Motion Picture Commission : hearings before the Committee on Education, House of Representatives, Sixty-third Congress, second session, on bills to establish a Federal Motion Picture Commission (1978)

MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. 95 Mr. ScHECHTER. Perhaps in some cases the people Avho know of the eminent educators that are part of the organization of the na- tional board of censors, and that it is a purely voluntary organiza- tion, are influenced by it, but that Avould not be so if there was official censorship. Mr. Fess. If I take a group of people to see moving pictures I do not have the manufacturer in mind at all ; I do not know who these people are. But I do know if there is a group of men and women whose duty it is to see that there is nothing shady or unfit shown upon the screen I do not hesitate at all to see the pictures. It seems to me that such a thing would be to your advantage. Mr. ScHECHTER. As I said, those persons who are familiar with the excellent membership of the national board of censors might be in- fluenced, and of course you will readily appreciate the high order of intelligence of that board. Mr. Fess. I am speaking from my own standpoint. Mr. ScHECHi-ER. I will now discuss some of the sections of the bill, which appear to me to be ill-advised and ineffectual. Mr. Towner. You know the bill has not been technically con- sidered ; it has only been considered in a general way. The commit- tee has not gone into any technical examination of the bill. Mr. ScHECHTER. Then I understand that the committee is not now ready to discuss the bill and its provisions, and I will reserve my argument on those points and discuss them fully in a brief which we desire to file, and I hope this committee will grant me privilege to file such brief. The Chairman. Yes; such privilege will be granted, and I think it will be better for you to discuss those questions in a brief. Mr. ScHECHTER. We will present printed briefs so that each mem- ber may have a copy, and discuss the provisions of the bill and other matters which this committee may desire to have discussed. The time is short, and I want Mr. Seligsberg, who has considerable matter to present to this committee, to be fully heard, and so I will conclude my remarks, but before doing so I want to emphatically state to this committee that I do not believe a Federal board of cen- sorship would in any way stop the introduction of bills by State leg- islatures for the establishment of State censorship. On the other hand it seems to me that should censorship be accepted by the Fed- eral Government as a desirable thing, it is safe to say that each State will soon have its own censorship board. The States, as you gentlemen know, look zealously upon and guard jealously their rights and powers, and that is as it should be. So that we' would not be subject to one censorship only, but 48 censor- ships, and hundreds of local or municipal censorships. Such a thing would practically ruin the business as we are not dealing with prac- tically a single homogeneous country with one set of laws, but are dealing with more than 48 separate sovereign Commonwealths. Our laws to-day are sufficient to protect the pul)lic from the exhibition of indecent and immoral pictures. Censorship is unnecessary with respect to all subjects regarding which there may be honest differ- ences of opinion. As to pictures concerning which there can be no honest differences of opinion, the law will protect their exhibition. It all depends upon the point of view. The Chairman. But you are subject to censorship now?