The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1895-02-21
RUSSIAN NEWSPAPERS.
Woes OF the EditOrs-Censorship No Sine
cure In That Country.

|
The same regulations do not apply
to all Russian papers alike. The pa
pers of the two chief cities, st. Pc
tersburg and Moscow, do not under
go the same censorship as the pro-
vincial newspapers. The illustrated
papers are ,inder a control different
from the nonillustrated papers.
The provincial press is controlled
by the SO called preventive censor
ship''-that is to say, paper must
have the censor's permission before
it is issued. The first printed copy is
taken to the official appointed to
press affairs.
If he fiEds nothing which is likely
to corrupt virtue and morality, or
which smacks of criticism of the
government or official matters, he
writes upon it "adobrenna, permit
ted. Then the edition may be pub
lished
When the provincial censor is a
genial, easy going official, the incon-
venience 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 veritable
plague to newspapers. He can
"bleed" them to an incredible ex-
tent, frequently forcing them to pay
a very considerable sum yearly, and
not for shutting his eyes at certain
article, but merely for not delaying
the edition on account of a perfectly
innocent article which he is pleased
to regard as dangerous.
The metropolitan papers of ST. Pc
tersburg and Moscow are not sub
ject to the preventive censorship"
except in their advertisements, and
the police control this censorship.
They undergo, however, a very
searching examination after publ
cation, and woe unto those which
contain anything likely to incur the
displeasure of the authorities.
The editor is summoned before
the censor committee, a branch of
the administration, with an incredi-
BILE number of officials. After await
ing the great mans pleasure for an
hour Or two outside he is marshaled
into the censor's presence. With an
| assumption of as much authority
as possible the unfortunate editor
| hears:
1.-THE censor is very much sur
prised that the editor has been al
lowed to make declaration on this
matter when the editor can scarcely
be ignorant of the fact that it is in
conflict with the governments in
tentions.
This time he will be content to
privately give the editor warning
and advise him in future to be very
careful. The editor ought, however,
to give thanks for getting away at
ALL
But editors have not only to put
up with the vagaries of individual
officers and be forbidden to express
their opinion on this or that ques-
ton, but they are also liable to re-
ceiye n command to make statements
directly contrary to their own con-
victions and knowledge of facts.
In addition to these sumfnonses to
appear, the censorship department
maintains an active correspondence
with the papers by means of circu-
lars, which contain instructions con-
corning matters to be suppressed.
In critical times such circulars fol-
low so quickly, often contradicting
one another, that the wretched ed
itor is generally at his wits end to
know what to do.
The censor watches moro closely
over political than social morals, and
it is often surprising to sec the bold
drawings allowed to pass. Political
cartoons very seldom obtain permits |
sion TO he nrinted II nndOr Gazetta