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P., J. Mr. L'Estrange Refuted with His Own Arguments. [London, 1681]. 35p. P1
A Whig attack on the former licenser of printing who was out of a job with the lapse of the Licensing Act.
Pack, Ernest. The Trial and Imprisonment of J. W. Gott for Blasphemy. Bradford, Eng., The Freethought Socialist League, [1912?]. 149p. P2
Following a review of the history of blasphemy prosecution in England and the United States, the author gives an account of the career and trial of John W. Gott in Leeds, England. Gott was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to four months in prison in 1911-12 for publishing a pamphlet entitled Rib-Ticklers, or Questions for Parsons, which poked fun at religious thought. The author of this report, Ernest Pack, was a fellow freethinker. Many prominent Englishmen, including members of Parliament and churchmen, petitioned the Home Secretary for Gott's release arguing that punishment for blasphemy was an unwarranted form of religious persecution.
Pack, Richard, and Mark Marain. Censored! The Censors See Red! The Record of the Present Wave of Terrorism and Censorship in the American Theatre, by Richard Pack. For a Free Stage; the Program of the Committee Against Censorship by Mark Marain. New York, National Committee Against Censorship of the Theatre Arts, 1935. 29p. (Reprinted in New Theatre, May 1936) P3
A crusade for a free theater in America, with special attention to conditions in Newark, Boston, and Philadelphia. The Committee included such prominent literary critics as Brooks Atkinson, John Mason Brown, and Joseph Wood Krutch.
Pages of Death. 16 mm. color movie, 30 min. Cincinnati, Citizens for Decent Literature, 1962. (Produced by Karl Holtsnider) P4
A true story (with actors rather than documentation) of the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl, the cause being attributed to the reading of obscene literature by the youthful killer. The offending publications, the film emphasizes, were available from the neighborhood drugstore. A 4-page brochure describes the film. "This film is suitable for showing to all age groups of eighth grade level and above."
Paine, Donald F. "Obscenity Legislation in Tennessee." Tennessee Law Review, 29:562-72, Summer 1962. P5
A survey of current obscenity legislation in Tennessee--the state statutes in relation to decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the municipal ordinance on obscenity in four cities--Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Nashville.
Paine, Paul M. "The Library Must Be Free." New York Libraries, 11:42-44, Feburary 1928. P6
Discussion of the pressures on public libraries to buy or not to buy certain books, and an appeal to the librarian to "maintain the cause of freedom in book selection."
[Paine, Thomas]. The Genuine Trial of Thomas Paine, for a Libel Contained in the Second Part of Rights of Man; at Guildhall, London, Dec. 18, 1792, before Lord Kenyon and a Special Jury: together with the Speeches at Large of the Attorney-General and Mr. Erskine, and Authentic Copies of Mr. Paine's Letters to the Attorney-General and Others, on the Subject of the Prosecution. Taken in Short-hand by E. Hodgson. London, Printed for J.S. Jordan, 1792. 109p. (2d ed., corrected, 1793. 143p.) P7
Erskine accepted the brief for the defense despite the opposition of the Prince of Wales. Paine was found guilty by the jury without waiting for the summing up. Erskine was dismissed from his office of Attorney-General to the Prince of Wales.
-------. Letter Addressed to the Addressers, on the Late Proclamation [for suppressing seditious publications, etc.]. London, H. D. Symonds and Thomas Rickman, 1792. 40p. (Reprinted in Complete Writings of Thomas Paine, edited by Philip S. Foner, vol. 2, pp. 469-511) P8
In this satirical eulogy on the British constitution Paine criticizes the government for prosecuting his Rights of Man, noting that it was only when cheap editions of his book were offered to the public that the government took action. This indicated that the officials feared the common man. The royal proclamation for suppressing seditious publications, Paine charged, is indictable as an effort to influence the verdict in a pending case. In one place he declares: "It is a dangerous attempt in any government to say to a Nation, thou shalt not read. " Gimbel states that both Symonds and Rickman, the printers, were prosecuted for the publication; Rickman escaped to Paris and Symonds served a two-year jail sentence. This pamphlet is sometimes referred to as the third part of Paine's Rights of Man.
-------. A Letter to the Hon. Thomas Erskine, on the Prosecution of Thomas Williams, for Publishing the Age of Reason, by Thomas Paine . . . With His Discourse at the Society of the Theophilanthropists. Paris, Printed for the Author, 1797. 32p. (Also published by Richard Carlile, London, 1826. 29p.) P9
Paine argued that a man's religion was a personal affair and that the government had no right to interfere. Paine published the letter in English in Paris where he was serving as a member of the French National Convention, and sent copies to England for circulation.
[-------]. "On the Liberty of the Press." In Two Letters, being a Correspondence between Andrew A. Dean . . . and Thomas Paine . . . also, Mr. Paine's Description of the Liberty of the Press. New York, 1823, pp. 7-8. (Reproduced in Complete Writings of Thomas Paine, edited by Philip S. Foner, vol. 2, pp. 1010-11) P10
Paine quotes Jefferson's remark of 1787 that "the licentiousness of the press produces the same effect as the restraint of the press was intended to do. The restraint was to prevent things from being told, and the licentiousness of the press prevents things being believed, when they are told." Paine defines liberty of the press as meaning in America, as in England, freedom from prior restraint and "not at all to the matter printed, whether good or bad." The public at large or the jury must be the judges of the content.
