Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-04-10
Gov. Baxter Speaks
Against the Movies
Showing Deliberate
Cruelty to Animals

Gov. Percival =. Baxter in a state
ment Wednesday declares that cruel
motion pictures should not be eX-
hibited or made in Maine.
This is Be Kind to Animals Week
and L want to say something about
certain well advertised motion pic
lures recently exhibited in Maine"
continued Gov. Baxter.
THE State of Maine has law
making it illegal for any person to
manufacture, photograph or exhibit,
or to take part in the preparation Of
any moving or motion picture film
involving in its preparation, manu-
facture or making intentional and
deliberate cruelty to animals The
penalty for breach OF this law is
imprisonment not exceeding three
months or by fine not exceeding one
hundreds dollars or both Any
corporation violating the law by it's
servants. or agents is subject to the
same penalties, Chapter SO, Laws
of 1921.
II regret to say that this law IS
not enforced in Maine and it is Il
reflection upon us that such is the
case. AS most of the pictures are
taken in California it would be diff
ficult to prove actual cruelty, al
though any intelligent person
familiar with the subject knows
cruelty is practiced. In a famous
picture recently exhibited in Maine,
many horses and cattle were
drowned in the. filming, and the
professional lecturer who accom-
panied the picture when it was
shown in Los Angeles, admitted that
such was the case, according to tele-
grams in my possession received
from California humane agents.
In a buffalo scene recently stag
ed in Alberta the poor tame
creatures raised in captivity were
stampeded down narrow pass
pursued by Indians with harmless
bows and arrows, while rifiemen
concealed behind houlders shot them
as they passed. The object was to
stage q real buffalo hunt of early
days. Thirty or more animals were
brutally slaughtered after being
wounded and terrified, all for the
unworthy purpose of thrilling audi
ence all over the United States.
Another picture shows dog run
over by Ford. A Maine made pic
ture was advertised in the West by
the following Moving picture
audiences are prone to take every
thing for granted. They think that
most of the thrills are faxed, but
if they think that the dog fight lin
the picture referred to- which is one
of the big scenes, is faxed, they will
he badly fooled" There are count
less similar cases, among the worst
being the game hunts, in some of
which the end of the poor creatures
was so painful and shocking that
even the picture men dared not
show them to their audiences. a
picture soon is coming to Maine
with a chariot scene similar to the
picture already referred TO. 1t has
all the ugly thrills of it's predecessor
In another case the famous Hart
himself in his book tells how his
Pinto pony failed in a perilous leap
and was injured so that he was use
less for months. How can a man
with a real Heart do such things
to his devoted servant? These are
but samples of hundreds of cases.
These things SAVIOR of the days
of gladiators. when men fought
and killed their fellows, to thrill
Roman audiences. They are brutal
izing. 1t is bad enough for movie
actors to risk their lives, but they
do so for hire and consciously;
while poor animals are driven to it
by the lash, electric spark and by
hunger. To be cruel to children in
order to get a thrill is unthinkable;
10 do so with animals would be
equally SO.
There are so many beautiful, in
teresting things in the world, so
many wonderfully stirring historical
vents and stories, it is strange
hat dumb animals should be made
suffer to please thoughtless,
aedless audiences. We should be
umiliated that this is so. The
fleet on children is especially bad.
A high school boy recently said to
me, I don't want to go to that pic
ture Can historical one), it has no
thrills Thrills are like strong
drink; the taste for them increases
with use. They demoralize and
destroy the balance of our youth.
Pictures Of the sort I have mention