Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-28
The Provisional Government of Brazil
Interferes with the Liberty Of
the Press.
An Editor Arrested for Publishing Violent
Articles Against the Government-Many
Papers Suspended.

| Whereas, Such reports and rumors are
highly injurious to the foreign credit of
| Brazil, weak confidence in the sta
bility of the security of obligations con-
| tracted by the nation.
| Whereas, these reports and Tumors are
| moreover intended to cause alarm and
| panic among our fellow men, who, with
thorough confidence and perfect tran
| guilty, have throughout the length and
| breadth of the land accepted the new
| order Of things
| Whereas, it is the duty of those clothed
! with authority to prevent and remove all
! causes of social disturbance assuring
| and guaranteeing order which is indis-
! peDsable to the free and lawful exercise
| of every species of activity, and to the
| development 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 supeTvis-
i've plots, than to inform and guide pub
lie opinion in regard to the acts OF SAID
government.
Whereas, The government, while not
designing to prevent or hinder the exer-
else of acknowledged rights to discuss It's
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 con-
ception, i'll Ii normal state of affairs,
such as still exists in Brazil, demunds
measures for the maintenance of order;
Therefore, Marshal Marvel DOdoro da
Fonseca, chief of the provincial govern
ment, instituted by the army and navy
in Ia Of do
crees:
Article l. The provisions of the decree
of December 90, 1889, are subject to all
persons who originate or aid in
circulating by means Of press or
telegraph, or in any other means,
in Brazil or foreign countries, false re-
ports and alarming rumOrs such as refer,
Tor instance, to the discipline OF troops,
to the stability of the institutions Of the
country and to public order.
Art. .. From this provision is ex-
Guided written or verbal criticism, how
ever severe it may be, of government
acts for the purpose of exposing, COR
recting and preventing administrative
errors, provided it be free from per-
sonalities and defamation.
Art. 3. When an ofTense shall be COM
mitted in any place beyond the limits of
the Federal capital the offender shall be
arrested and conveyed to said capital tor
the purpose of being here tried by the
tribunal instituted by said decree.
Art. 4 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 enforced in all the provIs-
ional governments of the United States
of Brazil on the Doth day of March.
Signed
MARVEL DODORA DA FONsECA.
ManO Ell Farras, De Campos SaltGs.
The decree of December %, 1899, to
which the present decree refers was
issued, it will be remembered, shortly
after the mutiny in the second regi-
ment of artillery. By that de-
cree persons committing offenses
therein specified are considered guilty
of military sedition, and must suffer the
penalties with which this crime is pun
ishable. The trial is according to mill
tary forms, before a military tribunal
Instituted by the govern ment.
When the decree of December % was
issued, the editor of the Tribunal Lib
eral organ of the last monarchial minis
try-alleging that Its provisions were de-
structive of the freedom of the press,
L
His enemies, however, say that
the reason alleged, was mere
pretext and taat the paper really died
from want Of means. Other papers al
ready guarded i'll tone, became still more
so and the discussion of political matters
was almost exclusively confined to pri-
vate circles. In these, however,
it became more and more lively and !
all sorts of reports were kept i'll circula- |
ton, many of them causing no little an
nOyanCe to the ministers and their friends |!
when reaching their ears. Then there |
arose q feeling favorable to the freedom |
of the press. One of the first parsons to |
give open expression 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 the people could |
interfere with the liberty of the press, /
and that the only corrective for
abuse of this liberty Is to be
fonnd in public opinion. Although !
this minister shortly afterwards went out
of office, the idea remained. On Feb
ruary Is, at a dinner given to the ex-
minister, the minister of war spoke to
the same effect, and few days after
ward the official paper published a de-
claration of the provisional government
that the decree of December %,
was not intended to restrict the liberty
of the press. Since then the tone of the
press has become much holder, and some
very violent articles against the govern
r1ent haYe been published. Rumors
of all kinds have continued to
circulate, and some Of them
have made their way into the
press. Yesterday there was arrested in
the CITY of Campos aud brought to Rio,
Pero Tavorto, editor OF paper published
there. On his arrival here he was in
formed by one of the police delegates
that the cause of his arrest was articles
published in his paper. and that it was
hereafter that he would not
publish violent articles against the gov
1t was added that as he was
unaware of the provisions of the decree
OF the 10Th inst. Gen. Dodero had for
given his offense and ordered him to
be set at liberty. Pedro Tavorto
ls an original Republican. On the re-
public's being proclaimed he was ap-
pointed by the provisional govern
nent governor of Maranhes. He re-
signed his Office because the pro-
Eislonal government ordered him to
annul decree he had issued, separating