[-------]. "The Prosecution of Rights of Man. " In Complete Writings of Thomas Paine, edited by Philip S. Foner, New York, Citadel, 1945. vol. 2, pp. 441-513. P11
Paine's replies to his accusers include a letter to the Attorney General, Sir Archibald Macdonald, letters to Mr. Secretary Dundas, letters to Onslow Cranley, a letter to the sheriff of the County of Sussex, and a Letter Addressed to the Addressers on the Late Proclamation, issued in pamphlet form in 1792.
[-------]. The Trial of Thomas Paine, for a Libel, Contained in the Second Part of Rights of Man, before Lord Kenyon, and a Special Jury, at Guildhall, December 18. With the Speeches of the Attorney General and Mr. Erskine, at Large. London, Printed for C. and G. Kearsley, 1792. 45p. (Also in Howell, State Trials, vol. 22, pp. 357 ff, and Erskine, Speeches, vol. 2, pp. 1-184) P12
Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was undoubtedly the most censored author of the eighteenth century, both for his radicalism in politics (Rights of Man) and religion (Age of Reason). To many persons in authority in both America and England, Paine's works represented the most undesirable influences of the French Revolution. When the second part of Rights of Man appeared in 1792 (it applied the principles of the French Revolution to Britain), Paine was arrested and brought to trial. Between the preliminary hearing in June and the formal trial scheduled for December, feeling against Paine ran so high that, at the insistance of his friends, Paine left for France. Paine was tried in absentia and, despite Thomas Erskine's eloquent defense, he was found guilty of seditious libel and declared an outlaw. His book became contraband. Erskine had argued that since Paine's intent was honorable reform, the work could not be considered seditious. On the eve of the trial a retired army officer organized an anti-Paine society called the Association for the Preservation of Liberty and Property Against Republicans and Levellers. Following the trial the government stepped up its drive against seditious literature and a number of publishers who were authorized to issue Paine's work were brought to trial.
-------. Two Letters to Lord Onslow, Lord Lieutenant of the County of Surry; and One to Mr. Henry Dundas, Secretary of State, on the Subject of the Late Excellent Proclamation for Suppressing Seditious Publications. 3d ed. London, Printed for J. Ridgway, 1792. 36p. P13
-------. The Whole Proceedings on the Trial of an Information Exhibited Ex Officio against Thomas Paine for a Libel upon the Revolution and Settlement of the Crown and Regal Government as by Law Established; and also upon the Bill of Rights, the Legislature, Government, Laws and Parliament of this Kingdom, and upon the King. Tried by a Special Jury in the Court of King's Bench, Guildhall, on Tuesday, the 18th of December, 1792, before the Right Honourable Lord Kenyon. Taken in Short-hand by Joseph Gurney. London, Printed by Martha Gurney, 1793. 196p. P14
Paine was tried in absentia since he was in France at the time, sitting as a member of the jury in the trial of Louis XVI.
Paley, William S. First Paralyzing Blow at Freedom of the Air in the United States. A Statement by William S. Paley. New York, Columbia Broadcasting System, 1941. 4p. P15
"New regulations by Federal Communications Commission sound innocent--actually they would destroy existing broadcasting structure."
-------. The Freedom of Radio. New York, Columbia Broadcasting System, [1944?]. 18p. P16
Statement of the president of Columbia Broadcasting System before the Interstate Commerce Committee of the U.S. Senate at the hearing on S. 814, known as the White-Wheeler Bill, 9 November 1943.
-------. Radio and Its Critics. New York, Columbia Broadcasting System, 1946. 32p. P17
An analysis of the current criticism of radio. The cure must ultimately be found in the field of public opinion rather than in government control. Paley favors a new and detailed Code of Program Standards which will prohibit practices which detract from the good name of radio, and strict enforcement of the Code under the spotlight of publicity.
Palladium of Conscience; or, The Foundation of Religious Liberty Displayed, Asserted and Established, Agreeable to Its True and Genuine Principles, above the Reach of All Petty Tyrants Who Attempt to Lord it over the Human Mind; Containing Furneaux's Letters to Blackstone, Priestley's Remarks on Blackstone, Blackstone's Reply to Priestley, and Blackstone's Case of the Middlesex Election . . . Philadelphia, Robert Bell, 1773. 155p. P18
Palmer, Charles. "Press Control in War Time." Nation (London), 17:677-78, 21 August 1915. P19
The editor of the Globe replies to articles by "Tiercel" appearing in earlier issues and urging strict wartime press controls. Palmer advises telling the whole truth to the country when it can be told without detriment to national interests. He denies the right of the British Press Bureau to suppress proper criticism of the government.
Palmer, Elihu. Posthumous Pieces by Elihu Palmer, Being Three Chapters of an Unfinished Work Intended to Have Been Entitled "The Political World." . . . London, R. Carlile, 1824. 30p. P20
One piece (pp. 26-30) is on the liberty of the press. Five years earlier Carlile, the publisher of this pamphlet, had been convicted of blasphemy for publishing Palmer's Principles of Nature.
