Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-04-29
THENEW REPUBLIC
Decree of the Brazilian Pr0vin-
cial Government.
A Warning to Those Who
Spread False Reports.

Accepted.
Rio JANEIRo, March 31.-The provis-
ional government has issued the follow
ing decree:
WHEREAS, To the detriment of public
order and tranquility, false reports and
alarming rumOrs have been circulated
with the manifest and unpatriotic object
of favoring censurable speculations;
WHEREAS, Such reports and rumors are
highly injurious to the foreign credit of
Brazil, weakening confidence in the sta
bility of our institutions, and in the se-
curity of the obligations contracted by
the nation;
WHEREAS, These reports and rumors are
moreover intended to cause alarm and
panic among our fellow citizens who, with
thorough confidence and perfect tranquil
ity, have, throughout the length and
breadth of the land, accepted the new
order of things; -
WHEREAS 1t is the duty of those clothed
with authority 90 prevent and remove all
causes of social disturbance, assuring and
guaranteeing order, which is indispensable
to the free and lawful exercise of every
species of activity, and to the develop
ment of National progress;
WHEREAS, The prevalence of personal
and slanderOus reports is intended rather
to bring the government into disrepute,
and by weakening the confidence of the
people in their rulers to favor subyersive
plots than to inform and guide public
opinion in regard to the acts of the said
government;
WHEREAS, The government while not
desiring to prevent or hinder the exercise
of the acknowledged right to discuss its
acts, cannot view with Indifference the
pertinacious and criminal conduct of those
who seek in every way to create anarchy
and promote disorder; and
WHEREAS, Such conduct in its very
conception, in an abnormal state of affairs
such as still exists in Brazil, demands
measures of an exceptional character for
their efficient and thorough repression and
for the maintenance of order;
THEREFORE,, Marshal Marvel Dodoro da
Fonseca child of the provisional govern
ment instituted by the army and navy in
the name of the nation, hereby DEGREES:
Article l. To the provisions of decree
No. 49,, o9Dec. %, 1889, are subject all per-
sons who originate or aid in circulating,
by means of the press or telegraph, or in
any other way, in Brazil or in foreign
countries false reports and alarming
rumors, such as refer, for instance, to the
dicipline of the troops, to the stability of
the institutions of the country and to
public order
Article g From this provision is eX-
cluded written or verbal criticism, however
severe it may be, of the governments acts,
for purpose of exposing, correcting and pre-
venting administrative errors, providing
it be free from personalities and defama-
ton.
Article g. When the offense shall be
committed in any place beyond the limits
of the Federal capital, the offender shall
be arrested and conveyed to the said capi-
tai for the purpose of being there tried by
the tribunal constituted by the said de-
cree.
Article A. All provisions to the contrary
are hereby repealed.
The minister and secretary of state for
the department of justice will cause this
decree to be executed.
The decree of Dec. %, 1889, to which
the present decree refers, was issued, it
will be remembered, shortly after the
mutiny of the Second regiment of artil-
lery. By that decree persons commit
ting offenses therein specified are consid-
cred guilty of military sedition and must
suffer the penalties with which this
crime Is punishable. The crime is ac-
cording to military forms, before a mill
tary tribunal instituted by the govern
ment. The offenses specified in the de-
cree are as follows:
First-Conspiring against the republic
and its government.
Second-Advising, aiding or abetting,
by word, writing or deed, civil revolt or
military insubordination.
Third-Attempting by any species of
instigation to lead officers or soldiers into
acts contrary to their duty to their superb
ors or hostile to the republican form of
government.
Fourth-Circulating in the army and
navy false and subyersive ideas in such
manner as to excite unfriendly feelings
toward the republic.
Ffth-Promoting intoXieation among
the soldiers for the purpose of leading
them into acts of insubordination.
Monarchical Organ Suspends.
When the decree of Dec % was issued
the editor of The Tribuna Liberal, organ
of the last monarchical ministry, alleg
ing that its provisions were destructive
of the freedom Of the press. discontinued
the publication of his paper. His enc
mics. however, say that the reason al
legged was a mere preteXt, and that the
paper really died from a want of means
The other papers, already very guarded
in their tone became still more SO, and
the discussion of political matters was
almost exclusively confined to private
circles.
In these, however, it became more and
more lively and all sorts of reports were
kept in circulation, many of them caus-
ing no little of annoyance to the minis
tiers and their friends were reaching
their ears. Then there arose a feeling
favorable to the freedom of the press.
One Of the first persons to give open ex-
preston to this feeling was the minister
of agriculture. who, in an address made
before an association in this city, took
occasion to say that no one aspiring to
govern free people should interfere
with the liberty of the press, and that
the only corrective for the abuse of this
liberty is 10 be found in public opinion.
Although this minister shortly after
wards went out of Office the idea re-
manned On Feb 10. at a dinner given
70 the ex-minister. the minister of war
spoke to the same effect. and few days
afterwards the official paper published
declaration that the decree of Dec %
was not intended to restrict the liberty
of the tireSs. Since then the tone of the
| press has become much bolder, and some
Yerv violent articles against the govern
ment have been published. Rumors ct
all kinds have continued to circulate,
| and some of them have found their way
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