The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-04-27
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Tftt RUSSIAN CENSOR.
A CONTEMPTlBLE FEATURE OF THE
ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM.

Every Foreign Newspaper Examined and
All Objectionable Matter BIotted Out.
How Letters Are Violated Without
ScrupIe-Adviee to Correspondents.
The censor must examine every. copy
before it IS issued to the public. For his
convenience the papers are printed one
day in advance. The type of Thursday s
paper is set on Tuesday. On Wednesday
morning the forms are made up; one copy
is printed and sent to the censor, who
looks it over at his leisure during the day,
and returns it to the Office with his official
stamp of approval on each page. This
copy is carefully filed away as protec-
ton for the editor, who then sets his
presses at work and orders the edition
distributed to the subscribers. If there is
anything in it that the censor cannot ap-
prove he marks the Objectionable article,
which is taken out of the forms and some
thing else substituted. If the censor is
otherwise engaged the paper has to wait.
Sometimes the issue of Tuesday will be
d. q ined till Wednesday and sent out with
the Wednesday Issue, but it makes very
little difference. Last weeks paper is
just as interesting as today's.
EXAMINATION OF THE MAILS
All foreign mails are also submitted to
the local papers, but another, who has his
headquarters and staff of readers at the
general postOffice. All newspaper mail is
dumped on his table, except that adj
dressed to the members Of the diplomatic
corps and high officials. That is supposed
to be delivered promptly without exam
nation. So the American minister et,S
his papers sometimes q week ahead of
other residents. Every wrapper is opened.
If the paper contains an Objectionable arti-
Gle, something in the way of criticism of
1.-THE administrative SYSTEM of Russia,
for example, the censor takes q large pad,
dips it in the ink and stamps it upon the
article, Obliterating it. Thus no incen-
diary ideas are allowed to obtain circula-
ton among the people. No criticisms of the
government are allowed to be read, and no
news from eXiled nihilists.
When the censor has read one copy of q
paper, The London Times, for example,
he tucks it back into the wrapper and
throws it into basket for delivery, pick
ing up the next paper that comes to his
hand. If he finds that it is copy of The
London Times of the same date he stamps
out the Objectionable article that he has
read before and throws it into the basket
without further examination. If the first
copy examined was found to contain
nothing exceptional he examines no more
of them, but throws them into the basket
as fast as they come. To simplify mat
ters, the circulation of very few foreign
papers are allowed in Russia.
The censors cannot possibly read every
thing sent through the mails, SO they con-
fine their labors to the principal journals
of Europe and destroy the remainder.
One can receive The London Times or
News or Standard in Russia, but no other
London dailies. He can have Punch and
the monthlies, provided they contain
nothing Objectionable. He can have
Figaro, Gil Bias, The Petit Journal and
one or two others of the Paris papers,
but he cannot get the strong re-
publican papers of that city. The New
York Herald is the only American daily
that can be taken. The censor will not
read any other, so there is no use having
them sent. | had two daily papers sent
me from the United States all the time I
was in Russia, but not one of them was
delivered. I was told at the postoffice
that the censor does not have time to read
every transient paper that came in the
mails, and none could be delivered till he
had read it. He had only time to read
one American paper, and if I wanted to
subscribe for that it would be delivered
This censorship of the mails is the most
cOwardly and contemplate feature of the
Russian administrative system. 1t is
simply a confession of weakness that
tempts the average man to sympathize
with revolutionary element, and they
justly make it one of their chief causes of
complaint. The Russian pOstOffice is
under the direction of the police like
everything else, and is one of their strong
holds.
HOW LETTERS ARE VIOLATED.
They have the power to open letters as
well as papers, and often exercise it. In
fact there is no limit to their power. If
citizen or foreigner is suspected of sym
pathy with the revolutionary element, or
is supposed to be in communication with
agitatOrs, whether at home or in exile, the
police give orders to have all his letters
delivered to them. The gum upon the lid
of the envelope is moistened by being held
over jet of steam, and opened or q thin
knife with keen edge is slipped under
the seal. The letter is read, resealed and
sent back to the postoffice, or it is retained
as evidence of treason.
Letters going out of the Russian post
offices are examined, as well as those that
come in. All packages addressed to
foreign newspapers are opened and their
contents read. Correspondents residing
in Russia write upon the thinnest sort of
and address the envelopes to
individuals or business firms, so as to
avoid the espionage of the police, who |
destroy everything that in any way re
fleets upon 1.-THE administrative system -
All manuscripts carried in bags OF
trunks by travellers are examined at the /
Russian custom houses to avoid the circu- |
lation Of'incendiary literature All news
papers found in the cars that cross the !
border are seized and destroyed. I had =
lot of newspaper clippings in an envelope, !
which had cut from time to time, relat-
ing to Russia. A gentleman in Berlin,
who was familiar with the operations of
the Russian police, advised me not to
lake them with me, as they would Ger
-ainly cause me trouble if discovered by