Palmer, Frederick. "Things You Don't Know about the War." Colliers, 55:5-6+, 17 April 1915. P21
Because of military secrecy newspapermen covering the front have great difficulty writing other than bits of minor news.
-------. With My Own Eyes: A Personal Story of the Battle Years. Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill, 1933. 396p. P22
Autobiography of the chief censor of news dispatches, American Expeditionary Forces, World War I.
Palmer, John L. The Censor and the Theatres. London, Unwin, 1912. 307p. P23
"The larger half of the present essay is based upon the evidence given before the Joint Select Committee [Great Britain] of 1909. . . . After discussing the origin of censorship, and . . . the law as it stands to-day, I propose to group the evidence for and against the censor, to outline . . . the . . . remedies . . . and to sum up . . . in favor of the . . . remedy of abolition, and the single license for theatre and music-hall."
-------. The Future of the Theatre. London, G. Bell, 1913. 196p. P24
Palmer states that the British Theatres Act was intended to keep intellectual life out of the theater. He charges the Lord Chamberlain with isolating the theater from the intellectual and imaginative life of the time.
Palmer, Thomas F. "The Case of Thomas Fyshe Palmer, September 1793." In Cockburn, Examination of Trials for Sedition in Scotland, vol. 1, pp. 184-220. (Arguments of Mr. Haggart, defense counsel, in Howell, State Trials, vol. 23, pp. 276 ff.) P25 §
-------. A Narrative of the Sufferings of T. F. Palmer and W. Skirving, During a Voyage to New South Wales, 1794, on Board the Surprise Transport. 2d ed. Cambridge, Eng., Printed by Benjamin Flower, 1797. 80p. P26
Palmer and William Skirving were among the Scottish Jacobins convicted of sedition in 1793-94 and sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay. Skirving died soon after arrival; Palmer died on the journey home after he had served his fourteen-year sentence. This account of the voyage to Botany Bay was written by Mr. Palmer, according to the foreword by Jeremiah Joyce, "to vindicate his own [Mr. Palmer's] and Skirving's character from the charge of conspiracy and mutiny, on board the Surprise Transport."
-------. The Trial of the Rev. Thomas Fyshe Palmer, before the Circuit Court of Justiciary, Held at Perth, on the 12th and 13th September 1793. On an Indictment for Seditious Practices. Taken in Court by Mr. Ramsey . . . Edinburgh, W. Skirving, 1793. 195p. P27
Palmer, a respected Unitarian minister of Dundee, Scotland, was sentenced to seven years' transportation for publishing a "seditious" pamphlet for the Dundee society, Friends of Liberty, and for encouraging the reading of Thomas Paine's works. The offending pamphlet was written by George Mealmaker who five years later was also sentenced to transportation. The pamphlet expressed some of the political sentiments of Thomas Paine and advocated universal suffrage.
Paltsits, Victor H. "New Light on Publick Occurrences, America's First Newspaper." Proceedings, American Antiquarian Society, 59 (n.s.):77-88, 1949. P28
The first publication of a letter from Cotton Mather to his kinsman John Cotton, 17 October 1690, sheds new light on the suppression of America's first newspaper. Although disclaiming authorship of the paper, Mather endorses it as a "very Noble, useful, & Laudable Design."
Pangborn, Arden X. "Can Self-Regulation Preserve a Free Press and a Free Trial?" Quill, 52(3):7, 15-16, March 1954. P29
An Oregon editor reviews the history of contempt citations and suggests ways to resolve the ancient conflict between the First and Fifth Amendments through voluntary agreement.
"Papal Raids on St. Louis Book Stores; Prosecuting Attorneys Said by Rome to Be Leading the Motley Aggregation of 'Heresy' Hunters." Menace, 403:1, 8 January 1919. P30
Pardey, Hans. Das Recht der englischen Presse, Grundlagen und Systematik. Hamburg, Lütcke & Wulff, 1928. 77p. (Hamburgische Universität. Abhandlungen und Mitteilungen aus dem Seminar für öffentliches Recht, Heft 20) P31
Park, A. E. W. "Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act, 1960." Modern Law Review, 25:204-9, March 1962. P32
The first part of the article describes the historical background of the bill, which was enacted by Parliament and came into force on 1 June 1961; the second part concerns the legal effect of the Act; the third part discusses questions raised by those clauses of the bill which did not become law.
Park, Robert E. The Immigrant Press and Its Control. New York, Harper, 1922. 488p. P33
Part 4 deals with control of the press through advertising, manipulators, enemy propaganda, and alliance.
Parker, Dorothy. "Sex--Without the Asterisks." Esquire, 50(4):102-3, October 1958. P34
In her book review column the author makes this observation: "Certainly no one wants to complain about sex itself; but I think we all have a legitimate grievance in the fact that as it is shown in present-day novels, its practitioners are so unnecessarily articulate about it. There is no more cruel destroyer of excitement than painstaking detail." She looks back with nostalgia to the day of the asterisk.
