Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-25
PAPER SUPPRESSED
HEBREW EDITOR Is ARRESTED
IN ST. PETERSBURG.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

opociai DfSpaten 10 Inc 6taf.
NEW YORK, January Is. - The Jewish
community of this city received the news
that Der Friend cThe FriendD OF st. Peters,
burg. the first large Jewish daily published
IN Russia, has been suppressed by the Rus
sian government. and that Its publisher and
editor. 8. Ginsburg. has been arrested and
is now held for trial This is discouraging
news. in view of the manifesto last October
granting freedom OF the press in Russia.
Meanwhile the publishers of Der Friend
have issued another paper called Das
Ieben (Life), which Is daily made up of
all the features and by the same contrib
utors of the suppressed paper Indeed, the
similarity is so strong that the new paper
Is very much like Der Friend. published un-
der new name. There is at least this
consola ton to the Jews of Russia that
new paper can now be published there with
out special grant of the government.
The news of the suppression of Der
Friend was brought here by Der Friend 1t
self or rather by Das Leben, which was
received here by all the American SUBJ
scribers of the old newspaper. The SUBJ
Scribers of the old newspaper were all sur
prised to receive new paper called Das
Leben. and to find In new publication all
used to receive previously They were still
more surprised to read in the first number
OF Das Leben the following explanations:
ION the night of the 18th of December
the editorial office OF Der Friend received
notice from the higher court OF St. Peters.
burg that the editor, s. Ginsburg. will be
held for trial for the confscated two hun
bred and fifty-fourth number of Der
Friend. in which the court had found
violation of the law according to article
129 of the criminal codes At the same
time the court ordered that Der Friend
suspend publication until the verdict Will ne
issued.
'The publication of Der Friend will. there
FORE be suspended for the present and
subscribers will receive the new daily pa
per Das Leben, which wdli be conducted
according to the same program and will
have the same contributors who made up
Der Friend
In the second number of Das Leben there
appears the following editorial explanation.
which. among other things, shows the re-
markable bravery of the people who are
now fighting for freedom in Russia.
Our paper has suddenly been suppressed,
and instead of Der Friend we are now
publishing 'Das Leben. That this has hap
pened is due to the new law in regard TO
the freedom of the press of the oath Of No
vember, through which the bureaucracy has
assumed the right to suppress and silence
every Independent word. every free opinion
in the press. The constitutional ministry
of the nth of October does not wish to
know of any other kind of free press.
"Our readers have already been made
acquainted with the crime which we have
committed. In the 254th number of Der
Friend we printed the noted declaration of
the committee of workingmen's deputies
and other organizations. 1t is for this that
the delinquent number of the paper has
been confiscated and Der Friend has been
suppressed and its editor held for trial on
the ground of the 10th article of the
criminal codes, according to which he may
either be punished with prison or he may
even be exiled to Siberia. During the time
that the censor reigned supreme delinquent
papers were only punished with either tenn
porary or permanent suppression, but now,
in the time of freedom of the press, the
authorities are not satisfied with merely
prohibiting the papers which violate many
of the temporary rules in regard to the
press, but even the editors and the writers
have the hardest punishments meted but
for them.
And in the witte-Durnovo language. this
means the full freedom of the press. New
ertheless, the independent newspapers will
by no means relinquish their only weapon
In their struggle against the violent oppres-
sions of the bureaucracy and all its deeds
of injustice-the freedom of speech This is
our right, our duty, and naturally, our new
newspaper. 'Das Leben, will also cling
firmly to the fundamental principles which
guided the suddenly suppressed Friend
1.-The present government has at last
shown openly that 1t is not evenyt thinking
seriously of granting the promised freedom
to the people. AS matter of fact, this
has already been known before, but the
determination and frmness of the popula-
ton In its struggle against this government
is the best guarantee that the people will
in the end secure the freedom for which
they are fighting with so much courage and
self-sacrifce.
'And the free press will not be the last
one in the struggle, no matter how great
will be the sacrifices required.
I'm the hope of soon meeting our read
ers again through the medium of Der
Friend we now begin to publish 'Das Lee
BEN"