Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/42

30 Sales of obseenity increased from 62 million uniis in 1946 to 712 million units in 1952. Roughly, an increase of 1,000 percent in sales. Where is our civie vigilance?

How can you be sure that one of your children will not be numbered among the 400,000 delinquents during 1954? What do parents say when they are suddenly summoned jute court? "I can't believe it's my Jimmy!" is the familiar expression which a judge hears. But, why not Jimmy? What makes him immune to the influence of ihe peddlers of smut and indecent publications which ean be bought as easily as candy in dozens of places?

A, livery State should hare a lew hitting the distribution of indecent publications. The very act of bringing such printed matter into a community should be the prineipal or primary crime.

Any sale by a retailer should automatically involye the distributor who trucked that article into the community for sales purposes. These distributors are the real criminals because they deliberately plan the whole overt act.

Your loeal retailer does nol order any of the materials trucked to him by these distributors. The truckers bring the bundles twice weekly and the material in those bundles is selected hy the distributors.

¥You wust understand that the disiributors are actually happy when the local drugsist is arresied for sale of such printed poison. The result means publicity for the distributor's smut.

Meanwhile the distributor is ont of the county's jurisdiction ond sits hack and langhs at the locul fight which is putting cash in his pocket. He will hire lawyers to yell "censorship," and keep the fight alive.

hk. There should be a local board sect up by ordinance which will check the materinJs coming into a community. Usually, the obviously dirty publications are kept out if such a board exists.

In the city of Detroit the police department operates with such a board and does a grand joh af checking before materials get out fo the stands. In cases of dispute between the bourd and the distributor, a review ef the material is given to the prosecuting attorney along with reasons why the Board feels it is against the law and should be presecuted.

The hoard is not the final authority and it should not be. The courts must be the last authority. But an amazing amount of rot can be stopped in this first instance by the serecning boar.

The State of Michigan has an average good law. But in its application, no law any better than the courage of the parents and the civie authority of a given community.

Thomas Jefferson was so right when he wrote in 1787; "The people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."

Any preventive measure will bring a cry of "censorship" from the racketeers. However, let's examine the real situation. First and foremost, the stuff is not ordered, It is selected by the publishers and distributors for its sexy content and mockery of morals and is presented on these "merits." These are the two culprits who decide what your children are to read.

Isn't it more reasonable that a cross section of substantial citizens decide what reading matter should be admitted to a community?

Isn't it government in the very nature of our Founding fathers for parents to act as Minute Men and women; isn't it proper for them to heed the alarm and detect and prevent a sneak attack on their children? Should they not seek its prosecution by lawful authorities? Or better still, should they net seek evoperalion from conscientious retailers? Such dealers want to know if reading matter on their stand is harinfnl to youth.

This parents' board is not, however, to have the final authority: rather it is to act as a bulwark for the protection of the children of the community. But parents can aid the prosecuting attorney, they can be the first line of vigilance to detect evil literature coming into the village or city and name the offending distributors.

The law and the courts are the final authority. But to ask one court to act on scores of obscene publications is like asking the village plumber to stop a Mississippi flood. This is why there is need for a community board.