[Parker, Henry?]. To the High Court of Parliament: the Humble Remonstrance of the Company of Stationers [asking for "such a perfect regulation of the Presse, as may procure the publike good of the State, by the private prosperity of the Stationers Company"]. London, 1643. 8p. (Reproduced in Clyde, Struggle for the Freedom of the Press, pp. 319-22) P35
The Stationers' Company demanded of Parliament the appointment of regular licensers with the authority to control the undisciplined press, which they charged with being "scandalous and enormious" and with having "been the fewell in some measure of this miserable Civill-Warre." Parliament agreed and forbade all unlicensed publications. Authorship of the pamphlet is attributed by George Thomason to Henry Parker.
Parmelee, Maurice. Nudism in Modern Life. The New Gymnosophy. 5th ed. May's Landing, N.J., Sunshine Book Co., 1952. Introduction by Havelock Ellis. P36
This edition contains the text of the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, relating to the charges of obscenity against the book for its illustrations. Copies of the book, being imported from England, had been seized by the Customs. The decision of a lower court finding the work obscene was reversed by the Court of Appeals, with Justice Vinson dissenting.
[Parnas, Raymond I.]. "Obscenity Regulation and Enforcement in St. Louis and St. Louis County." Washington University Law Quarterly, 1964(1):98-127, February 1964. P37
Includes information on the operation of the Decent Literature Commission of St. Louis County and the St. Louis chapter of Citizens for Decent Literature.
-------. "Will the First Prevail?" Focus/Midwest, 3(10-11):21-22, 1965. P38
Action by St. Louis city and county authorities against obscene publications.
A Parody on the Tent-Scene, in Richard the Third. Principal Characters--Lord Castlebrag, Cashman, Brandreth, Turner, and Ludlam. From the Independent Whig. London, R. Carlile, 1818. 8p. P39
The scene takes place the night before Hone's third trial. The parody is an attack on Lord Castlereigh and his "spies" who had participated in the various libel trials.
Parrish, Wayne W. "Pornography at Airports." American Aviation, 29:45, July 1965. P40
Parsons, Roy. "Indecent Publications and the New Act of 1963." New Zealand Libraries, 27:49-63, April 1964. P41
Parton, James. ["Letters to the Editor in Opposition to Comstock Laws"]. Truth Seeker, 5:617, 28 September 1878; 6:504, 9 August 1879; 7:664, 19 October 1880. P42
The noted biographer took an active part in the campaign against the Comstock laws, in support of D. M. Bennett and others prosecuted by the vice societies.
Partridge, Eric. The First Three Years. London, Scholartis Press, 1930. 54p. P43
An account and bibliography of the Scholartis Press. Contains a review of the Sleeveless Errand case.
"Passed by Censor." Time, 55(25):74-76, 19 June 1950. P44
Censorship problems faced by American press correspondents abroad.
"'Passed by the National Board of Censorship.'" Review of Reviews, 50:730-31, December 1914. P45
Description of the National Board of Censorship, its authority, organization, and the standards it uses in judging pictures.
"The Passing of the Indecent." Outlook, 106:795-96, 11 April 1914. P46
The editor sees an abatement of "the tide of indecency which has rolled over the country during recent years and left its traces in fiction, on the stage, in dress, in dancing, and in other less obvious ways."
"Passing Show." Agitator, 1:1, 15 April 1911. P47
An account of a man fined $50 for distributing a political cartoon.
Patch, Buel W. Access to Official Papers and Information. Washington, D.C., Editorial Research Reports, 1953. (Editorial Research Reports, 1:417-33, 1953) P48
Contents: The White House and Freedom of Information, Congress and Access to Executive Papers, Access of the Press to Government News.
-------. Protection of Official Secrets. Washington, D.C., Editorial Research Reports, 1948. (Editorial Research Reports, 1(8):1-15, 1948) P49
A description of security measures taken by the government to prevent leaks in military information, including a review of the security classification of official documents. The report also reviews the program of voluntary censorship of press and radio.
-------. World Press Freedom. Washington, D.C., Editorial Research Reports, 1945. (Editorial Research Reports, 2(20):1-23, 1945) P50
A summary of efforts by the American Society of Newspaper Editors and the press associations to establish an international free press. U.S. and Soviet views of a free press are contrasted.
Paterson, James. The Liberty of the Press, Speech, and Public Worship. Being Commentaries on the Liberty of the Subject and the Laws of England. London, Macmillan, 1880. 568p. (Reprinted in London by Sweet and Maxwell, 1930) P51
An important and authoritative commentary on English and American legal principles and practices relating to all aspects of freedom of expression. Includes such topics as licensing, the newspaper tax, blasphemy, obscene libel, sedition, libeling the sovereign, libeling the ministers, libeling the constitution, ex-officio informations, the right to publish parliamentary debates and court procedure, personal libel and slander, and censorship of plays. Well-documented as to statutes and court decisions.
