Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1900-12-13
TURKISH CENSORSHIP
Newspapers Have Hard Work to
Escape Its Rigors.
Faithless Ministers Divide the Loot
Of the Government Among
ThsnSelves = some Re-
strfctions.


The Constantinople correspondent OF
the Berliner Tageblatt, writing on the
censorship as practiced in the sultan's
capital, gives some amusing instances
of its application, says the New York
Tribune. When the French tragedian
Mounet-Sully was playing there last
autumn he gave, among other things,
Hugo's "Ruy Bias" The faithless min
listers in this piece are represented as
dividing their loot Of the government
treasury among themselves. All this
passage had to be stricken out--would
not the public make its own applica-
tion of the story TO existing affairs?
In the scene where Ruy Bias surprises
the ministers, hurls them his scornful
"bon appetit, messieursl' and then
chases them out, the situation had to
be changed so that the stage manager
should come out and thus address the
public: Ladies and gentlemen, the
ministry has sent in its resignation"
Ministers must not be chased out in
sight of the people. What would be-
come Of the existing order? The spec
tators were at first bewildered by this
turn Of affairs, but they soon saw
the point, and the theater echoed with
their uproarious laughter and cries OF
Bon appetit, messieursl"
A special study is needed to be able
to bring out newspaper without the
censor's displeasure. There are hun.
ireds Of words and phrases that must
not be used at all, however harmless
their application may be. For instance,
the word meaning stupid" and corre-
spending words in foreign languages
must not appear. Somebody might
feel insulted. II is forbidden to speak
of the Bulgarian or Greek "frontier;"
Z must be the Zine of demarcation."
You do not write that the state of
trade is unfavorable, but that an i'm
proyement In the conditions is expect
,d-don't write pessimistically, what
ever you dol Do not speak OF the prin-
.ipality OF Bulgaria, but Of the East
Rumelian Vilnyet. For the censor no |
such thing exists as n concession for
;he building of Bagdad railway; |
every mention Of the undertaking Is |
stricken out. As for the |
rransvaal war, any criticism is forbid
ien-only news kilograms and reports
Of actual facts are permitted TO ap-
pear. The friendly feeling for the
Beers, which, notwithstand reports to
.he contrary, ia continually growing,
may annoy the British embassy.
Even the censorship of telegrams has
reached a limit hitherto unlmaglned.
A merchant recently sent telegram to
Holland that read: "Steel not accept
ID; quotation in the Berliner Tage-
Dlatt correct" II related to n ship.
nent OF steel that had not been accept
ID because the price had fallen In the
meantime, as was indicated by the pub
ished quotations. After an hours de-
ay the telegram was returned TO the
'ender, with a request to give trans
alton OF IL In French or German. He
ent back the sarcastic reply that he
vas not translator, and finally sent
I by mail TO Bulgaria and had Il tele-
'raphed from there. Going to the tele-
'rabh Office, he got his money back,
md then handed TO the official trans
alton Of his message, "for the satisfac-
ion of the censor" The official read
he message and said; "Why, we could
ave sent that without any trouble"
"0f course-what did the honorable
ensor think was hidden in it?"
The official shook his head, looked
is customer over solemnly and finally
aid:
I'VE thought your telegram related
the recent reports In the Berliner
ageblatt that the Dutch ambassador,
an der Stael, had not been received
y the sultan, OF which nothing is al
'wed to be telegraphed."
The result of this sort Of stupidity is
nat all press kilograms and large
art OF business messages are sent by
ail TO the Bulgarian frontier, TO be
'legraphed from there so that thou.
lnds of pounds annually are lost TO
he Turkish government. The govern
ent Is well aware of IL, but cannot
Ike courage to abolish the censor
Zip.