Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-28
FREEDOM
Of SPEECH NOW
FOR SOCIALISTS
Criticism of Car Of Russia Is
Not Permitted Publication.
in Germany, Says Member
of ReichStag,

Associated Press torrespondenceD ~
/ COPENHAGEN, April 6.---1he newspa-
pers here have obtained copies of the
I official report OF the debate in the
German reichstag on the imperial
| budget, including the text of the
speech made by the socialist deputy
Stadthagen. which the military CEN
sors refused To allow the German
newspapers to publish The speech
deals entirely with the German press
! censorship.
Stadthagen said in part
From all parts OF the country
come strong protests AGAINST the Sc
verify, the inequality. the Injustice,
the inefficieney OF the censorship. The
military censors have made the
whole of the socialists press target
tor their malicious attacks. which are
not intended To preserve military Sc
crets but TO suppress the free dis
cusson of questions IN regard to
which the people OF Germany have
the fullest right to express their opin-
/ ion. The Nolkszeitung, our local or
gan at DanZig, waS suppressed for
saying that there was no danger of a
famine in Germany, but that the
price OF many necessaries of life was
too high for the working classes and
imposed considerable hardships on
them. Al Konigsberg our local daily
paper was suppressed for saying that
the Victories won by the German
army were due to the fact that uni
yersal manhood suffrage exists In
Germany and to the right possessed
by German workmen 10 combine in
trade unions or in political associa-
tons.
Changes Hour Of Publication.
AT Kattowitz our paper, the
Freie Presse, had always appeared at
3 o'clock in the afternoon, but the
military censor there insisted on see
ing an the proofs before publication,
and then declared that he had no
time to read them before O'clock,
with the result that the publication
of the paper had to be delayed until
some hour of the evening, sometimes
later, according to the whim of the
august official who Welded despotic
sway in those regions.
"The Vorwaerts received warn
Ing from the military authorities be-
cause ii protested against wildly sem
sational reports of English atrocities
on German prisoners on the ground
that such reports stimulated public
enthusiasm for the war. and hence to
discredit them meant diminishing en-
thusiasm for the war. When the Vor-
waerts protested aaginst the publi-
cation of a report that the German
army had captured Belfort and seven
French army corps (about $50, 200
mem at one stroke, the military au
thorities in Berlin warned the editor
that he was doing public disservlce,
and exposed his paper to the penalty
Of suppression. The Vorwaertz was
not allowed to reply to attacks made
on ii by another Berlin newspaper,
the Neueste Nachrichten, which is a
conservative organ, although this
journal had been permitted TO libel
the Vorwaertz in the grossest terms
of abuse.
Foolish Censorships.
ION another occasion the Vor-
waertg was not allowed TO publish a
speech made in the Berlin town
council by Herr Wurum, in which the
authorities were urged to prevent the
prices of necessary commodities of
everyday life from being raised above
certain level The publication of the
Vorwaerts was temporarily suspend
ed for declaring that the hostility ex-
listing in other countries against Ger
many was que TO tne TACT tnat the
German method OF government is
based on autocracy and militarism,
which together, has produced many
undesirable features.
1--WE were even forbidden to reprint
an attack on the English censors
published by the London weekly pa
per- Truth. The Vorwaerts was for
hidden TO publish an article saying
that the destruction of the depotism
OF the car would be blessing to the
Russian people; doubtless our astute
censors thought this was an indirect
hit at the German emperor The Vor-
waerts was not allowed to publish a
speech made by the English member
of parliament, Ramsay Macdonald, in
which Macdonald spoke against the
war, and other anti-war utterances
made in England were likewise sup
pressed. Why
These are only a few cases Sc
lected from many Of which we know, |
but they suffice to show that the
censorship is badly Administered in |
efficiently conducted. and unjustly !
balanced, so that energetic measures
should be taken by the supreme au-
tohrities to remedy what Is really a |
grave danger to the welfare of the |
German nation"