[Paterson, Thomas]. God versus Paterson. The Extraordinary Bow-Street Police Report . . . Trial of Thomas Paterson, Editor of the "Oracle of Reason," Taken on a warrant charged with exhibiting in view a profane paper in a thoroughfare, under the Police Act. London, George Clarke [1843]. 92p. P52
"Bull-dog" Paterson took over editorship of the Oracle of Reason after its previous editors, Charles Southwell and G. J. Holyoake, were imprisoned for blasphemy. Paterson, in turn, was imprisoned for one month for blasphemy and William Chilton became editor.
[-------, et al.]. The Trial of Thomas Paterson, for Blasphemy before the High Court Justiciary, Edinburgh, with . . . the Trials of Thomas Finlay and Miss Matilda Roalfe (for Blasphemy) in the Sheriffs' Court. With Notes and a Special Dissertation on Blasphemy Prosecutions in General, by the Secretary of the "Anti-Persecution Union." London, Published for the Anti-Persecution Union by Henry Hetherington . . . and Matilda Roalfe (Edinburgh), 1844. 80p. P53
Shortly after Paterson was released from a London jail for "blasphemous" placards, he went to Edinburgh to defy the blasphemy laws there. He took possession of a bookshop and boldly announced by placard his intention to sell blasphemous and infidel works, including works of Palmer, Hume, Paine, Shelley, Carlile and others, waggishly offering "a liberal allowance to Sunday Schools." He was arrested and tried on 11 charges, "as many different acts of publication," found guilty, and sentenced to 15 months in prison. Shortly thereafter, Thomas Finlay, the elderly bookseller whose shop Paterson had used for his sales, was arrested for the sale of 2 infidel books. At his trial Finlay spoke in his own behalf, quoting from various authorities on freedom of the press and citing decisions in earlier trials. He argued that if Christians had the right to attack atheists, it was only fair that atheists be given the right of reply. He was found guilty and sentenced to 60 days in jail. Whereupon Matilda Roalfe came from London to Edinburgh and took over sales from the "Atheistical Depot," 105 Nicolson Street, issuing a manifesto listing persecuted works offered for sale. She was arrested at the instigation of the procurator fiscal and brought to trial, where she spoke in her own defense. She was found guilty and given a 60-day sentence. Following the imprisonment of Miss Roalfe, it was announced that "Mr. Baker of the United Order of Blasphemers, London, has arrived in Edinburgh, to take the superintendence of the Atheistic Depot." George J. Holyoake, who had himself served a jail sentence for editing Oracle of Reason, has written an introduction to the three trials (pp. 9-12) and A Dissertation on Blasphemous Prosecutions (pp. 3-8).
The Patriot; a Periodical Publication, Intended to Arrest the Progress of Seditious and Blasphemous Opinions, too Prevalent in the year 1819. Manchester, Eng., J. Aston, 28 August 1819-1 January 1820. 19 numbers. P54
The editors complain that the stamp tax not only makes the spread of sedition more difficult by rendering it more expensive, but it also operates against the loyal press as well.
"Patriotism in Chicago." Publishers' Weekly, 112:1630-31, 29 October 1927. P55
The Mayor of Chicago ordered a survey of the historical collection of the Chicago Public Library to find volumes tainted with British propaganda. Librarian Carl Roden objected to proposed book burning, suggesting as an alternative that offending books be locked up. The article also deals with the suit of Professor David S. Muzzey against a former Illinois Congressman, John J. Gorman, who claimed Muzzey's History of the American People was dictated from Buckingham Palace.
Patten, McClellan. "Radio Gets the Jitters." American Magazine, 127:42-43, March 1939. (Excerpted in Summers, Radio Censorship, pp. 261-65) P56
A discussion of the strange taboos on radio resulting from pressures of minority groups. A new definition of the licensing and other powers of the FCC is needed. "On guard against government censorship, radio has clamped its own hand over its own mouth in a self-censorship as rigid as, if not more rigid than, anything the government could order." References are made to the antics of the censor against such comics as Fred Allen and Phil Baker, and the celebrated fan dancer, Sally Rand.
Patterson, Giles J. Free Speech and a Free Press. Boston, Little, Brown, 1939. 261p. P57
A concise history of legal concepts of freedom of political expression, including the Continental background, the struggle in England, and the evolution of freedom of the press in the United States under the First Amendment. The author, a lawyer, has written the work to give the general public an appreciation of the "legacy that our ancestors acquired by the colossal fight . . . waged against government's greed for power."
Patterson, Grove. "Social Responsibilities of the American Newspaper." Vital Speeches, 14:435-38, 1 May 1948. P58
A Boston University Founders' Day speech by the editor of the Toledo Blade. "American newspapers are confronted by these three major responsibilities. First, to provide objective reporting and to furnish the people with unslanted facts. Second, to represent the whole people and not special interests, to assume the task of interpretation and leadership, and to deserve, by moral behavior, the freedom of the press. Third, to join in a constructive, specific and practical effort to raise their own standards."
[Patterson, Thomas]. "Liberty Imperilled through the Encroachments of the Judiciary." Arena, 35:189-94, February 1906. P59
Deals with the case of the U.S. Senator from Colorado, convicted by the Supreme Court of Colorado for "constructive contempt" and fined $1,000. Senator Patterson had published articles and cartoons in his paper, Rocky Mountain News, critical of the state's judiciary. The article includes the text of Senator Patterson's defense and one of the cartoons objected to by the Court.
