The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1959-08-21
JOSEPH BREIG-
Government
Exists for Good

One argument that will be used to Justify the US.
Supreme Courts "Chatterly movie" decision is based
on the false notion that government, far from being
a necessary institution for the common good, is an evil,
and will invariably sieze a mile if given an inch.
Those afflicted with this fear and suspicion of law
and order will say that if government is allowed to
curb the movies In advocating wicked, false and SUBJ
verslve ideas, sooner or later government will be tyran-
nizng over every expression Of thought, in speech or
press, or however.
Using the same ridiculous logic, one could con-
tend that government must not be permitted to pun
lsh murder or assault, lest III the long run we all go
to Jail for giving our small children a tap on the
bottom to keep them from dashing into the street
and being run down by automobiles.
A peculiar dlStruSt of government, coupled with
naive faith in other establishments, bonuses the minds
of the outlaW-the-censor people. Somehow they
imagine that every one in public office must be a fool
or a scoundrel, and that in contrast everybody else
can safely be given unlimited power, with the certainty
that it will be used with almost supernatural wisdom
and virtue.
GOVERNMENT officials, these folks would have
lis believe, will inevitably be capricious and d~espotic,
whereas producers of movies, magazines or books
for example) can be depended upon, automatically, to
be paragonS of righteousness who must never be re-
strained in any way.
The argument amounts to saving that movie
makers, publishers and writer's can be trusted with un-
limited license to do as they please about everything,
but that public officials must not be given the slightest
authority, because they will surely misuse it.
AS to that, experience testifieS to the contrary.
American government, by and large, has an impressive
history of good sense, good humor and practical wis
DOM. Hollywood has repeatedly shown itself to be
grossly irresponsible. The record of the press is spot.
ty-in some sections good or fair. in others atrocious.
FURTHER, government can be controlled by the
votes OF the cltlZens-Of adultS-When it o%verSteps.
1t will not do to answer that Hollywood is controlled
by box office patronage. Hollywood often leaves us
with no choice save between the bad and the worse:
and movie income is derived mainly from the imma-
ture and the oyer-impressionable
A further fact is that government is not tempted
nv urpp0 for DrOfJtS nor nr0SSIITpd hY oornnntjfi0u To
select a board of censors composed of men and women
of character, wisdom and integrity is perfectly pos
sible. II is madness to leave all the decisions about
decency, truth and the common good to the men who
make movies for money.
But the deadlineSs of the "Chatterly" decision
and 0. the kind of intellectual climate that makes such
rulings possible-goes deeper. The terribly dangerous
fallacy illustrated by the courts opinion is this that
the government cannot be trusted at all'' attitude is
ultimately a philosophy of anarchy.
WE MUST HOLD fast to this realization, lest we
be deluded by e~aSy-golng assurances that there is no
cause for alarm. A news service reported that New
York movie critics who reviewed Lady Chatterley's
Lover were puzzled that there should have been any
objections by censors.'
One critic said the film Showed no more disre-
gard for moral rectitude than any number of movies
shown during the past quarter century" If that be a
recommendation, make the most of it But the movie
critics, as might be expected, missed the point entirely.
The point is that the Supreme Court decided that
our Constitution forbids government to restrain movies
from advocating adultry - or of any other wickedness
or crime = AS a good idea. This is a declaration of in
tellectual anarchy which, unless. reversed by the
court or the people, destroys the basic foundation of
law and order and government.