Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-06-13
PRESS CENSORSHIP.

For q long time the press OF Ger
many has been under a censorship.
Censors were appointed BY the Crown,
whose duty it was to examine articles
prepared for the public. These were
sent to the censors on slips, who after
examining them erased tho objection
able passages and occasionally refused
to allow the publication Of the article.
or course, this was bad enough, but 1t
was comfortable compared to the po-
lice censorship, which has lately been
inaugursted and which has become
the subject Of great complaint among
German publishers. Under the pres
ent system the publisher Is compelled
to give into the hands Of the police a
copy Of his paper at least an hour be-
fore its publication. 1t Is examined,
and II anything Objectionable Is found
a provisional seizure Is ordered, to
await judicial investigation. This
takes about four days, and even If ia
vorable, and the confiscated edition
allowed to bs sold, it Is evident that 1t
has become yalueless to the publisher,
for a daily paper four days old Is not a
very salable article. Another o6jec-
ton Ia the Ignorance OF the police CEN
sors. Those formerly holding these
positions were men Of culture aud in-
telligence, such as cannot be found In
the local police. Thousands Of copies
are now wholly confiscated tor a pas
sage Of a dozen lines OF less, whereas
under the old method the slips sub
United to the censors were examined,
the obnoxious portions stricken out
aud the proof returned to the
publisher immediately. The pub
fishers complain bitterly OF the
hardships Of this system, and any one
can readily see that they have grea.
cause to feel aggrieved. for the sup.
preston Of \ whole edition Of a daily
paper involves no small loss upon the
proprietors. They also say thar, un.
der the present system, they are Often
placed under the supervision and con
troll Of a subordinate official Of the local
police, who /, arbitrary and inefficient.
The idea Of a press censorship Is so ut
terly repugrant to an American citi.
zen, and Its evils so entirely unknown
to our people, that many will read
with astonishment tho troubles Of Ger.
man publishers. 1t is only by COM
pairing our freedom with that enjoyed
BY tho people Of hereditary govern
ments, that an Amerlcan-born citizen
realizes fully the benefits Of the sys'
TEN under which he Is living. For.
eigners who emigrate to u shores
are, OF course, able to compare their
present with their past condition, and
rarely do we find II who returns to
the fatherland for permanent residence
Press censorship can only be enforced
by despotisms. The minds Of all intel.
ligent, free citizens, revolt from Its
rule, as an encroachment upon the do
main Of mans born right OF saying
what no chooses, amenable only tc
courts for charges preferred, or princi
Piles advocated. France Is ahead Of
Germany in this matter, although she
Is even now attempting to resume her
old rule Of suppresslon and intolerance
The recent stand taken by Gambetta
In the French Assembly, and the vote
following. show that though the fac,
tions composing the majority sustain
the action of the Minister Of the Inte-
rior in suppressing a republican sheet,
a large and powerful minority bitterly
object to such proceedings. 1t will not
DO long ere France, Germany and
Spain will have q public press as free
as that OF England or the United
States. This achieved, the next step
is a democratic system of govern
ment-a Republic. No free people can
long exist with a muzzled press.