The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-10-01
THE tZfR AND THE PRESS.

ST. PETERSBURG, Sept. 81 can count
dozen Russian journals which appear when
ever the political horizon brghtens and life be-
comes easier. and disappear when the sky gets
gloomy, the air sitting. md the storm is ap-
preaching. About the time of tho tragic death
Of tho late Car those journals either were
gagged or had stopped OF their own will. 'on
account OF difficulty OF breathing" as the
Russians say The public talked then Of n bad
sign. Now an epidemic is prevailing among
the Russian journals. The Zemstro has sud
denly died: the Nnuta tMinutcl is buried tho
Paradox Order is suffocated: the Phaianaa
tPhalanN) has dropped out OF line: tho Prada
Truth has somewhere escaped. Some papers
are amputated. and others are under the care
Of the offlcia! surgeons and the people often
shake their heads and cxclaim: bad sign"
But in spite Of all difficulties and straits the
Russian press has become a formidable power
The desrotic Car. the omnipotent Minister'S
the official rings stealing tho public lands and
robbing the Treasury. the railroad kings cheat
ing the Government. the Judges bribed. and
the Bishops forgetting God-all cry out in
chorus: oh. down with these newspaper men,
The Russian Cars apparently do not care to
draw any lesson from history. What for in
stance. can be more instructive. particularly
for rulers, than the fate Of the Bonapartes?
Yet the Romanotfs obstinately initiate Napoleon
i. and Napoleon III. as far ~ their relation to
the press is concerned. Tho hatred of the
RomanofIs for the printing press has become
proverba Even the late Car. who in the first
years of his reign sen. forth his liberal reforms
like sky rockets would not give the press more
freedom than was granted by the press laws OF
Napoleon Ill In 1865 he borrowed those
French laws and issued them here as
temporary press rules These temporary"
laws. however. have been in force this quarter
OF a century. Toward the end Of his rule the
Car Liberator strove hard to realize II dream
of Napoleon L.. namely TO substitute his official
journals for ali the others.
We often hear bitter complaints tina, Rus
sian journal. are colorlc.s lifciess. tmid.
silent on the most urgent national questions.
and too talkativc rs to foreign affairs. But the
present Car finds them too bold and radical
and so he is preparing new gags for them. Ac-
cordins TO the additional Dress rules" which
are to be approved 10y the Car the Minister Of
the Interior. after having given three warnings
to q newspaper. may order that its proofs be
pre- -cnicd to the censor ut IL L. VI. on the eve
If Its publication. such an order may remain
III force during tie dlscrri iou Of the Minister.
Formerly the Senate decided whether II journal
snuuld bc perman nifty suppressed or not,
Now t.lat power II given to Il supreme Com
mission. composed of four members, the Min:
listers u the Interior Of Public Instruction. aud
nj Justice. ana the tnlst lfbChlruf Oh tNt HOLY
synod. The editor of the permanently sup
pre- s.,i journal forever fur!eits his right to
publish anything
Here IL the iull list of the rcprcssiye measures
hanging over the Russian press: ~ simple
warming warning combined with prohibition
Of the sale Of the paper on the streets: u warn
ing combined with the prohibition OF the print
in. Of any advertisements; u third warming.
which is usually combined with u temporary
suipresS ion OF the journal for from one month
TO six months 1t forced censure: permanent
Suppression. necessarily combined with a pro-
l-h IN
the future. The liability TO u heavy fine, inn
pr~onnpnt ana ext g IN Siberia, with or with
ont trial. are also among the things that Rus
printer, have. Ia face. We must wonder, then,
NOT thnt the Russian newspapers are coioricss
and liinless. but that they manage TO exist AT
all under such an incubus.
But in fact. the Russian newspapers do not
FOR instance, how the additional gags for the
press are met 10y the two leading newspapers.
The Nocoe Irei"in New Timesl. which usually
seconds every motion OF the Cars Govern
ment. has this tim" appeared with bold ar
tic lie strongly condemning. not only the new
rules. but. in general, all represslve measures.
