Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-16

| CuluH elS6 II the CenSOr IS otherwise engaged the paper has to wait Sometimes the issue of Tuesday will be detained 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 l the censor, not the same man who reads the local papers, but another, who has his headquarters and staff of readers at the general postofice. All newspaper mail is dumped on his table, except that ad- dressed to the members of the diplomatic corps and high officials. That is supposed to be delivered promptly without exam lnat1on. So the American minister gets his papers sometimes 8 week ahead of other residents. Every wrapper is opened If the paper contains an objectionable arti- cle, something in the way of criticism of ''the administrative system' of Russia, for example, the censor takes large pad, dips it ill the ink and stamps it upon the article, obliterating it. Thus no incen- diary ideas are allowed to obtain circula- tion 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 a paper, The London Times, for example
 
 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 f.~t + T- ters, the circulation of very few foreign i. 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 1 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 l wanted to subscribe for that it would be delivered.
 This censorship of the mails is the most cowardly and contemptible feature of the Russian administrative system. It 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 stroLe- holds.
 HOW LETTERS ARE VIOLATED.
 They have the power to open letters as we'll as papers, and often exercise it. In fact there is no limit to their power. If a citizen or a foreigner is suspected of sym pathy with the revolutionary element, or is supposed to be in communication with agitators, whether st 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 a jet of steam, and opened, or a thin knife with keen edge is slipped under the seal. The letter is read, resealed and sent back to the postof6ce, or it is retained as evidence of treason.
 Letters going out of the Russian post. offices are examined. as we'll 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 stationery, and address the envelopes to individuals or business firms, so as to avoid the espionage of the police, wto destroy everything that in any way re fleets upon ''the administrative system. ''
 All manuscripts carried in bags ol 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. had q 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 o1 the Russian police, advised me not to take them with me, as they would cer tainly cause me trouble if discovered by the police. A gentleman connected with the police at Petersburg, to whom spoke of this, said my friends advice was good If they had been found by some police man or customs officer, they certainl, would have resulted ill my detention until my character and purposes had been in vestigated. He kindly suggested, too knowing my business, that if I intended to write anything about the country il would be better not to commence till had passed the borders.
 The same es;;:orage is exercised ovel : the telegraph as over the mails. A COT respondent dare not send a dispatch by wire from Petersburg to a newspaper. | would never be delivered if it contained anything objectionable, and if it did not the fact of his having sent such a mes sage would make him the object of sus picion and police attention. Correspond ents of foreign newspapers in Russia hay, arrangements by s which they they send send thsi .s1 . bnrder, who opens the envelope and tele 2 graphs 1ts contents. William Elsro:; . Curtis in Chicago News. ~ s It is far more easy to acquire . forum, ] lilre knavs than tJ sxpeud It 1as Eeuta. 3 man.-Coltkm.
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