The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1885-10-14
WITHOUT INDEPENDENT louaNAL4


t'soaiiaritlsl Of the Laws Regulating
Newspapers In the liaslaa Iiinp!ra.
Brooklyn Ia.Iel
( Inthe art placs, Il W. except Ths
Moscow Gazette, there 4 not such d
thing aSan independent Newspaper IN
the Yholo Russian empire Superficial
scoders At Russia may cap this by say.
Ing that there has nayuF been an indie
pendent newspaper Ia Russia, and that
wnors 4 writer really claims freedom Of
3 views he has 70 resort to this channels
Of foreign journals for tho expression Of
opinions which would never be tolor.
j atoi at homa This, however,, Is nus.
conception, readily arising from ignor.
anee Of the censor arrangements Of
Russia In that country newspapers
are divided into two catagurles those
that are scanned by the censor anterior
to publication, and those that ara
not scanned until they haze w.tially
ap cared. all the prominent papOfs
belong to the frst category, and most
Of those pui lished in t. peiersBurg AMI
Moscow TO tho latter.
Whom the censor has to pass cyory line
OF print beforoit can publicly appear II
I Is obyiOuS that there eau DO no genuine
expression Of Thought, and thus, with
the exception Of Tho lifip Q5lor, thura
has never been an Independent proyin.
cial newspaper in russia. But tho case
is different with the dailieS Of tho two
capitals lroyiiing man has the
courage, or Is backed up by q minister.
he can readily cypress what he THINKS,
because ii is not until his newspaper Is
already in the hands Of the public that
the censor is aware OF its contents. At
the present moment nobody has tho
courage TO express his opinions except
Retkof, OF The Moscow Gazette hut a
decade ago the case was very different.
The GOloS, for instance, was motor ions
for the in dependence OF itS views. The
RusSki Courier, Of Moscow, was an.
other thoroughly independent paper.
In those days ono really red In The
Golos what its brilliant staff Of writer's
Thought, but such freedom Of criticism
was inc0nven Mt to the government.
While tie emperor was away in Turkey
The olOs and several other papers Of
| It's class nc uired = license OF expression
that had to 10 Checke on his return
home.
The Golos had always fron the ont.
set OF Its career, teen in hot water hut
a ter the Turkish war the warnings
fines, ihterliCtion of street sales and
suppresSi0nS followed each othlr with
su:h rapility thlt The paper no sooner
eXpia.ed one ofense than it was in for
another Al last, tired OF the conflict,
the government hit upon cry eFOut.
i've mode OF dIcncing its antagonist. A
new law passed. providing that any
paper suppressed should moi 10 allowed
TO rcappear without passing into the
category OF tho inferior press, and sub.
mitting to censorship anteiior 10 publ
cation. Tie l'rleyssy tried to oyade
by dropping the title OF GoIos at tile
close of the period OF suppression. an |
throu., h q second party AolestOfT, one
Of tho sub.elitOrs, issli-g new daily,
| got up exactly tho same "a bc'orO, but
with a different title, But this IN Lncu-
yer was too obvious to deceive the state,
and directly the new paper leg,n to
speak It's mind the government sunma,
rily suppressed it without resorting to
the usual preliminary three warnings
Nowadays the various departments Of
state use tho press rs a puppOt, and
nearly every dly send through the
CCnspr circulars TO the editors ordering
them to support such and such views
and TO avoid comment ON this or tho
other topic. Scores Of instances might
DO gwen Of this mode of manipulating
the press. Sometime ago IN accident
occurred on tho Moscow railway, alrea ly
attributable to carelcsSncss on the part
Of tho railway officials. The Moscow
railway is not state property, but the
minister Of railways considered his
amour propre sufficiently interested in
the accident 70 send round circular to
the editors ordering them to refrain
from Gny comment on It.
one eau readily understand the de.
graded condition to which such a
course Of treatment has reduced tho
Russian press. Practically speaking,
oil comments worthy Of the name have
disappeared from its columns. The
newspapers are Of the same size rs they
used to DO and comprise about tho
same amount OF printed matter; but
when one comes to examine what that
matter is hO finds that it consists OF
OPAQUE padding from beginning to end
Without Oxnggeration u single average
American daily paper publishes moro
matter in tho real sense OF tho term
:han all tho newspapers OF the Russian
empire printed during twonty.fonr
hours would yield il their contents
were IOiled down There is a serious
meaning in tho words often used by
Russians, that foreigners know moro
about whnt is going on in Russia than
II 4 ~