New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-08-05
Literary Censor
Faces Libel as
w ell as Scorn
OneP Publisher Says He'll Sue
j. S. Summer for Sug-
costing Suppression of
Some of His Books
Authors Oppose Muzzle
DIR. Tridon Thinks That
Vice Crusader Is Try
ing to Earn His Salary

In his zeal for reform John S. Sum-
ner, secretary of the New York Society
for the Suppression of Vice, found
himself threatened last night with a
libel suit by the publishing firm of
Boni g. Liveright. Authors and pub
fishers bore down on him en- masse
yesterday in their criticism of his pro-
posed scheme to censor all new manu-
scripts and appoint supreme dictator
in the literary world. Horace Liveright
announced last night that proceedings
will Immediately be instituted against
Mr.. Sumner for libel biased upon his
statement that my company misrepre-
sents it's wares to the public" He re-
ferred to the circulation Of limited
editions.
at is his dying attempt to hold on
to his job in face of ridicule," one
writer remarked A publisher added:
"To organize a censorship committee
presided over by some Pooh Bah of lit
erature, who would decide upon the ad-
visibility of publishing a manuscript,
would, to my mind, sound the death
knell of literature"
Mr.. Summers plan, outlined in q let
ter sent to Jesse Lynch Williams, pres
ident of the Authors League, % East
Seventeenth Street, and to twenty-five
publishers, calls for the appointment
of committee which would have the
support and respect of authors and
publishers to pass upon a manuscript
prior to it's publication when there ex-
lists doubt of its propriety."
Authors League Not for 1t
A vigorous denial that the Authors
League had lent itself to the scheme
was issued last night by Eric Schiller,
secretary of the league, who said:
The attention of the Authors
League is called to an article in The
New York Times in which the impress
sion is conveyed that the Authors
League of America is in accord with
the proposal of John S. Sumner secre-
tary of the New York Society for the
Suppression of Vice, for Voluntary
censorship of manuscripts A letter on
the subject has been received by the
league, but no action has yet been
taken. In can hardly be said, though,
that the league is in favor of the pro-
posed censorship of manuscripts. On
the contrary, in all discussions of the
censorship problem the league has been
unalterably opposed to Republication
censorship in any form whatever. 1t
is the opinion of the league officials
that the present laws and the courts
offer ample opportunity to bar the dis
tribution of books whenever it may be
in the interest of the public good"
Walter Neale, president of the
Authors and Publishers Corporation,
expressed the view that the present
laws of censorship are sufficient
There should be complete freedom in
publication, with the customary prose
cution when a book is found to be
really salacious, he said.
Would He Ban Boccaccio
Samuel Merwin gave it as his opinion
that it is impossible to write without
discussing sex problems, adding that
it would be doubtful if CRUSADER like
Mr.. Sumner would be able to deter
mine the motive of the author in enter
ing into such discussion"
81 would hesitate to intrust the
Judgment to any jury of which profes.
sional vice hunters were a part" sale
Mr.. Merwin. "While there should be
some means by which the publication
of unquestionably salacious books
could be prevented l do not believe Mr.