, 1885-01-17
GERMAN SOCIALISM.
MANAGEMENT OF THE CIRCULATION
OF ITS FORBIDDEN LITERATURE.
III wonderful sscret-ciphcr Code Of tina
Socialists OF Germany-How Pack
ages Of Forbidden Newspapers
Are sIaiIsl-The spies-


Zurich Cor. New York SUM-
Tho Social Democrat was established here
less than a year after the passage OF Bis
marck's MASTERPIECES OF repressive law. In the
intervening time, and for about a year, the
gentleman TO whose courtesy l am primarily
indebted for the opportunities Of investiga-
ton, was In a German prison The first edi-
tor Of the paper 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-
ing from his wounds was in the line of polit-
ical economy; and this thin pabulum made
him a Socialist, notwithstanding the obvious
interests OF his class. As head Of the propa-
randn he assumed tho name Of Walther. The
business manager was Herr Julius
Motteller, formerly a member Of the
German parliament, who assumed the
name OF Julius B~randtner, and utter
erward that OF Morretti. Herr Carl Derossi
vas a worthy coadjutor. who invented their
wonderful secret-cipher code, which has pux-
zled the brains of the German police, and Of
the scientists at their disposal, over since.
Blron Won Volmar Is now a member OF the
German parliament
The paper was started with 1,500 subscri-
beers. It was at first packed across the from
tier in the clothes OF PEDESTRIANS. The circu-
lation is now fully 1900 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, a cipher
dispatch tells the fact; otherwise another
cipher causes the printing Of a new edition,
aud ffa hafuC forum rIa1 fhrouUh ofhar
hannels.
The organization Is 50 perfect, and the
channels OF distribution 30 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 tho cipher symbols on each, and,
as q rule, forwards them through the post
No one Of those c~onsignees can read the
cipher that II used by another, and thus the
provision against trenchery is very complete.
The postal authorities and the police are ut
terly powerless to track this matter as 1t
passes through the mails. II by any accident
they should discover a package it would
be no evidence against the addressee;
II 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 and distributes the package
the week following, and so the circulation
goes on.
The work OF final distribution il tho most
risky, for a man who is detected in one act
will get from two TO six months imprison-
ment for 1t, 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 DO 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 and
pressed into fifteen different forms for as
many sizes OF envelopes, and 1t is sent to sub
scribers TO whom it would be too risky to de-
liver the paper by hand A certain German
grand luke has been a subscriber from the
foundation Of the papsr, and he receives It
In letter-form.
Almost every copy of this little paper has
many readers Ths elaborate means
taken for its circulation show tina 1t
Ia held in very high estimation by
those who receive it. The German authori-
ties ave spent, and are spending,
large sums to destroy the interdictsd sheet
Numerous spies ave boon sent to Zurich,
and hosts Of spies are on the frontier. Tho
surveillance is so close that even here In
Zurich it would be the hight Of imprudence
to designate 70 any man not thoroughly in
the confidence of tho 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, and
the Socialistic organization still remains the
most dreaded opponent of the imperial
system.