Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-13
BIsHARCK's IRON HAND.

BiSHARCh'S IRON HAND.
Since the opening Of the present
year, the Frankfort Gazette, a German
paper Of strong democratic views, has
| published from week to week, under
the heading Calendar of the German
Var of Enlightenment" lDeutscher
KuItlrka'nRt, KaIendsr), a .list of the
proceedings under the various laws
passed since the formation Of the new
German empire for dealing with eccle-
siastical, press and political questions.
An analysis Of this calendar for the
month Of January gives some instrue-
tive results as 10 the liberty Of speech
and action which the new empire has
thought good 10 concede to its sub
jects. As might have been expected
the essential prosecutions are the
most numerous. The list comprises
sixty ecclesiastics who have during the
mouth, been either fined, imprisoned, or
baDished for offenses against the new
laws; among them are FIVE bishops and
several Protestant clergymen. The
ofense of which the Catholic priests
appear to have been chiefly guilty is
that of performing their spiritual func.
tions in contravention Of the May laws
Prosecutions against private persons
rank next in point of numbers. In
this category forty-two persons we're
successfully prosecuted by the govern
ment-a few Roman Catholics for dis
playing too much zeal for their relig-
ion, but by far he larger number
(nany Of whom come under the desig-
nation of social democrats for being
too outspoken in their political opin-
ions. Journalists were the subjects
Of twenty seven prosecutions, each
Of which resulted in fine or i'm
prisonment. Tae newspaper upon
which official displeasure seems
to have fallen most heavily is
the WeStphaliaH Mercury, whose edi-
tors, II the course Of eighteen months,
have been sentenced to two years and
seven months Imprisonment. In ad-
ditiOn to these preeau6ons, twelve pub
lie meetings were closed by the police,
in several instances the speakers being
seized; nine schoOl.masters or profes-
sors were relieved of their functions,
and seven domiciliary visits were made
to persons who were supposed to have
fallen beneath the cognizance Of the
new laws. 1t is worthy of remark that
one head school-master, Herr UIen-
broich, Of OberhaUsen, was dismissed
for refusing to hang upon his school
room the portrait of Prince Bismarck,
beneath that of the Emperor. Prince
Bismarck, according to the cal
endar, is responsible for no few
er than twelve prosecutions, dur
'ns January, Of persons who had
presumed to criticize him too freely;
while the emperor has but eight &C.
tons Of the kind to his credit, one of
them being brought against a rag-pick-
er Of Darmstadt, who was sentenced to
Imprisonment for five months and a
half for speaking disrespectfully of his
sovereign. The foregoing figures re-
fer only to prosecutions which have re-
suited in punishment; but the calendar
published by the Frankfort Gazette also
gives the statisticso of those which ended
in acquittal. The punishments infict-
ed by the courts are not, as a rule, very
severe; but a list of close upon $50
entailingin the aggregate
fines amounting to about $1,000 and
sentences of Imprisonment equal alto
gether to a period of nearly twelve
years, to say nothing Of other repres-
sive measures, indicates a tolerably busy
month for the public prosecutor.