Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-06-21

Recent kilograms from 81. Peters
burg informed the world that ;ue Rus
sian government had given pc. mission
for the publication of new political
paper, which would not be subjected to
the press censorship. The paper was
to be called Russki Goloss-the Voice
OF Russia Every educated Russians
heart felt a thrill at such an important
advance; il seemed the first step to-
ward the freedom of the press. A lit
tie inquiry served 10 dispel the Illusion,
but the report strangely shows how
little acquaintance the foreigner has
with the internal conditions Of the
great empire in the east The reason
for the misunderstanding of the tele-
grams is obvious enough to a Russian,
says a writer in the London Gazette.
Iu the first place, the same regulations
do not apply 70 al Russian papers
alike The papers of the two chief
cities, St Petersburg and Moscow, do
not undergo the same censorship as
the provincial newspapers; the illus
trated papers are under a control diff
ferent to the non-illustrated papers.
The provincial press" is controlled
by the sO-called preventive censor
ship'-that is to say, a paper must
have the censor's permission before it
is issued. The first printed copy is
taken to the official appointed for
press affairs He reads it through. If
he finds nothing which is likely 10 cor
rupt virtue and morality or which
smacks of criticism of the government
or official matters, he writes upon 1t
'adobrenna" permitted. Then the
edition may be published. When the
provincial ce-sOr is a genial, easy-go-
ing official, The Inconvenience Of the
censorship is not very great. 1t is
rushed through so quickly that the
time wasted is OF little Importance.
But the censor can be a veritable
plague to newspapers He can bleed"
them to an incredible extent. frequent
ly forcing them to pay a very consid-
cradle sum yearly, not for shutting his
eyes at a certain article, but merely
for not delaying the edition on ac-
count of a perfectly innocent article
which he is pleased to regard as dan.
gerous.
The metropolitan papers are not sub
iect to the preventive censorship" ex-
cept in their advertisements, and the
police control this censorship. They
undergo, however, a very searching
examination after publication, and
woe unto those which contain any
thing likely O incur the displeasure of
the authorities The editor is sum
moned befor, the censor committee. a
branch OF the administration with an
incredible number Of officials After
awaiting the great mans pleasure for
an hour or two outside. he is mar
shaled into the censor's presence With
an assumption Of as much authority
as possible the unfortunate editor
hears: The censor is very much sur
priSed that the editor has been al
lowed 10 MAKE d declarutJa 81 this
matter when the editor y..a rcely
BE- ignorant of the fact that il is in
conflict with the goyerum Inten-
tons This time he will be content 10
privately give the eiitg. a warning
and advise him i'm future 10 .c very
careful" The editor ought Lseever,
to give thanks for getting away at
all The ediJorship OF q paper In the
a bed of roses, An editor of a most
extreme loyalist paper has h"eu sum
moned before the censor Tor Los writ
ing he. and "h4m' with a capital II"
when reporting a speech of the ear.
Complete ruin followed in the case of
a paper that printed III instead Of II.
ia a paragraph that began thus; Yes
terday, TIE anniversary. of tile murder,
by the viii of God, of the Emperor
Alexander III"
But editors have not only 10 PUT up
with the vagaries vi indivdua. OIL
GERS, and be forbidden 10 expires, their
opinion on this ur that question. but
they are also liable to receive q com
maud 10 make statements directly con
trary to their own convictions and
knowledge Of facts Thus il happened
when, I'm August. 1856 in Bulgaria.
the two officers. Beuderev and Gruiev.
Well supplied with money from the
~Slavouic Union forced Prince Al aX-
ander 70 ahi.eare the throne, a 81
Petersburg paper criticised the two
perjured officers pretty severely. at the
same time putting lu q plea for the