April 1912. There is a lot of shallow talk about our superiority to censorship. As a matter of fact an artistic censorship, com petently exercised, would benefit the industry. It would keep certain manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, away from big subjects, which they cannot handle. A dozen or more socalled features, pretendedly classic in character, are now on the market, when they would be much better in the limbo of forgotten films. These would-be classics harm not only the exhibitor, but work great injury to the competent and conscientious manufacturer, who is deprived of a subject, which he could have treated creditably. There are many great classic subjects still left for filming. If a company like the Milano undertake the cinematographic reproduction of them the result will be an honor to the industry and a profit to exhibitors. If on the other hand a cheap manufacturer with limited resources abd scant knowledge essays the task, the outcome will be a more or less laughable burlesque or parody. If we had a board of competent censors on artistic capability it would be easy to squelch the cockroach element.
(The Moving Picture World, 6 april 1912)