man"
Begs Competition Remain.
IF told you four or Eve firms
controlled the newspapers OF the
country. there would be an outcry."
said Chase.
Il know man, d native of my
Ststc.>/wno controls many papers
and who will control MORE" thn
Continued on Page Five.