Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-18
GERMAN SOCIALISM.
MANAGEMENT or THE CIRCULATION
OF IT'S FORBIDDEN LITERATURE.
The Wonderful Secret-Cipher Code Of the
Socialists Of Germany-How Pack
ages Of Forbidden Newspapers
Are MaiIed-The Spies.
Zurich Cor. New York SUM-

Zurich Cor. New York Sun.l
The Social Democrat was established here
ess than a year after the passage OF Bis
narck's masterpiece of repressive law. In the
Intervening time, and for about a year, the
gentleman t, whose courtesy am primarily
indebted for the opportunities of investiga-
ion, was in German prison The first edi-
sor of the pal er was Baron George Won VOL
mar, who was crippled in both legs in the
French war He is Of the old nobility OF
Bavaria His novel reading while convalesc-
.ng from his wounds was in the line OF polt-
cal economy; and this thin pabulum made
lim Socialist Notwithstanding the obvious
interests Of his class. As head of the propa-
ganda he assumed the name Of Walther. The
business manager was Herr julius
Motteller, formerly a member Of the
German parliament, who assumed the
name of Julius Brandtner. and Bfter-
srward that Of Morretti Herr Carl Derossi
was a worthy coadjutor, who invented their
wonderful secret-cipher code, which has puz-
zled the brains of the German police, and OF
the scientists at their disposal, ever since.
Baron Won Volmar is now member Of the
German parliament.
The paper was started with l.500 subscri-
bers. 1t was at first packed across the from
tier in the clothes of pedestrians. The circu-
ation is now fully 5000 copies. These are
nearly all made up in small packages for va
rious places in Germany. Each package Is
marked with a symbol of the secret code.
The packages are then punched, placed In
cases, and sent over the frontier by the
hands of professional smugglers These are
exceedingly adroit, and they are very seldom
caught When everything is right, cipher
dispatch tells the fact; otherwise another
cipher causes the printing of a new edition,
and its being forwarded through other
channels.
The organization is 50 perfect, and the
channels of distribution SO numerous, that
no one channel does duty more than six
times in a year. When one of these contra
band cases arrives at its destination, the con
signee addresses the various packages therein
according to their final destinations, as de-
noted by the cipher symbols on each, and,
as a rule, forwards them through the post.
No one Of these cousignees can read the
cipher that is used by another, and thus the
provision against treachery Is very complete.
The postal authorities and the police are ut
terly powerless to track this matter as it
passes through the mails. II by any accident
they should discover a package it would
be no evidence against the addressee;
IL it were so it Is evident that packages
Intentionally sent to enemies of the Socialists
for the purpose Of getting them into trouble
would be very common. This addresSee
distributes or causes to distributed, the pa
pers in the package, and another member OF
the club receives ard distributes the package
the week following, and so the circulation
goes on.
The work of final distribution is the most
risky, for a man who Is detected in one act
will get from two to six months mprison-
ment for it, and as the judges sometimes
hold him responsible for the contents OF the
paper as well as its distribution, it is possible
for him to be punished with five years i'm
prisonment for handing one copy OF The
Social Democrat to a neighbor. BY the
same means the propaganda supply their
subscribers with interdicted books and pam
phlets.
There Is a small edition of The Social
Democrat, very..gauzy, to bear the expense
of letter postage. This edition Is folded ami
pressed into fifteen different forms for as
many sizes Of envelopes and it is sent to sub
scribers to whom it would be too risky To de-
liver the paper by hand A certain German
grand duke has been subscriber from the
foundation Of the paper, and he receives II
in letter-form-
Almost every copy of this little paper has
many readers Ths elaborate means
taken for its circulation show that 1t
is held in very high estimation BY
those who receive it. The German authori-
ties have spent, and are spending,
arge sums to destroy the interdicted sheet.
Numerous spies have been sent to Zurich,
and hosts of spies are on the frontier. The
surveillance is so close that even here in
Zurich it would be the hight Of imprudence
to designate TO any man not thoroughly in
the confidence of the propaganda any one OF
the special stations from which the under
ground post starts on its secret journey; yet
it travels with fair average security, AMI
the Socialistic organization still remains the
most dreaded opponent Of the imperial