Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-16
READY TO CONFER
ON MAGAZINE BAN
Two Of Three News Compa-
MES Here Approve Police
Plan for Censorship.

Managers Of two OF the three news
companies distributing the bulk of
the maya zines sold at retail here last
night fell into line with the sugges-
ton of Mai. Edwin b. Hesse, super
int endent of police, that the diStrihut-
ing agencies get together and agree
among themselves as to the elimina
ton of certain types of objectionable
publications. They not only vel
coined such a suggestion, but de-
clared their Willingness to assist and
cooperate with the District authori-
ties in every possible way to stop the
traffic In salacious magazines at the
source.
The third agency, the Washington
News Co, announced. through its
manager Samuel Richards. an unwill-
ingness to enter into such a voluntary
conference with competitors.
I'VE don't want to buck the Police
Depa rtment or the district attorney 8
Office. said G.. w. King. an officer of
the company. but such suggestion
could have very little result"
Since the Washington News Co. is
the local Office of national concern.
they pointed out, they could not. of
their own, accord. agree To ban publ
cations they are under contract to
distribute.
Serious Handicap.
The absence of any censorship
board to pass regularly upon publ
cations before their distribution to
newssta nds, William H. Smith. proprie-
| tor OF the Capital News Co. declared,
has proved serious handicap to
agencies DESTROYS Of conforming strict
" to the law. Since his arrest last
July and recent conviction for selling
AIT, At yL0o
sentence was suspended, said ne has
repeatedly submitted new magazines
to the Police Department for censor.
ship before distributing them to reg1I-
| lar customers. Unable to get definite
| ruling in some cases he said. he had
voluntarily withheld the publications
from public sale.
TT would be a great help" Smith
said 'if there could be a censorship
of such magazines before they are put
on sale. l am trying the best l can
| to keep from the newsstandS any
publication which ! think might be
held Objectionable, and IL the news
agencies are willing to do their part
1t would seem that the district suthori
ties should be willing to cooperate
with u.s.
| Joining with Joseph Ottenstein
proprietor of the District News
| Agency, Mr.. Smith declared he would
be glad to attend such a meeting as
| Mai. Hesse suggested, in line with
the recent conference of New York
| agencies at which 1t was agreed t.
ban all but about FIVE of certain
class of publica tions handled by them
The lack of a regular censorship
board here to pass on magazines be
fore their public distribution, Mr.
| lie nf n q
problems facing local agencies. More
than once 1t has happened that the
Police Department has ordered GER
tain publications removed from news
stands and the district attorney.
Office, when the matter was submitted
to it by the police, has ruled that the
magazines are within the law"
Have Done Own Censoring.
| Rather than risk arrest or prosecu
I ton. the news agencies have volun
tarily done their own censoring In
certain cases, but this they feel is the
duty of the District authorities.
| once a magazine is put on the
stands, hundreds of copies may be
sold before it can be withdrawn" said
| counsel for Mr.. Smith. IF these
publications can he censored by the
district attorneys office before they
are put into circulation here 1t woult
relieve the situation. AS ii is now
the agencies in some cases are forced
to run the risk Of prosecution"
Maj. Hesse's proposal that the new:
distributors confer among themselve.
was met by the Washington News
Co. with counter proposal that
committee of censors be appointed Il
pass on all publications of a cues
tionable nature. On such a commit
tee, II was suggested, there could bt
appointed representative of the dis
| trict attorneys Office, ministers. edu
Gators and business men.
I The Washington News Co. Mr.
King said could not voluntarily ente,
into any agreement with competitors
whereby ii was possible for the repre-
sentative of one agency to vote to ba r
publication handled exclusively. bS
announcer agency. He said it was hard
| ~ TO he expected that a concern
would vote to ban one of It's own. puh
locations, and for that reason, could
see little good coming out of such a
plan.
Must Assume Risk.
| District Attorney Peyton Gordon de
clared frankly yesterday thta the re
| sponsib1lity for the distribution and
safe OF sa1acious publications was
largely on the agencies and the deal
ers themselves and that it was q risl,
which they must assume.
All we want them to do is to get
the right perspective and keep the
news stands clean" said Mai. Gordon,
| me district attorneys Office and not
| the Police Department has the Anal
say as to whether or not a publication
Is or such character a. to warra mt
| prosecution of the vendor. Mai. Cor
don pointed out, in connection with
certain cases in which the two depart
ments OF the local government diff
! fered
The district attorneys Office does
not set itself up as a regular censor
to pass on publications before their
distribution. he explained. nor can It
say. that any particular magazine is
| alright. If the current issue of a
| certain publication is clearly a viola
| ton Of the law, II ca n be ordered with
drawn, but the agency itself, he said
would have to assume the RESPONSE
bility for putting it out on the stands.
In Maj. GoT'don's opinion, 1t Is not a
difficult matter for an agency OF
news dealer to discern between a
publication that is clearly within the
law and one that is equally open to
suspicion on II fiagrantly objection.
able. t-....
During the past week the Police
Department has undertaken to en-
force the law az strictly az possible.
One art publication. generally on sale
at all the news sta ds, was ordered
withdrawn from a news stand on
Fourteenth street yesterday and the
mater has been put up to the dis.