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208 alert dhe clergy, the press, the officials, the parents, and the educators of this country to a full realization of the type of material that is being sold to young people throughout this land.

I wun delighted (o see that this hearing is being covered so well by the press and by the newsreel and television cameras. I think that is one of the greatest objectives that we have to obtain, both you, cir, an the Federal level, and we, on the State level, in our respective States. Since the publication of this report, I have received in- numerable letters from people who are horrified, who are seandahzed at the type of thing thai is on the stands, and who had no idea that comic books consisted of anything other than Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse, They just have not paid any attention to it.

The Cusmman. Let the Chair assure you that I am one of those who bad no idea of this sort of thing.

Mr. . I think that is a very common situation and I think, therefore, that one of the best. things we can do is to present to the American public in full view the exact type of thing that is going on.

As you yourself said in your opening remarks, there are relatively few people who are responsible for this type of thing. Most of the publishers in this country are cecent, honest people. A great per- centage of the comic-book industry, as we pointed out in our report, is engaged in publishing decent comies that have a proper place for children.

But there is a small percentage; they are willful, and they will disvegard anything and trample on anything to get what they want.

Now, to show you the type of interest that is being created, since the publication of our report, we have had inquiries from your own State of New Jerseywhich, incidentally, is doing a splendid job and has recently introduced, and I am sure you nre familiar with, Mr. Thompson’s bill in the New Jersey State LegislatureMinnesota, Massachusetts, Texas, California, and many other States who are requesting copies of the report. They are talking about. introducing similar legislation,

Community programs to curb sales are springing up in New York State. People are waking up at last, but there is still much to be done in the field of education.

Now, in the field of legislation, I feel that it is high time for our peaple, the Congress and the courts, to awaken (o a realization that the framers of our Constitution could not have iniended the great enaranties of the freedom of the press as Jicense for irresponsible publishers to contaminate the minds and morals of children for profit.

We need much more effective legislation both on the State and Federal level, and I believe that once we have overcome that hurdle, we will be able to get it, and I think that the educational process is nav setting in.

I think that the courts will eventually come back to the prinezple that was expressed by Justice Cohn in the appellate division in the Winters case. At that time he said this:

Pursuant to the police power and withont abrifging freedom of the press, the State may enact reasonable regulations in order to protect the general welfare, public safety, and order and publie morals. While the right to publish ts sanc- tioned and secured, the abuse of that right ts excepted from the protection of the Constitution, and anthority to provide for and punish such abuse is left to the legislature.