The Dickinson press., 1889-02-02
THE REPTILE FUND.-"
SECRET SERVICE FUNDS AT PRINCE
sISMARcks DISPOSAL.

sIcth",l~ hy whicl, the Iron Chancellor
Controls tho German Press-Collection
of Personal Inforn,ation-Wocs Hl,icl,
Ecti,,c a. Unfortunate journal.
The reptile fund--so called because of
Prince Eisn!arck's own phrase-conSists of
the contisrated fortune Of the king of Han
over, together with an unknown grant from
the war indemnity. Speaking of the at
tarks ni:i'lr upon the government by
the press. ,hc chancellor exclaimed on
4 ni,:.i Hr.t!llc occasion that as his ad-
minstrel: on was SO exposed to malig-
nant ..,,,ep presentations at the hands of its
adve!' res lie did not think it tolerable that
be s.ii,..l he left unurmcd against so power
ful and INSCRIPTIONS a foe 81 must have
means" hc said, with which to hunt those
reptiles 10 their holes and destroy them
there ilcacc the so called reptile fund,
which is simply an indefinite amount of
secret service money ut the disposal of
Prince B.eM.sc!i for controlling the press.
With liz ;ti,l lie IS said to have organized n
news S!'y!,'e for the benefit of the German
gpvvHi.ia:.. the like of which exists no
wlei'v v..;.'..,e of the pages of the French
uov,.s wijcn describe the spy system of
Fouc!l, VI It's head stands Herr Holstein,
the ;.;..' I1nmcc of Prince Bismarck, who
has at his command Il disciplined host of con-
Girnt.ll reporters, who enable him to follow
unseen Tie movements of all his advcrSarics.
Tn" great chancellor never neglects any foe,
no matter how insignificant.
AT the chancclery of the secret intelli.
geicc bureau at Berlin, under Herr Holstein,
are kept the tossiers of every man or woman
whom from time to time it thinks necessary
to Prince Bismarck to watch with q view to
ul,ciior developments. The minutencss of
tbs. Information thus stored up for future
use is very extraordinary, and suggests
many uncomfortable reflections. y friend
of mine resident i'll Germany once had an
opportunity OF seeing his own dossicr. There
IN he found set down all particulars of him
self and his family and his relations. a list
WAS given of all the people whom he was i'll
TIE habit of receiving, and a detailed report
o all the correspondents to whom he was in
nabit of writing. Tothis man, it was written,
h sends letters every week, to the other
every day, to third he writes sometimes
twice II week, and then ceases to write for n
week or Il month.
But the possession of an indefinite amount
ul secret service money for purposes of cor
rap.4on, and the accumulation from all the
umace!i channels of ubiquitous secret police of
IL vast reservoir of information for use if re-
q,:irel. are by no means he only instruments
i,Y which Prince Bismarck keeps his press in
OF order "lIow is it done." exclaimed Il
" lily victim of the chancellor's surveillance
1t is very simple. Some fine day all the
:..ors of Berlin are summoned to the Office
ri the oracle. They are told that the govern
| !ncnt is i'll possession OF such and such an
important piece of information which is COM
| unicatea to them, not for publication, but
~ confidence, in order that when the oppor-
ianc moment arrives they may DO well i'll
.:Ied. y nod is as good rs wink to {.
"..l.d horse and before very long one or other
/, the editors discovers in some mysterious
way that the time has arrived when the cat
nnst he let out of the bag. He lets it out ac
cortlingly, and all his brethern follow suit,
and the news, true or false, in launched i'll
| due form"
But what" | asked, 'if an editor refuses
to take the hint and obstinately abstans
| from circulating the official comnuniquc.'
Then, was the reply, lit does not go well
with that exceptional newspaper. Misfort-
uncs always attend the journal which is fool
hardly enough to ignore n hint from above y
| What kind of msfortunesl' ''Oh, all kinds
of misfortune. Dormant lawsuits mysteri-
ously reappear; Official advertisements are
wthdrawn; privileges Of sale or of display,
which depend upon the good will of the adj
ministration, are suspended. But perhaps
! the most efficient allies of the chancellor and
his myrmidons are the vendors of quack
medicines tor the cure of unmentionable dis
eases" GLOW, in the name of wonder, car
that be- ''1t is very simple. In the father
land the government charges itself witt
| watchful sc!icitude for the morals of its sub
| jects But us even Homer sometimes mods
50 the most vgilant administrations some
times fail to discover that the columns OF
German newspapers are detiled by the inser
| ton of advertisements of immoral pills or by
| the address of unclean doctors. When, how
ever, any newspaper continuously oppose:
itself to the will of the authorities, the Gus
todian of public morals puts on his spectacles
all woo betlde the unfortunate journal if il
the obscurest corner of his badly printed
page there should be discovered lurking al
allusion to the Objectionable pill or the dis
reputable physician. The administration il
down upon him at once, and punishment il
heaped Oh punishment until the editor con
sents to dance to the piping of power. Ther
the custodian Of public morals once NOR,
slumbers and sleeps, and the quack adver
tises his pills in peace"
Add to this that press prosecutions for pres
offenses are as plentiful as blackberries, tina
editors are sent to Jail as felons for wha
would he regarded in England as perfectly
justiiable criticism upon the chancellor, tina
half the cities in Germany are under stat
Of siege, and you can form some idea of tn,
facilities which Prince Bismarck possesse
for manipulating the journals of the father
lant.-Pall Mall Gazette.
American Students of Music.
Professor Joachim, Of the Royal Academy
i c Il.