The Law

of

Mailable

Material

by ONE'S Legal Counsel

٤٤١

I have been asked by the Editors of ONE to write an article explaining the legal problems involved in screening and selection of the written material appearing in the magazine. I am happy to do this, and hope it will serve two purposes: (1) to give the readers of ONE an idea of some of the difficult behind-the-scenes problems facing ONE's Editors, and (2) to indicate to ONE'S contributors the legal limits of printable material.

I. THE LAWS PERTAINING TO MAILABLE MATTER.

The use of the mails is not an absolute right. It is, rather, a privilege extended by the Government. The privilege is a broad one, as broad as the guarantee of freedom of speech in the First Amendment. Nevertheless, it has its limits, and it has long been the law that the Government can exclude from the mails any matter it deems contrary to the public welfare or morals. For example, it is illegal to send gambling tickets or abortion-producing devices through the mails.

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