The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-01-30
TEXANDRIA IA WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 80, 1895.
RUSSIAN NEWSPAPERS.
Woes Of the Eti;tors-Censorsiifp No Sine
cure In That Country.

Woes Of the Eti;tors-Censorslfp No Sine
cure In That Country.
The salno regulations donot apply
to all Russian papers alike. The pa
pors of tho two chief cities, st. Pc
tcrsburs and Moscow, do not under
20 the samo censorship as the pro-
vincial newspapers, Tho illustrated
papers arc under a control different
from tho nonillustratcd papers.
Tho provincial press is controlled
by the SO called preventive censor
ship"--that is to say, Il paper must
have tho censor's permission before
it is issued. The first printed copy is
taken to the official appointed to
press affairs.
If he firds nothing which Is likely
to corrupt virtue and morality, or
which smacks of criticism of tho
government or official matters, he
writes upon it "adobrenna, permit
ted. Then the edition may DO pub
lishcl.
When tho provincial censor is
genial, easy going official, the incon-
vcnicnce of the censorship is not
very great. It is rushed through so
quickly that the time wasted is OF
little importance.
But tho censor can be a workable
plague to newspapers. Ho can
"blccd" 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
tho edition on account of perfectly
innocent article which he is pleased
to regard rs dangerous.
The metropolitan papers of st. Pc
tersburg and Moscow are not sub.
; iect to the preventive censorship,
except in their advertisements, and
the police control this censorship
s They undergo, however, a very
searching examination after publ
o cation, and woe unto those which
r contain anything likely to incur thu
:. displeasure of the authorities.
d The editor is summoned before
9 the censor committee a branch o
the administration, with an incredi
q bic number of officials. After await
ing the great mans pleasure for al
8. hour or two outside he is marshale'
II into the ccnsor's presence. With al
l assumption of as much authorit,
II AS possib::, tho unfortunate edito
it hears:
st 1.-The censor is very much su,
" Drised that the editor has been a
Il. lowed to make declaration on thl
ID matter when tho editor can scarccl
10 be ignorant of the fact that it is
tn conflict with the governments IL
rs tentions.
M This time he will be content I
OF privately give the editor warnin
m and advise him in future to be vel
IN careful. Tho editor ought, howcve
ey to give thanks for getting away
le! all.
en- But editors have not only to p'
10 up with tho vagaries of individu
J." officers and be forbidden to expire
their opinion on this or that que
ton, but they arc also liable to
- ceive a command to make statemon
, w. directly contrary to their own co
~ yictions and knowledge of facts.
y, In addition to these summonses
,,,o appear, tho censorship departing
os ' maintains an active correspondent
'an with the papers by means of Giro
, "4 lars, which contain instructions &C
IN; ~ corning matters to be suppressed:
~, In critical times such circulars I
Js' low so quickly, often contradict
0'0' one anothef that tho wretched
- itor is generally at his wits end
~, know what to do.
' III" The censor watches moro clos
WI. W. over political than social morals, a
n''' it is often surprising to SEQ the b
,s drawings allowed to pass. Polit'
l cartoons very seldom obtain perm
10, sion to be printed.-London Gaze