New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-22
CENSORS AND PUBLISHERS.
THE PRINTING BUSINESS UNDER THE
FIRST EMPIRE.

Michelet said that the Empire. TO his mind,
was like "a great. gray desert, where the sun
never shone." The books. the newspapers, the
theatres the printing press Of that time, were
all subject TO the surveillance Of the police and
what a surveillance Il was Never was human
thought confined by closer thong. and IL was
drawn more tightly every day. After the Con-
suate only thirty newspapers remained in ex-
istence out OF seventy-three: later there
but four: finally an order OF April 6. 1909. al
lowed only one newspaper 10 department and
that was to be designated by the project. 1t is
easy 10 imagine what would be that function
ary's choice. II can be understood from the in
structions given 10 Fienee. who was Editor OF
the Journal de rEmpire": Whenever a piece
Of news comes in disagreeable TO the Govern
ment, II is not TO be published until you are so
sure Of its accuracy that you need not publish
II because then everybody knows IT," An in
genious way Of directing that nothing disagree
able to the Government was TO be published,
The decree Of the DIST Messidor year XII
had revived the Ministry Of General Police. and
had given It the duty OF watching over books
and newspapers. Even that did not seem TO
Napoleon TO be enough: on February 3, 1910.
a Director General OF Book Publishing was
created, as under the old regime. But how far
from the benevolent NJ. de Malesherbes friend
Of the encyclopedias. were his successors. the
Pourtas and the Pommereul. This director
had under his orders censors charged with eX-
aiming literary works, but he could at any
time dispense with their opinions. But this was
not all; legal authority having once been given
by the Director OF Book Publishing. the police
could intervene. 1t had the right. notwithstand-
ing the Directors authorization Of given book,
70 seize IT, tear 1t up. and arrest its author.
That is what happened TO Nine. de staers
'L'Allemagne" The Minister OF Police. the
Duke Of Rovigo, did not even walt for the cen
sors to examine 1t. He gave the order 10 seize
the edition and destroy it entire. and when Pour
tails complained that he had not been consulted
the Duke gave the cavalier reply that special
circumstances had led him to order this pro-
ceeding." Such was the system Of the Imperial
police. The Director Of Book Publishing was OF
merely secondary importance The Minister.
and, In the last resort, the Emperor. decided
everything
What was the ordinary procedure OF the Di-
rector OF Book Publishing? We know II from
the weekly bulletins kept at the Archives. and
also from the curious papers of inspector
named Gaudefroy. which have been bequeathed
10 the National Library. The Department Of
the Seine was divided into six ACCOMPLISHMENTS
over each of which was placed an inspector Of
book publishing. This inspector TO send TO
the Office of the Director every week report
made up OF as many special reports as there
are days in the week" His authority extended
over everything and everybody connected with
book printing and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. bind
ers. type founders engravers. print sellers and
reading rooms Thus 1t was impossible for any
thing to escape the vigilant eye Of the police.
First. the printing Offices the cause Of all the
trouble. had 20 be watched There were too
many Of them; in 1911 seventy-seven were sup
pressed in Paris at one stroke. and the inspec-
tors were ordered TO afix seals TO all the presses
This measure appeared insufficient. fort
night later order was issued to put seals
on all the type in packages. the cases. the