Evening star., 1927-05-14
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Is this a country of free speech.
| free press and other guarantees that
all men are, and of right ought to
be, a little freer than anybody else
to do as they please, regardless OF
moral, religious or POLITICAL restric-
| tons?
| Gen. Andrews, Assistant Secretary
OF the Treasury, has authorized the
executives of the Customs Bureau Of
/ the United States Treasury to bar
from our ports, not alone forbidden
] liquid intoxicants, but also the htera-
tture which for centuries has been in
toxicating the minds of impression
able readers. No longer will the un-
expurgated Arabian Nights give
moonshine to the American youth;
never again shall Boccaccio's bad
Tales of Decameron" pass unchal-
| 1enged the Statue of Liberty Enlight-
ening the World.
Congress has decreed that obscene"
| literature 'shall not pass" the Yer
dun port of America The executives
are not given the power to determine
whether Congress has remained inside
it's constitutional authority in thus
restricting the liberty or the press"
(See amendment / of the Constitu-
tion.) Theirs not to question why,
theirs but to enforce or die" So 1.-The
Decameron" remains in the darkness
of the Arabian Nights"-at least,
such copies thereof as are not already
inside the port.
Some one has said that consistency
is a weakness of the small mind, but
that never troubles Uncle Sam. SO
both of these bad books are found in
most public libraries, though probably
s.. I'LL L.
stamped Not on the Shelf and when
present supplies are worn out-never
again,
BY a coincidence worthy of note,
the question of censoring movie pic
lures has come in for denunciation by
a Superior Court in Illinois. where
Judge David this week, addressing the
lawyers in case, said: IT wish you
would raise the constitutionality of
censorship. If we are living in an
age of censorship, as we seem to be,
ought we not to have q censorship
of everything. and not discrimination,
as there seems to be- against the
moving picture? I'd like to have a
discussion of the matter of censorship
/ don't agree with the view of the
appellate court that the view of the
censor is final
If the opinion of His Highness, the
Censor, is to be thus held in contempt
by the court, who wiliSretaliate on the
court in kind? His Holiness. the Pope,
has issued decree to all bishops and
priests to make a campaign against
obscene literature, and many Protes.
tant preachers and reformers have
also opened their batteries, regardless
OF the first amendment which for
bids Congress from going along and
uniting state with church in the war
OF determination of the pest of printed
obscenity.
Ask the next 10 men or women on
the street or in club or card party
whether the American Constitution
does or does not guarantee freedom
Of speech, freedom of the press and |
freedom of religion, and the chances
are that 8 of the answers will be |
wrong. Even in Massachusetts, |
where there are neither Federal nor |
State guarantees of a free press,
learned judge recently based q de- |
cision on the constitutional guaran-
tee of the liberty of the press The |
idea is prevalent that the first amend |
ment settles the matter for all time |
to come. A legalistic reading discloses |
that il does nothing but tie the hands |
of Congress in prohibiting it from |
doing anything about restrictions |
True, Congress says, whats a Con- |
stitution between statesmen" and |
proceeds to it's own Interpretation"
as excepting certain restrictions as to |
sedition. blasphemy and obscenity, |
but it has not cited the language au-
thorizing any such Aloopholes. The |
Constitution reads, Congress shall |
make no law abridging the free
dom of speech or the press" No law
at all? Wide open?
What has Congress done in it's tariff |
act of 1922? See section sos, THAT all |
persons are prohibited from import.
ing into the United States from any
foreign country any obscene book,
ETC." That appears to be protection /
OF home industries-the American
printshop. We may set the type and I
print, hat we must not import foreign !
filth. The Constitution is saved Long |
live the free press-i. e.. the linotype |
and printing press our important in |
FAINT industry. 1t is not a question of /
obscenity. nor a question Of liberty Of /
the press. nor one Of protection of /
the morals Of the American horfe. ri |
Is commercial matter entiroSk from
that standpoint like pro- Rction
against fore<xn clothes or ma hines
or 1oWa{rys tsssss Fss sf III