[-------.] "Nullification of the Ends of Free Government through Judicial Usurpations in the Interests of Corporate Wealth." Arena, 36:309-11, September 1906. P60
Further commentary on the contempt conviction of Senator Patterson.
Patterson, W. D. "The Censors and the Public." Saturday Review, 35:22-23, 6 September 1952. (Excerpted in Daniels, The Censorship of Books, pp. 66-67) P61 §
Consideration of the work of the Gathings Committee investigation of immoral literature. "The answer to censorship in a democracy is the progressive education of the public taste to reject the bad and demand the good, without recourse to official censors or to the extremism of many private pressure groups." To trust the people's judgment is the real test of a democracy.
Paul, Elliot. Film Flam. London, Muller, [1956]. 160p. P62
An exposé of the Hollywood film industry by a writer who had spent the last 15 years in the film capital, written in a mood of benevolent satire. Includes chapters on Censorship, the Bugaboo, and The Hays Code. Paul reviews "the censorship pestilences which have followed one another in Hollywood, like ghosts of dead men in material leather shoes, marching on and on, again to haunt our hours of ease and rest." The Hays Code, he maintains, was written "by the late Rev. Daniel A. Lord, S.J., and the former editor of a tract called Decency in Motion Pictures, one Martin Quigley . . . I maintain that Art cannot be 'morally good' or 'unclean'. It can be enchanting or lousy, or so-so, which probably is the worst."
-------, and Luis Quintanilla. With a Hays Nonny Nonny. New York, Random House, 1942. 188p. P63
A burlesque of the taboos in the production of Hollywood movies as reflected in the handling of various Biblical stories. The Hays Office and its rulings come in for frequent spoofing in both text and illustrations. "The Marx brothers could not hope to be funnier than the Hays Code itself."
[Paul, James C. N.]. "Libel Actions by Political Organizations: Freedom to Smear vs. Freedom to Criticize." University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 98:865-84, May 1950. P64
Notes on cases covering the period 1925-49.
-------. "The Post Office and Non-Mailability of Obscenity: An Historical Note." U.C.L.A. Law Review, 8:44-68, 1960-61. P65
The author "finds that the basic purpose of Congress was to provide criminal sanctions for the dissemination of obscenity via the mails, and concludes that there is a serious question whether an independent censorship program such as that assumed by the Post Office has been authorized by Congress."
-------, and Murray L. Schwartz. Federal Censorship; Obscenity in the Mail. Glencoe, Ill., Free Press, 1961. 368p. P66
Two legal experts explore the problems relating to censorship of the mails and customs in the United States, presenting their findings in nontechnical language. They trace the evolution of federal obscenity laws from the English common law to the Comstock laws and on down to the Ulysses case of 1930 that marked a change in the attitude of the federal courts. The last half of the volume deals with recent developments resulting from court decisions and administrative action. In a final section the authors discuss alternative proposals for treatment of objectionable materials. The appendix includes extensive case notes and excerpts from statutes and regulations.
-------. "Obscenity in the Mails: a Comment on Some Problems of Federal Censorship." University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 106:214-53, December 1957. P67
A brief interim report on a broader study published in book form in 1961.
Paulu, Burton. British Broadcasting: Radio and Television in the United Kingdom. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1956. 457p. P68
This general description and appraisal of British broadcasting includes references to the legal control of the B.B.C. and the extent of its freedom in programming. There is discussion of the Fortnight Rule, regulating discussion of Parliamentary debate, and the handling of controversial issues.
-------, comp. A Radio and Television Bibliography; Books and Magazine Articles on the Nontechnical Aspects of Broadcasting Published between January 1, 1949 and June 30, 1952. Urbana, Ill., National Association of Educational Broadcasters, 1952. 129p. P69
Payne, George H. History of Journalism in the United States. New York, Appleton, 1920. 453p. P70
Mott considers this general history important because of its emphasis on the relations between government and press, especially its treatment of press freedom.
Payne, John C. "Certain Limitations upon the Rule that Publications Shall Not Be Subject to Prior Restraints." University of South Carolina Selden Society Yearbook, 2:2-18, January 1938. P71
The author notes prevailing exceptions in the United States to the Blackstonian rule that there shall be no prior censorship: mail censorship and withholding of second-class mailing privileges, publications involving strikes and labor conflict (Buck's Stove case), newspaper tax and nuisance laws, court injunctions on reporting of trials, wartime censorship of news, and the entire motion picture production.
Payne, Margaret. "Selection--or Censorship." Books; Journal of the National Book League, 356:209-13, November-December 1964. P72
A children's librarian urges librarians to buy the better quality children's books for these are the ones that are not generally available to children through other sources. To buy these exclusive of poor and indifferent books is not censorship.
Paz, Alberto G. "Eyes and Tongues of Our People." Vital Speeches, 18:73-74, 15 November 1951. P73
The editor of the suppressed Buenos Aires paper, La Prensa, discusses the importance of a free press in a speech accepting the Freedom House award, 7 October 1951.
