Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-14
A NEWS CENSORSHIP
The District Commissioners Make a
Novel and Strange Order.
STAR CHAMBER METHODS ADOPTED
Subordnates Forbidden to Give In
formation to the Newspapers.
CHIMNEY SWEEPS WARNED

At the beginning Of this week decided
change went into effect at the District
building in regard to the method of CIV
ing out news for publication. An order
was made and put into execution, practi-
cally establishing censorship over the
news to be given out from the District
building. No subordinate officials are now
permitted to give out news. All that the
reporters get must come from the secre-
tary of the board and not from him until
the matters have been acted upon by The
Commissioners. The order in question was
issued late last Saturday afternoon. 1t re-
quired over an hour of discussion by the
trio Of Commissioners to decide upon the
order, which was then handed to the sec
retary, with instructions that a copy be
furnished to the head of every branch of
the District service.
The order announces that notice of all
official acts of the Commissioners will be
promptly given to the press by the Secre
tary of the board Then follows in
junction, emphatcally forbdding any en-
ploye of the District to furnish any infor-
nation for publication. Reports, opinions
of the attorney and recommendations of
heads of departments cannot be obtained
for publication until acted upon by the
Commissioners. This means that the press
will only be supplied with such informa ton
as the Commissioners desire published, and
any opinion, recommendation report,
however interesting to the public at large
or valuable as a matter of news, will not be
given to the public until acted upon by the
beard. Letters received are not to be made
public. except upon order of the Commits
sioners. The order in full is as follows:
The Order.
Office of the Commissioners of the
District of Columbia.
nSh ppfn r.h
All official acts of the Commissioners will
be promptly given to the press by the sec
retary of the board
No employe in the District building eX-
cept the secretary of the board. will be al
lowed to give out any Information for pub
lication.
Reports. opinions and recommendat tions
of heads of departments or employees will
not be given out for publication or other
wise made public Until formally acted upon
by the board of Commissioners.
Letters received are not to be given out
for publica ation, or otherwise made public,
except upon order of the board of Commits
sioners.
By order:
W. T1NDALL. Secretary.
Everybody Warned.
The typewriter to Secretary Tindall has
been busy for several days copying the or
der. as many copies were needed in order
Informed of the state of affairs The work
has just been finished. and some of the
heads of departments have not as yet iRen
made acquainted with the new condition of
things. From the list it appears that al
most every employe of the District govern
ment of any Importance has will receive
d copy of the order.
The list extends from the building in
spector to the three inspectors and meas
urers of wood and the five inspectors and
m nf h.a lojn
department to each of the three market
masters. who, the Commissioners entertain
grave fears. might give out news upon
which the board has not passed Judgment
On the list furnished to the typewriter
are named the three chimney sweeps of the
District. but for some reason copies of the
letter have not been forwarded yet to the
chimney sweeps, and the news from that
important source has not yet been shut
off. The health officer and the coroner
alike are forbidden to furnish news to the
press concerning their respective offices,
and 1t may he that in strictly observing
the edict reporters will hereafter be eX-
cluded from lnquests held by the coroner.
The auditor, the assessor, the collector
of taxes, the special assessment clerk, the
attorney for the District, the superntend-
ent of charities. the intendant of the Wash
ington ASYLUM, the property clerk. the chief
engineer of the fire department, the super
intendent of police. the superintendent of
telegraph and telephone service the sealer
OF weights and measures, the assistant
street and alley cleaning department. all
received notice of the new condition of
affairs For fear that some information
might get out concerning the river front
which would not exactly meet with the
appreciation of the Commissioners, the har-
bormaster Is included in the list The COM
manding general of the District militia
is also brought within the bounds and the
excise board. 1T is understood has been
notified to observe silence when reporters
are around: The edict is SC far-reaching
as to include the board of school trustees,
which, at the meeting Monday afternoon,
contrary to long-es tablished custom held
before its public session a private confer
ence, from which reporters were excluded.
Reporters Not Citizens.
Since the order has been in effect report
ers at the District building have virtually
been in state of innocuous desuetude.
An unnatural secrecy is maintained among
all the employees about the building, and
to the reporters they are dumb. If the
head of department is asked for any in
formation whatsoever, he invariably and
significantly places finger to his mouth
and closes his lips firmly. 1t is almost i'm
possible to get line of news concerning
public matters at the District building eX-
cept such items as the Commissioners have
approved. For the few days it has been
in operation the order has worked like a
charm. Only once. when The Star fore
told the contents of the report of the build
ing inspector regarding the new school
structure in Southeast Washington, has
any news slipped past the censors and es-
capped.
Each day the board of Commissioners
holds session, when delegations and i'll
divfduals on public business are received.
Reporters however, are not classed as
citizens at the District building, and are
excluded from the board room. Since Sat
urday last the Commissioners have also
curtailed other privileges formerly enjoyed
by the reporters, and which facilitated
their work of copying official papers. This
have been lost when taken from the board
room to be copied.
Under the new system of affairs report
ers are deprived of the privileges which
are extended to other citizens, simply be-
cause of their occupation. Heretofore they
were admitted to the board room at all
public meetings, and debarred only when
the Commissioners held executive sessions
Now all proceedings before the board are
of the star chamber order, and it is ex-