Los Angeles herald., 1890-04-28
An Attempt to Muzzle the
Press in Brazil.
The Provisional Government
Realizes It's Mistake.
Newspapers Forced Out of Business
by Restrictive DEGREES.
Part of the Restrictions Finally Removed
Rumors Still Rife of Impending
Trouble. le
Associated Press Dispatches. |

Rio DE JENEIRo, March 81. = The
Government has at last taken official
notice of the false reports and alarming
rumors which have been frequently cir
culated, and Marshal Fonseca has issued
a lengthy decree regarding these re-
ports, which he says are highly injuri-
GUS to the foreign credit of Brazil, be-
sides being intended to create alarm and
panic at home. The decree declares all
persons who originate or aid in circulat-
ing such reports subject to the decree of
December 23d last, which provides that
they be guilty of military sedition. From
this provision is excluded written or
verbal criticism of Government acts for
the purpose of exposing, correcting and
preventing administrative errors, pro-
vided it be free from personalities and
defamation.
When the decree of December 23d was
issued the editor of the Tribune, (the
organ of the last monarchial ministry,
discontinued the publication of that
paper, alleging that the decree was de-
structive of the freedom of the press.
Other papers, already guarded in tone,
became more so, and the discussion of
political matters was almost confined
to private circles. In these, however, it
became more and more lively, causing
no little annoyance to the ministers and
their friends.
Then there arose feeling favorable to
the freedom of the press, and shortly
after two members of the ministry
gave an open expression to this
feeling. In the latter part of February,
the official paper published a declaration
of the provisional Government, that the
decree of December 23d was not intended
to restrict the liberty of the press. Since
then the tone OF the press has become
much bolder, and some very violent arti-
cles against the Government have been
| published. Rumors of all kinds have
continued to circulate and some of then
have found their way into the press.
DR.. Pedro Tavores, the editor of 6
yesterday for publishing articles
against the Government, but was
afterwards released. Tavores is
an original Republican. When
the republic was first proclaimed, he
was appointed Governor OF Maranham,
but resigned shortly after because the
Government annulled his decree sep
arating church and state. He then es-
tablished an opposition paper.
One notable article published in a
San Paulo paper, by ex-Minister of the
Interior Lobo, says, in part: "Let them
say what they please, there must exist,
enveloped in the cloud of mystery which
the provisional Government has not
been able to penetrate, an element that
is conspiring against our present in
stitutions and against the future
of the republic. There is something
singular in the reports which from time
to time spring into circulation, and
which are becoming more and more fire.
quent. They originate simultaneously
at distant points, and spread over the
country as if conveyed by a network O
wires. The celebrated and lamentable
insurrection of the soldiers was pre-
viously announced at different places
The provisional Government could per
ceive that some hidden hand was touch
ing the springs Ola plot against it, but
this hand it was never able to discover y