Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1890-05-28
JOURNALISM IN GERMANY.
Some OF the Fhings Which Make IL Eu-
I.1r M

An amusing side Of journalism in Ger
many CONES to light when newspaper
Is c9nliscAted by the Government for po-
litcal reasons, saws the New \ DIRK Sun.
That is, it is amusing to people who
have seen the way the thing ia done
the owners or publishers of the coniis-
Gated paper don't look at the funny
side of it. The first copy OF every news
paper must be sent to the ''Staats An
walt or public prosecutor, who Is the
censor of the press Herr Stats Await,
with the press laws before him, careful
ly reads the paper while he sips his.
mug of beer. His eye suddenly lights
on a passage which critieises adversely
an action or remark of the Emperor. He
reads ii through, and rereads 1t, and be-
gins to get mad.
'Donnerwetter noch Elm NAL, he says.
THAT must be stopped"
He hurriedly draws blue-peneil line
around the paragraph and steps up to
his telephone. He asks central to con
meet him with the chief of police. When
this functionary is at the other end of
the phone, Mr.. Stats Await orders
him to send squad of police to
the printer of the paper, fonbid
its further publication, and seize all
the copies thereof he can lay his hands
on. The chief answers ''Jawohl,' and
repeats the order TO his assistant. The
assistant turns to his sub and trans
mits it to him, who in turn tells his
'sub" what is wanted, and finally, after
a long delay, several policemen start for
the officer Of the paper in a hired iiaere.
In Germany, when the police are efs-
gagged in any special work, they do not
ride in ordinary street-caRs, nor do they
walk, but they must hire facre or a
coach. This adds secrecy and dignity TO
the affair. When the policemen enter
the publication office they intimidate
the frightened foreman into handing
over all the copies he has in the place.
These are taken downstairs and thrown
into the fiacre. If there are very many
Of them, another facre is called. The
printers must take the Objectionable
matter from the FERNS, and the police
make 'pi' of it.
Usually these officers bear warrant
for the arrest of the editor. The Ger
ever, and on the editorial page of most
papers, right under the terms to sub
scribers, he keeps name, say Johann
Schmidt, responsible editor" And when
there is any arresting to be done the po-
lice must wreak their vengeance on
Herr Schmidt, who in most cases is some
petty writer on the paper When he is
in jail for writing something which he
didn't write the paper pays him good
salary and looks after his family. The
liberal newspapers and socialistic pub
locations always keepa couple of respon-
sible editors on tap, and whom number
one Is in the lookup the name of number
two takes his place in the paper until,
through some trouble with the police,
number three begins his inning. This
functionary is called sitz redakteur, On
scat editor. The seat refers to his so,
journ in dungeon. The penalty OF the
law increases with each oftense, and
after the unfortunate editor has sat sew
eral times new one is appointed, who
starts in with the mildest punishment
for the first ofiease-
The real editor usually gets wind OF
the intended visit of the police aud Sc
eretes several copies OF the publication.
When they arrive, and he has read theil.
letter of authority, ne hands over the,
rest Of the papers, which join their com
panions in the fiacre. The officers read
to him the warrant for his arrest. When
they finish the editor says:
"Well, meine Herren, | am only
salaried writer here. There stands the
responsible editor"
The police Scowl at the speaker and
march off the responsible editor. 1t
frequently happens that the newspaper
has already been sent out and distrib-
uted throughout the city, in which case
the police must travel around and get
hold of all the copies they can. They
visit every reading room and cafe in the
city, and cut the obnoxious paragraph
cut from the paper ON the files. In
Vienna there are seven hundred cafes
and one can imagine what lob it is
TO visit each one and look for the un.
fortunate newspaper
While the police are going the rounds
Of the city tho editor is preparing
second edition emitting the article
which provoked the wrath OF the staats
Await In the center of the spape this
omission naturally creates the word
"Confiscated" is usually inserted. a
Berlin paper, from which speech had
been taken out, read in the second
edition:
The speaker mounted the platform,
and began in clear voice,
''Confiscated-"
In Russia publications are conascated