Peairs, C. A., Jr. "Freedom of the Press." Kentucky Law Journal, 28:369-410, May 1940. P74
The author traces the freedom of the press "from the aspect of the constitutional guarantees supporting it, with a brief historical sketch of the growth of the doctrine." The freedom of minority opinion, he believes, may be threatened by popular pressures in a political or moral crisis.
Pearce, Lillian. "Book Selection and Peyton Place." Library Journal, 83:712-13, 1 March 1958. P75
Article concerns a letter written by Margaret Cole of Queens Borough Public Library in reply to a letter objecting to the inclusion of Peyton Place in one of the branch libraries. The letter was written to clarify and explain the book selection policies of the library.
Pearl, M. L. William Cobbett; a Bibliographical Account of His Life and Times. London, Oxford University Press, 1953, 266p. P76
Pearson, Edmund L. "The Evil That Books Do." Public Libraries, 16:188-91, May 1911. (Reprinted in Illinois Libraries, May 1966) P77 §
In a witty essay on the good and bad effect of books, especially on children, the author concludes that the "evil influence of books is smaller than many of us suppose, and should cause less disquiet [to the librarian] than it does at present." While admitting that dime novels lack artistic merit and are not appropriate for libraries, they ought not to be excluded as immoral (they actually have a high moral standard) and that boys found reading them should not be treated as criminals. Finally, he quotes a prison chaplain as stating that "the place of pernicious literature in the list of formative agencies in the genesis of precocious criminalism is incidental."
Pearson, Lester B. The Free Press; a Reflection of Democracy . . . Williamsburg, Va., Colonial Williamsburg, [1958]. 16p. P78
An address by Lester B. Pearson, a leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, on the occasion of the celebration of the Prelude to Independence, 15 May 1958.
Pearson, Richard M. "Can Textbooks Be Subversive?" Phi Delta Kappan, 33:248-50, January 1952. P79
A textbook publisher examines his product. Careful planning, scrutiny, and editing ensures the most objective possible writing.
Pease, A. S. "Notes on Book-Burning." In H. M. Shepherd, ed., Munerosa Studiosa. Cambridge, Mass., Episcopal Theological School, 1946, pp. 145-60. P80
Pease, Theodore C. The Leveller Movement. A Study in the History and Political Theory of the English Great Civil War. Washington, D.C., American Historical Association, 1916. 406p. (Reprinted by Peter Smith, Glouchester, Mass., 1965) P81
A sympathetic history of this group of political radicals of the Commonwealth, led by John Lilburne. The Levellers fought for their ideas of religious toleration, the sanctity of the individual, and the right of the common man to speak his mind for the good of the nation. They contributed to the freedom of the press by their vigorous and fearless pamphleteering in the face of persecution and imprisonment.
Peattie, Donald C. "Freedom on Trial." Reader's Digest, 51:41-44, July 1947. P82
Popular account of the censorship trial of John Peter Zenger.
Pedrick, William H. "Freedom of the Press and the Law of Libel: the Modern Revised Translation." Cornell Law Quarterly, 49:581-608, Summer 1964. P83
An examination of the "task of balancing the societal interest in the free flow of information against the interest in securing responsibility in dissemination of information and in protecting individual reputation from unwarranted injury." Interpretation of decisions, particularly New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964).
-------. "Senator McCarthy and the Law of Libel: A Study of Two Campaign Speeches." Northwestern University Law Review, 48:134-84, May-June 1953. P84
Peele, David A. Lollipops or Dynamite--Shall We Censor the Comics? Cleveland, Western Reserve University, 1951. 46p. (Unpublished Master's thesis) P85
Peet, Creighton. "Our Lady Censors." Outlook, 153:645-47+, 25 December 1929. P86
Discussion of the various censors affecting motion pictures and their production, including the work of organized clubwomen intent on protecting children. "Among all the subjects upon which the censor lavishes his handiwork, the movies suffer the most; not so much from the actual elimination of essentially trivial 'damns,' 'hells' and bedroom scenes by state and city boards, as from too much motherly care and too many stultifying prenatal cautions from the dozens of unofficial reviewing organizations."
Peltason, Jack. Constitutional Liberty and Seditious Activity; Individual Liberty and Governmental Security. New York, Carrie Chapman Catt Memorial Fund, 1954. 55p. (Freedom Agenda Pamphlet no. 12) P87
The purpose of the pamphlet is "to give the reader a basic understanding of the history and theory of governmental policy in the control of seditious political activity. The pamphlet makes no attempt to resolve the conflict between the American principle of freedom of opinion and the requirements of national security but instead merely sets forth the alternatives of policy."
[Peltier, Jean]. The Trial of Jean Peltier, Esq. for a Libel against Napoleon Buonaparte At the Court of King's-Bench . . . 21th of February, 1803. Taken in Short-Hand by Mr. Adams, and the Defence revised by Mr. Mackintosh. London, Printed by Cox, Son, and Baylis for M. Peltier, 1803. 312p; 147p. P88
The voluminous bilingual report of the trial of a French national residing in England, for his alleged attempts to incite Frenchmen, through his pamphleteering, to assassinate Napoleon. Lord Ellenborough, in his charge to the jury, said the works were written with the intent to vilify, and the verdict of guilty was not unexpected. The report concludes with an impassioned address by the author following the verdict. Peltier was never sentenced because of the outbreak of war with France. Mr. Mackintosh's defense of Peltier is reprinted in Howell's State Trials, vol. 28, pp. 529 ff.