This ia the way IL talks:
The c.nsnre WAS established with the view Of making
r ran"e @ ro.- tai asrsis ~ os" opinion
% s, H.. 'n " "r nrnas into as
y rs AID Ni-I. rsriS e.: O The S s.%sSr , M,o
thousand r"ntlss never he severe and careful a.
The % s % yIss lin qIs . 2 az Il" tens We
do Not iar- to thns thai the Ministry changes the
Gs " ,o "' ra we K ta' he Minister ~ tho
i" dscidnr Shr,, mrw .rnpsr becomes mnrusiw"rihy
ina political sense rhl- our rrs. y To be sn.rniseh by
,ns % W. ps, , Of rrc;. .n
the right to connier.c. The spread of idea.
whih il believes u" bee harmful aud d,neerous to The
s"rLns that ,hs eNtri.nce o. retnr;' nns r'.a ,na
,sh"ois aud general enght'ninsnt. and worst by
rressyt measures In Franc. for instance tr.c.oM Of
SIRE During this century that country there have
but ST n ST' 4" " " Ss" h"T breadth The mai
ufal and fixed course of eNrnts.
This language is plain enough and strong
enough; Fuitheron the same newsphper re;
views the vain efforts of the Napolcnns and
Bourbons 70 gag the press 1t concludes:
Napoleon VIM outragco,islv robbed aud conn>c a-i
tlr Newspaper. attrrm"rd While on the Island Of ST.
lyga I,rI" IN nI Ga.' N, ,ri t.o% u; Ts"4S .
asnrrnd"ns anomhS It j. 81 act Of main,,- ihrn
unore public opinion and who are ignorant aS 10 how
long M. or that policy WA. he followed by our admins
The Golos tthe Voiccl the leading Liberal
! organ. met the news with an ironcnl remark,
We are about to have temporary additions to
from directly criticsin@ the new law How
ever, in reviewing new French book. Cen
portray RUSSIAN censure in the blackeet colors.
Citing the authors remark, The censure is
condemned to-day the HoioSsays;
Not only to-day. il WAS condemned 10y our own poet
sn ,S he oks Should rl. over Tree thought Bsing born
not tir course bat cannot get much benefit from
IL Wbi. IL l. living chains Western Europe IL so fur
Hh.nd III only hocaus- II has tile full benefit OF free
I tnSuyht nd speech. ten SkObecn
used Ia ,v that ms fame lie chiefly indebted to
thr rev spap"r esvoni.ut- ON some one quoting
lhe opinion ~ Napoleon Ill who said, The press Is
the FiNth power ~ Europe sknbelen answered
Sut th- sixth hut III. ir. Ia our time il Is mpossi'
No.. u rule country from bureau lie who dlsr,gards
pUhue opinion is doomed To iaii ~ everything
The GoloS shows that AS in the French en-
rirc, SO in Russia editors and writer's are re-
garded by the Government as offending ma
ture Itself and compromising mankind : that
/ No. journals are suffered to exist which dare to
contradict the rinciples Of tho Government
and that 1t j. regarded as the Government $
eNclu-iy right to lead and direct publ opln-
| ion.' For the latter purpose tho Russian Coy
crnIuent has three official journals. namely:
| The PtdrhrisirrHup leShiik Governments Mes
sengcr'. tho .>rishOH l'eshdk Village Messenger
weekly. and the JO'iRdi de -. Pete'sbODrG
| The late Dictator Mekoir tried to establish his
own organ. the E.leg Shore which. however
ridiculously failed The GOioS adds;
We have seen such attempts mnde by French EN-.
pcrors and kings and they demonstrate only point,
thar en- the Government Is p"wrrlcss ~ 10 ruling over
the lessons OF history consulted No re-
pre,,Ne measures stop the natural course of events
and change the spirit ~ the time TIL. NOR" complicated
barriers put In III" of rapid current the wider
il it, food The first and the second French empire
persisted, aud along with them are gone t0sr rulers and
ministers In the enemies OF progress AMI sup
pnTt-rs Of rrtr0grats ideas aud measures hut ire"