Volume 17 , Issue 4

One Hundred Years Ago, 2 February 1915, Tuesday

One hundred years ago, today, 2 February, the Tulsa Daily World had some interesting front page headlines.The main headline dealt with "London Trembles With Fear When Hostile Aircraft Appears."

Other headlines dealt with "Havoc Wrought by the Cyclone On Saturday Night." But this headline: "Drastic Blow Is Aimed At Movies" had to do with no criminal pictures to be screened in Oklahoma if legislative bill passes. Also ... a pool hall bill was referred back to committee for several changes.

Oklahoma City, Feb 1 (1915) -- Among the 29 bills advanced to engrossment and final passage in the house of representatives were the Abney bill prohibiting clairvoyance and the measure to prevent the exhibition in the state of criminal and immoral moving pictures.

The Abney bill put all forms of fortunetelling, mind-reading and clairvoyance under the bar. The moving picture bill was extremely drastic. Representative Sykes of Tulsa pointed out a joker in the bill, but the house refused to eliminate it and the senate would have to take out the objectionable part. The joker consisted of a line which prohibits the exhibition of any picture in which there is shown anything that is violation of law.

Sykes said, "Under this provision we cannot have pictures in which Julius Caesar is shown sticking a knife into the heart of George Washington...." This article was continued on page three of the 1915 newspaper out of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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