New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-06
The Muzzled German Pro-.
How Independent Thought |. St;a.,
and Uniform News Published
By GUSTAV MILLER

Thanks to the negligence Of the local ..
the "Deutsche Volkszeitung," Of H,,..S
was allowed to say that-to quote an A.
ciated Press telegram from Copenhas.n
Friday last-the contents Of the Ger
newspapers are almost word for wO,S !,
same in all papers and these are fed o..
the same source, and are not permitted
reason OF censorship restrictions "a ~
any independent line in news or vies,s !,
was the same from the beginning Of .,
war. Whenever a newspaper took an ia.
pendent course il was suppressed, .s,...
when il acted with the conniyance Of ;.
government that used its "sdyerssri.ss
catspaws. Immediately after the declsns.,
Of war every newspaper was Informed -.
it must either publish all the articles a.
news items furnished By the Official w.,
News Agency without any change or no, =,
any Of them.
How the German press Jared under So
conditions may be seen from the stenogr,s,.
minutes of the Reichstag One Of !,
speakers showed report of the Reiehr,,
proceedings published by a Halle newsr,,.,
and stated: "ln such way are the spe,c.,,
made by us mutilated By the censor. n,
white spaces you see contained the word, !,
which Mr.. Simon another member Of "a.
Reichstag criticised the Imperial Ga,
Board. last Thursday. The people are \.
allowed to learn what has been said in +,
Reichstag. Such a procedure is uncc.
stitutional, because the constitution ot.a.
empire explicitly provides that eorree, y
ports on parliamentary proceedings are d
lowed. The rights of the Relchstsg az. 4
stake. 1t is not your judgment Of an +
dividual censor; the cutting OF part Of =.
speech has been ordered from Berlin BY ia
graph"
Martial Law Continues
AT the beginning of the war the hrt.
military commander of Brandenburg n
given solemn assurances that marital 1,
would be repealed as soon as the mob,s,r
of the army was completed. But martial n
still continues to be in effect. The exeesun
power still rests with the military co.
mandants, who usurp more and more power
Instead of law and order, dictators Of =
limited authority rule supreme. The r.
itary sentiments do not recognize snythl,
but command on the one side. and 81,
mission on the other. The whole nstio,
expected to have only one opinion, the OF,
ion OF the military powers that be.
The Copenhagen telegram OF last Sat-.
dav that the "Frankfurter Zeitung' is nv
under a preventive censorship was no ntsl
at all. although it caused surprise in ti
country on account Of the fact that r.
"Zeitung" is sem-official. Its Berlin corr
spondent, Mr.. Stein. has free access 10 t.,
German Foreign Office and the Chancellor
palas
Nearly eighteen months ago 1t was sis,i
in the Rechstag that many newspapers ~
censored before they are published ~
editors must make guerilla warfare asa,g
the censor for every word. Every part &
public life, politics, business, arts, scs,9
literature and everyday life Of the priyis
citizen, whatever appears has been 81
mitted to the censor. Even the Conser.a
newspapers already then complained Of rsI
condition.
The censors not only saw 10 10 thai O
anti-governmental article was puollsa,
they forced all the newspapers-no MAJ
what their political afiliations-to print e
tain articles. In August, 1914, the Pr
sian Minister of the Interior ordered 10 q
circular addressed to the landraethe lhg
est executive officers of the district that z.
articles marked with star must be ~
lished by every newspaper in their dlstrn
and he added that the landraethe are ia
responsible for seeing that the order IS a.
ried out.
Compulsory News
Newspapers have been forced 70 repr'
articles of the "Norddeutsche Allgemer
Zeitung" official organ, the "Neue GessS
schaftliche Korresp ondenz.' and even y
"Taeglchte Rundschau." The mesnness a..
malice of this performance become eyic'H
from the fact that the newspapers are
the same time forbidden TO state the sos'a
Of the articles which they are forced
publish.
When the "Goerlitzor Volkszotung' refuse
to publish an official article as one o. =
own the plant of the newspaper was SEX
by the military and the "Volkszcitung' VI
published at the expense Of the puoiisas
The editor, of course. was imprisoned "
his refusal
outN - inc NlkudliOH a. AfrNAibN~ -
Reichstag Deputies Dittmann Social Dtn,
craft. Gerstenberger lCentristl, fi'e'ssa
(Progressive), Stresemann National -
eraD, Merlin Free Conservative -
Heine (Kaiser-Social Democrat at the ''''
meeting.
1t certainly cannot be contended ~
every statement Of every Deputy must n'''
be true But in this case there can |"
doubt that the attacks on the censor WV
correct. Every Reichstag Deputy VINO p
tends TO take the government 70 account s,u
at least twenty-four hours notice and enS'e
the Chancellor or his subordinaies y
all the information necessary for reiuA"
In spite of this. Mnistersl-Direktor Le.'-
tchef Of a bureau OF the Department -
Interior was unable to deny the si@Nn'-~
of the speakers.
The same conditions that caused
much surprise in this country ~neh ~
became known have prevailed ~ Oern
since the beginning OF the war. ue-s
efficiency in suppressing the truth was
cessful for more than tnrty-four moh'"
hiding the facts from foreign countries
Protecting the Conscientious Oblec'"
To the Editor of The Tribune