Motion Picture News (Apr-Jul 1915)

June 19, 1915. MOTION PICTURE NEWS 57 New Laws And Court Decisions This department is designed to keep the industry inrormed of all news concerning new or projected laws, Federal, State, County or Municipal, that may affect the business, and all events involving any branch of the trade with the authorities in all sections of the country 'Birth of Nation" Can Now Be Shown In Boston AMONG the colored brethren in Boston joy reigneth not. Nor can they be blamed for sadness. For eight long weeks they fought tooth and nail against "The Birth of a Nation." Peaceable mass meetings were followed by protests to the mayor and governor; these by riots and arrests at the theatre ; and the whole movement culminated in the passage of a law creating a censorship triumvirate, which the negroes felt certain would chase from the screen in Boston, at least, the film which has aroused their ire, and which has been banned from Chicago. The censors have slipped a cog. The three members have announced that they will not ban the play from that city. This torpedo from the clear blue channel was fired this week Wednesday, after a two-hours' conference in Mayor Curley's office. Representatives of each side were given an hour to present their arguments. The negroes showed a protest signed by 6,000 names ; the attorney for the theatre, John F. Custisk, said he had the support of 15,000 people who had seen the play. The mayor, police commissioner and chief justice of the municipal court, who comprise the censor board, had all seen the show since their first meeting of the week before. The conference was secret, and at its conclusion the hundreds of negroes and others in the mayor's outer office were crestfallen when they heard the unfavorable announcement read. That night a mass meeting of the protestants was held. The negroes realized that the censors of their own making had failed them, but the speakers intimated that there would be some other course to follow. The opposition has been aroused to a keen pitch by the board's decision, but W. Munroe Trotter, their chief spokesman, warned them that, whatever they did, they should be "very, very careful." It will be remembered that one of the last changes made in the censor bill was to allow a decision to be reached finally by a majority vote of the three members of the board. But since the meeting in the mayor's office was secret, it is not known how the different members voted upon the question. Meanwhile, the manager of the Tremont has issued a statement declaring his pleasure at the verdict, and his belief in the justice of it, and the film continues to draw big houses. Claiming that they were not allowed to be represented at the secret hearing, the Massachusetts branch of the National Independent Equal Rights League has filed a petition with the censors asking for a reopening of the question. To discuss methods for combating what they believe is the harmful influence of the film the Boston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people will hold a conference next Tuesday night. J. Mott Hallowell, a leader in the opposition to the film, in an open letter has counselled the negroes to take their defeat quietly. Two score special police were at the theatre the night after the decision. Negroes were picketed in procession outside the door. There were fiery speeches and mounted police dispersed the crowds, but no arrests were made. 8 Snug Censor Berths Ready for Willing Applicants THERE is a lively scramble for the subordinate positions in the state board of motion picture censors that were created by the new censorship law passed by the legislature that adjourned last month, and in this connection it was just announced by J. Louis Breitinger, chief censor, that all the employees of the board, as it operated under the old law, will be retained. There are eight new places to be filled, however. He announced also that there will be no changes among the clerks and others appointed by the motion picture manufacturers who, apparently, will be required as heretofore to employ their own machine operators and others in connection with the work of displaying their films for acceptance or rejection by the censors. With retention of all the old employees of the censors there yet remain to be filled eight new positions created by the new law, and for these jobs there are scores of applicants. These employees are to be appointed by the censors subject to the approval of Governor Brumbaugh. The selection of them — inspectors and clerks — will probably not be made until the governor passes on the general appropriation bill, which will likely be in the present week. It has been found that the legislature appropriated for the general expenses of the state an amount considerably in excess of the estimated revenues from all sources in the next two years, or until the legislature meets again in regular session. The result is that the governor will have to wield the veto axe rather freely on appropriation measures. Therefore, until it is known whether the full amount necessary to pay the salaries of the new employees of the censorship board will be approved by the governor, the appointment of these subordinates will be delayed. It already has been decided that hereafter there will be three offices maintained by the censors instead of two as under the old plan. In addition to the existing offices in this city and Philadelphia, respectively, one is to be opened in Pittsburgh. This additional office is to take care of the business in the western part of the state, that of eastern Pennsylvania having already been provided for in the Philadelphia office, and that of central Pennsylvania in the Harrisburg office. These offices must not be confused with the projection rooms for the examination of films submitted for censorship. The board will examine films at any part of the state that it deems advisable, though the work thus far has been done chiefly in Philadelphia. Mr. Breitinger, 'who is chairman of the board of three censors, has been in consultation during the last week with Attorney-General Francis Shunk Brown regarding operations under the new act, and it is understood that things will be ready for the installation of the new system in a short time. Ellis P. Oberholtzer, of Philadelphia, the new member of the board of censors, who was personally selected by. Governor Brumbaugh, has been a newspaper man, at one time connected with the Philadelphia "Public Ledger." His appointment is not considered a political one. He is regarded as a man of fine literary attainments, but of course lie is an unknown quantity as regards the attitude he is likely to assume toward the motion picture interests, to which censorship, as provided under the old law, was far from satisfactory. WOMEN'S CLUBS URGE CENSOR FOR MICHIGAN A state-wide campaign to obtain a board of censorship for motion pictures in Michigan was launched at the annual meeting of the city Federation of Women's Clubs at Saginaw, on May 27.