| Show Community pressure on merchants will eliminate smutty magazines Aprils April 3 1958 Editors Editor's Note The following was written 20 years ago By ny Governor George Glorge D D. D Clyde Communities in every part of the state are showing increasing concern over the presence in their midst of a shocking amount of pornographic material-in material simpler language just plain smut More and more magazines are violating the tenets of good taste and decency with vile pictures and printed that material-that is usually placed on sale in easy reach of our impressionable im young people MANY PEOPLE have called or written my office complaining of the situation and asking that something be done I I am wholeheartedly in sympathy with the good citizens who are complaining complaining com and I definitely agree that something should and must be done However I do not think it is a matter for action on the state government level Let me tell you why and suggest w what at I think is the most effective avenue of action open to decent citizens First of all let us look at Utah law on this subject Section 76 39 of the Revised Utah Statutes provides in part as follows Every person Is guilty of a misdemeanor who willfully and lewdly either a Imports writes composes stereotypes prints designs copies draws paints or otherwise prepares publishes sells offers for sale displays exhibits by machine or other design figure or other tt thing ng which is obscene lewd lascivious filthy indecent indecent in decent disgusting or impure or which manifestly tends to corrupt the morals of youth or who introduces into a family school or place of education or any other place or buys procures receives or has in his possession any such writing paper book picture drawing magazine pamphlet print design figure device of other things either for the purpose of selling exhibiting loaning or circulation or with the intent to introduce the same into a family school or or- place of education or any other place or Section 76 39 in the same chapter provides as follows Every person w who o is authorized or enjoined to arrest any person for a violation of 01 subdivision 3 of the next preceding section is equally authorized and enjoined to seize any obscene or indecent writing paper book picture print design figure or device found in possession or under the control of the person so arrested and to deliver the same to the magistrate before whom the person so arrested is required to be betaken taken TillS THIS APPEARS clear and definite- definite except that there have been no cases go goto goto goto to the Utah Supreme Court to obtain a legal definition of what is obscene lewd lascivious filthy indecent disgusting impure or which manifestly tends to corrupt the morals of youth In spite of the lack of legal definition however I think that much of the material currently offered on the newsstands obviously fits into one or more of these categories The question is what can we do about it The immediate responsibility rests on the local community and Its law enforcement agencies The state stale can and would only step in if a local en en- enforcement forcemeat agency was obviously and deliberately refusing to perform its clear duty To my mind however the most effective ef eN approach even on the local level may not be one of law en en- It would be unfortunate I believe to set up boards of censorship to pass on what the community may read or see or discuss Censorship is fraught with dangers and too often results in suppressing much that is good and perhaps failing to suppress much that is bad FAR MORE MOUE EFFECTIVE is com comm community opinion If the parents of any community will check on what is being offered for sale to their children and make their feelings clearly known to the merchants selling objectionable material they should get results Merchants may shrug off individual protests-but protests they quickly respond to a clear expression of community sentiment sen sen- foment 1 For or business reasons if for no other they have to If IC such neighborhood and community appeal is not successful local law enforcement officers may be called in inand inand inand and asked to act I 1 doubt however if this will be necessary if the parents do their own job effectively What the overwhelming majority of a community community com com- wants it will get-and get I 1 am sure surg that the overwhelming majority of wants wholesome literature literature- not pornographic c smut |