Pemberton, John de J., Jr. "Prurience or Redeeming Social Importance?" Iowa Library Quarterly, 19:109-12, January 1963. P89
Pemberton, Thomas. Letter to Lord Langdale on the Recent Proceedings in the House of Commons on the subject of Privilege. London, Charles Hunter, 1837. 99p. P90
Relates to the question whether Parliamentary papers sold by order of the House of Commons are a privileged publication though they contain false and scandalous matter reflecting upon individuals. The letter also discusses the broader question of whether or not Parliament has the right to assert its privileges over against the courts of law. The issue grew out of action against Hansard, the state printer, to recover damage for alleged libel contained in a government report.
[Pennell, William B., and Marc L. Swartzbaugh]. "Retroactivity and First Amendment Rights." University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 110:394-435, January 1962. P91
An analysis of the issue of retroactive government action and the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. "The Supreme Court has not expressly acknowledged that the first amendment prohibits retroactive governmental action."
Pennsylvania. State Board of Censors (Motion Pictures). Acts and Rules. Harrisburg, Pa., The Board, 1914, 1915, 1926, 1941?, 1951?. 5 issues. (Issued as Rules and Standards, 1926-51.) P92
-------. List of Subjects Condemned for the Year Ending June 30, 1916. Harrisburg, Pa., The Board, 1916. 5p. P93
Such a list, in addition to an annual report, was issued by the Board from time to time between 1916 and 1922 (10 issues).
-------. Notice [concerning rule change]. Harrisburg, Pa., The Board, 1919. 4p. P94
Reproduces certificate and seal of approval.
-------. Reports, 1914-1918. Harrisburg, Pa., The Board. 1915-1919. P95
The first state censorship of films (State Board of Censors; later called the Board of Motion Picture Control) was created in Pennsylvania in 1911. Historian Ellis P. Oberholtzer was secretary of the Board for a number of years. In 1923 the Board was transferred to the Department of Public Instruction. It functioned until 1961 when the laws creating it were declared unconstitutional by a decision of the State Supreme Court (405 Pa. 83). The reports were issued semiannually and annually (5 issues) between 1914 and 1918.
Pennypacker, Samuel W. "Sensational Journalism and the Remedy." North American Review, 190:587-93, November 1909. P96
The former governor of Pennsylvania charges that the press by its sensationalism "has come to be the most conspicuous example of the very wrong to correct which its privileges were conferred--that is, the secret use of arbitrary power." Individuals and institutions are attacked and libeled and "nobody knows whose is the hand which strikes the blow or what the motive which inspires it." The author recommends that newspapers be prevented by injunction from publishing falsehood and scandal. "Such material has no part in the liberty of the press any more than sewage has place in the streams."
Penstone, Giles H. "Meaning of the Term Public Interest, Convenience, and Necessity under the Communications Act of 1934, as Applied to Licenses to Construct New Broadcast Stations." George Washington Law Review, 9:873-917, June 1941. P97
Pentcheff, Nicholas. Trade Unions and the Press. Columbia, Mo., Freedom of Information Center, School of Journalism, University of Missouri, 1961. 6p. (Publication no. 65) P98 §
The treasurer of the Inter-American Federation of Working Newspapermen's Organization discusses the mutual interests of the free press and the free labor movement. "The most deadly enemies of free expression and free labor organizations have been and continue to be autocratic and totalitarian governments." He discusses the lack of press freedom and labor freedom in Communist and Nazi states. In a democracy threat to labor and a free press may come from party interests, financial interests, newspaper monopolies, the government bureaucrat, or the unscrupulous labor leader. "We must fight any interest that would have us distort the news for their selfish ends . . . All enemies of democracy and the freedom of the press are our enemies."
Penton, Brian C. Censored! Being a True Account of a Notable Fight for your Right to Read and Know, with some Comment upon the Plague of Censorship in General. [Sydney, Australia, Shakespeare Head Press, 1947]. 108p. P99
An account of the growing censorship in Australia that was "equalled on the moral side only by Eire's and on the political side came closer to the model of totalitarian censorship than any democratic or pseudo-democratic State in the World." The matter came to a head, according to the author, with the war-time suppression of a number of newspapers in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. The work is largely an account of the wartime censorship of the newspaper press in Australia.
Penty, George, and James Crown. "The Books Didn't Burn in Brooksville." Nation, 178:120, 13 February 1954. P100
An account of the removal of controversial books from the Brooksville (Fla.) Public Library after pressures from "super-patriots" and the return of the books following President Eisenhower's address to the American Library Association opposing book burning.
"People Who Have Eaten Books." Scientific American, 94:267, 31 March 1906. P101
A brief history of bibliophagia, or the eating of books as a means of destroying them.
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