New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-12
CHEAP DESPOTISM.
QUEER REGULATIONS IN FOREIGN LANDS.

QUEER REGULATIONS IN FOREIGN LANDs'
Records Of people arrested In Austria for wear
ing daisies; In saxony, for whistlng In the
strects Of the capital; In Paris for wearing bit
Of colored ribbon IN tho buttonhoe, and In Berlin
for criticis,ng a piece or music and for smoking
In ths street--these are among tho items Of news
brought across the Atlantic by the recent mails
Ana n must be confessed that they arc OF
ehAract,r 20 cause Americans 20 rub their eyes
vtth sstonishment and 20 ask themselves
whether va are really NJ tho close Of The n'he'
teenth century. For II must be confessed 'ha'
they ave evidence 81 dcspotism ana or
tyranny which people here ara wont to assoc
oiats with medieval ages and which are totally
nut ofkeepins with the Democrat spirit ana 'renn
y, the present era. II In petty tyranny that IL
sinsuiarly il.timed az the present moment wheh
nearly every nation OF tho Old World II cnmor-
sns for the extension OF popular rights and priv
tieges-of course at tho expense OF the prcrosa-
tivea Of their sovercigns II cannot fail 10 en-
hitter the more or less latent conflict between
tbe masses and their rulers. the latter or whom
anpear almost % n man 10 be imbued with the
react,onary sentiments Of their ancestors ana
10 have come TO the conclusion that further con-
SESSIONS on the part Of the throne to tho peop'e
will be equivalent TO the suicide OF the mon
archical system.
or al, the incidents referred to above. the
one most calculated TO give rise to puohc III
diRnation was the arrest the other day OF Lieu
tenant ven Unsinn at Berlin. 1t seems that 'ne
young officer who was of duty. was s'ro''"s
alons the Friedrichstrasse. one OF the main anu
most crowded thoroughfares OF the PRUSSIA"
capital. with an unghted cigar between MS
fingers. Suddenly ne found himself face to race
with the Emperor. who taxed him with SMOKING
IN defiance Of the regulation which he had re-
Gently issued. The lieutenant though much
taken abaok by the rencontre, as well as os "ie
hr,.ouer,e Of his very impetuous Majesty's ad-
dress stil had sufficient presence OF minu u
draw TIE Emperors attention to the TACT ina.
ro, only WAS the cigar unlighted. but the end
baa not even been cut or bitten Off. No need
hovover WAY paid by the angered monarch 10
ths.e deferental explanations of the officer. lie
.,r,od N deaf ear thereto. and. In fact. became
so Infatuated that. instead Of merely ordering
von tinsnn 10 report himself az oeins u""c'
arrest, he summoned couple OF policemen.
who IN full view Of tho immense crowd tha' M"
assembled. bundled the unfortunate ottcer INTO
, eab and drove him on 10 the military prison.
whore he has remained since, an opject ot UNI.
versai sympathy not only 10 the members VI
bis profession. but also TO the people NJ "'se'
vv.ryhoav .mokes on the Continent. and. save
WI DUTY, II ~ rare 10 e'V q" ''"N>' w.
has not either a cigar a cigarette between MS
ins This Is all the more natural seeing 'n"''
ur,,re United States and English officers VINO
Invariably don multi when not on duty. the'r
,or.,gr comrades are In uniform all the time.
Ola Emperor william who was certainly a
,oartinet IN military matters and who ala not
himself care about smoking, never made any op-
lection TO his officers doing so. while his son. the
late Emperor Frederick, and his NEPHEW rrihee
Frederick Charles. both successful ana Vic'orous
commanders who had won their laurels on many
n blood-stained battlefield. were rarely 10 be seen
without a cigar "Unser Fritz" sometimes even
going 80 far as to smoke one or those snort
porceain -bowled German pipes when In uniiorm'
Emperor William, however. who does not sfnoke
ANYTHING save cigarettes. and who knows noun
ing of war save by hearsay and book STUDY Is
=, the onin,on that the efficiency OF his troops
IA likely 70 be impaired by smoking IN puohc'
and accordingly ne issued sort OF ukase rev
',veeks ago strictly forbiddng either officers or
men N smoke when In uniform on a number OF
.he nr,nc,pal thoroughfares OF the capital. the
rr,oarichstrasse and Inter den Linden being
among the number. Now. II II precisely on 'he
4horoughfares thus prescribed that are s''"a'ea
nil the best and most freGuented res'n"'""'s
and cafes Of the metropolis. and thus whenever II
voting nobleman who happens to belong 70 'he
army wishes to indulge In post-prandai cigar
or cigarette. he is obliged TO take to side street
before lighting 1t. And even this does not satisfy
the young autocra;. as may be seen from 'he
case of Lieutenant Won Cnsinn. VINO seems u
hoya baen trea>ed with Just as much impulsive
and altogether unjust harshness as the ex-Master
~, Ceremonies, Won Kotze to whom William Is
now endeavoring to make all possible amends LOT
his severity.
In the cable dispatches published in the course
n, the last two weeks, the American public VIII
have read that there are at the present moment
no fewer than sixty-eight persons at Berlin. some
~ Thorn in iaii and some out on bail, awaiting
criminal trial on charges Of lese majestic their
of,ance consisting in having spoken in an un-
COMPLIMENTARY fashion Of the Emperor's Song
IN Aeeir" a musical composition Of questionable
merit. on the subject Of which His Majesty Is
Unfortunately sensitive. Most Of these people are
teachers professors OF music and literary peo-
nile persons compelled 10 labor for their daily
bread. whose means OF livelihood are seriously
Unmarried by the proceedings Instituted against
them In many cases the charges against item
being based on private denrrciations. /. ~ili
readily be seen from this how easy 1t is to sake
nee ~ His Majestys vanity a composer a
,reans of secret vengeance since all that Is necss-
sarv TO bring an enemy within the meshes Of the
Law IL merely TO assert that he has spoken In
derogat,on OF the Song to Aegr." or even that
n. has merely shrugged his shoulders at mention
Of it,
At Dresden a young soldier who had but re-
Gently Joined the colors has been cohdemned 10
four months close confinement IN cell ior nav
ing been caught whistling on one OF the streets
~ tho Saxon capital His accuser non-com-
vr,ss,oned officer claimed that the tune whistled
~, tho man was that of one Of the Socialist war
songs But there is other evidence to support
this. and the German newspapers. which nave
taken up the case, have succeeded In showing
that the young fellow had spent all MS you'h
on a farm. occupied in herding cattle and sheep'
that he had never been affiliated IN any way
with the Socialist movement. and that ne hao
nicked up the tune, the character Of which ne