Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/314

302 Censorship is vet the answer, Such laws, even though they spring from decent - motives, cun and often ave used as bludgeons by people with more Zeal than understanding, These tainted tidbits can be kepr out of greater Hartford hy the stinple exercise of diligence. At preseut these filthy comic hooks are handled 18 a commodity by both the wholesalers aud the retailers. Both the wholesalers aud fhe great iuajority of retailers, particwarly those in neighlerhead stores, might be leath to carry books if enough of their customers registered olijections,

The natural channel through which such activities should flow are the pareut- teachers associations. Sadly envugh. at least one important oflicial of this organization expressed an unwillingness to be quoted on the suliject because it was “controversial.” This is a rather nnusunl point of view, and presumably doesn't represent the opinion of the majority of this organization.

The churches can alsv continue to emphasize the responstbility of parents in knowing what their children ave reading. ‘There may be a few nitwits who do not care, but the uiajority of parents do, and their voices can be strong. It is hardly likely that this trade ti poisoneil literature will persist in the face of widespread public disapnroval. That is the strongest weapon of all. Tell your Inagazine yendor jasi how you feel about these things.

if any store in Hartford was deiiherately selling poisaned candy to small children, the public would be ontraged. Yet by onr apathy we are pernitting our children to absarb some of the most outrageously immoral and degrading written material. As a community newspaper the Caurant hes performed its function to disclosing fhe facts. It is now un to the citizens of the community, through ehurch groups, PTA, and similar argenizations to earry on from here,

In hts warning, United States District Attorney Cohen declared, “the mub- lishers of these hooks had better wake up and clean their presses. While prosecuting and police agencies don’t want to cross the lime into controlled censarship, we can’t sit idly by and allow this menace to continue.”

He toaked at some of the books described in the Cotrant series and declared, “Whose evil baaks furnish blueprints for ertine and in some cases show the crimi- nals literally getting away with murder”

Cohen alsa seored apathetic parenis for not caring or paying attention to what their ebildren are reading or doing.

Cause after case in his court, be said. invelves youthtnl criminals. “In almost every ease.’ Cohen declared, “the prrents don’t know when their child leaves home or when be velarns. They don’t scem fo care what iniluences their children, whether it is bocks like these comies or evil companions.”

He pointed out that comic hooks are involyed im interstate commerce and come under Federal jurisdiction.

Tf publishers don’t police theniselves, public reaction will foree prosceution. There is a delinite line of demurcation between publication of filth and publi- ention of clean literature,” he warned.