Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-16
FREE SPEECH IN GERMANY.
In Jail for Saying Disrespectful
Things of the Emperor.

Things of the Emperor.
From Correspondence of the New York Observer.
Three well known Berlin editors. whose
papers are read by the most numerous polit-
ical party i'll Germany, ssere recently SEN
fenced to six, nine and twelve months i'm
prisonment for insulting the emperor and
his army. In a free country it is next to
impossible TO form any adequate notion of
the state of affairs of which these extraor-
binary sentences are the outcome. 1t may
be of general interest if L place the case
of these newspaper editors in some detail
before your readers The emperor early in
August resolved that this years anniver-
sary of the battle of Sedan should be cele-
brated with more than ordinary jublaton.
Expensive illumirIations were ordered; the
poets were set to work to write patriotic
verses; reviews of troops were arranged :;
patriotic banquets were subscribed to. In
word, the whole of Germany was urged
to show that it had not forgotten the great
deeds of the men of 1870.
The social democrats are party of peace,
and profess fraterral relations with all
who love peace and liberty the wide world
over. and this gloriication of the deeds of
the French war, this waving of the red flag
before their neighbors across the Rhine was
spoken of in the socialist press glorifi-
cation OF the military spirit, as Tending to
keep alive national animosities. 1t was
nothing but hypocrisy to pretend to love
peace. and at the same time to do all in
ones power to foster the feeling of hatred
and revenge Sedan was called 'St. Sedan"
in the socialistic press, and the publications
We're called a "rumpus." For writing in
this strain of a celebration which the en-
peror had ordered one of the editors of a
leading socialist newspaper was sentenced
yesterday to six months imprisonment.
While the Sedan festivities were in prog
resS great church in Berlin dedicated to
the memory of the first emperor was conse-
Grated with much pomp and ceremony.
Before the necessary funds could be OBJ
tanned to finish the huge building a good
deal of begging had to be done, and the
hat was sert around wherever there was a
chance OF receiving good subscription.
Ihe emperor was greatly interested in the
church, so was the empress. The empress
intrusted her chamberlain. Baron Mirbach
with getting in much of the money; the en-
peror wrote the song entitled AN ode to
Aegir,' and devoted the large sums of money
which the sale of this effort of his muse
brought in to the building fund
Inc socialist press was watching the pro-
ceedinSs. spoke OF people dying of starva-
ton and of three millions of marks being
spent on this church, spoke of Baron Mir
zach going around with the "cadging bag"
called the church in mockery the "Aegir
Church For writing in this way of the
emperor, Baron Mirbach and the church the
remaining two editors were sentenced to
nine and twelve months imprisonment
Doubtless they We're lacking in taste in
tact and in reverence, but no single sentence
was written by any one of them which was
criminal or which melted to violence or
disorder Berlin is full of the vflest dens
of iniquity and shame, her bourse transac-
items are often scandalous enough her
streets are impossible for any decent Wo-
man after dark. but these things go on I'M
hindered and scatter moral desoiation. But
If l say that Baron Mirbach is 'tcadging"
or hint that the emperor is not sincere in
his wishes for peace, 1 am torn from my
wife and Children and ciapped into gaol
for year
The other day in Leipsic there was a man
who gave public address on the iniquity
of compelling the children of dissenters to
attend the school religious instruction. He
grew warm and said some passionate things
against the national church He was drag
ged before court and was sentenced to
two months impris onment. Since Septem-
Der proceedings have been taken against
some Twenty-Five editors OF newspapers for
being guilty OF the mysterious crime of
iese majestic. and eighteen or twenty of
them are at present in Jail. Germany is a
great country in many ways. Her contri.
buttons to science and art cannot be over
rated. but she is not a free country, and no
one who knows Russia and Germany can
say with truth that liberty is much better
understood in the latter than in the former
empire.