Motion Picture Story Magazine (Feb 1914 - Sep 1916 (assorted issues))

THE GREAT DEBATE 69 to what extent the poor author or playwright may be harassed by the censor; they refuse to put on a play that has not withstood the fire of the censorial criticism. Such a thing is impossible in this country, since we are dealing with more than forty separate, sovereign commonwealths, and not with practically a single homogeneous country will) one set of laws. Should censorship be accepted as a desirable thing, it is safe to say that each state will have its own censorship board. Undoubtedly these censorship boards, when once started, will not be satisfied merely with a supervision of Motion Pictures, but will extend their activities in other and equally fertile fields. 2. If, by his argument, Canon Chase means that obscene or immoral pictures are now being shown in New York City or elsewhere, then I state without qualification that if such is the case, the law is not being enforced. There is not a single community in the United States in which an obscene or immoral picture can be shown without violating the law, and if such pictures are shown it simply means that the law is not being enforced. I do not think that Canon Chase can fairly charge any community with the failure to enforce its laws. The mere fact, as stated by him, that certain local censorships have partly or wholly eliminated films that have been passed by the National Board of Censorship, is not important. One of my arguments is that small local boards will be inclined to be over-zealous, merely to convince the people that there is a justification for their existence and for the continuance of their salaries. The mere fact that a film may have been rejected by a local board is not by any means conclusive that it should have been rejected at all, or that it contains any features that can be fairly objected to. 3. The next argument is quite unintelligible to me. Does my opponent mean to censor only pictures that are to be shown in theaters where an admission is charged? Is the uncensored picture to be shown on the " public common," and, if so, what becomes of the argument that the purpose of censorship is to preserve the "rights of childhood"? Parenthetically I will inquire if Canon Chase, in referring to the picture showing "the children playing tag, or romping with the house-dog," has in mind the character of films that will safely pass the censorship ? 4. So far as the next argument of Canon Chase is concerned, he and I simply do not agree. I say that if the idea of censorship is accepted by the American people, the number of censor boards will be legion. He says that if there is a single federal censor board the states and municipalities will not bother with censorship. We are both speculating as to the future, but when the fact is borne in mind that Americans are natural-born office-seekers, I submit that the temptation to create a lot of political offices would be too great to be resisted. 5. He is plainly wrong in his fifth argument. As a matter of fact, at the present time films are being censored by the National Board of Censorship, and yet the police authorities of Chicago and other cities insist upon having their own censorship. 6. In laying down the proposition that, in considering the administration of any rule or regulation, its evil possibilities must be always assumed, I did so as a matter of ordinary experience. I did not necessarily mean that the censorship boards would be venal or dishonest, yet I believe that in time such would be the tendency. I had particularly in mind the danger of the development of petty, narrowminded, hair-splitting definitions, that would at first handicap and later strangle the business. 7. Canon Chase states that he is "merely asking that the will of the whole people shall be effectively executed." With due respect to my reverend friend, this is not so. He is asking that the will of a very small body of censors be executed. The will of the majority is reflected in our laws, and in advocating control of any evil by lawful, legitimate methods I