The Washington times., 1917-10-05
fere with the career Of his family
and relations.
May Be Suppressed at WILL

and relations.
May Be Suppressed at Will
Since the war. while a preventive
censure does not exist In Germany,
nevertheless a newspaper may be sup
pressed at villa fearful punishment
for a newspaper, which, by being sup
pressed for, say, five days or a week,
has its business affairs thrown into
the utmost confusion and suffers an
enormous direct loss.
Many OF the larger newspapers are
either owned or influenced by con-
Germs like the Rrupps. For instance,
during this war all news coming from
Germany to other countries has been
furnished by either. the Overseas or
Trans-Ocean service. both news
agencies in which the KTupps are
large stockholders. The smaller news
papers are Influenced directly by the
Government.
In the Middle Ages there was often
declared q sort of truce to prevent
fighting in q city. which was called
the "BurEfrieden," or peace of the
city" and at the beginning OF this
war all political parties were sup
posed to declare a sort of "Burgfrie-
den" and not try TO obtain any po-
ltlcal advantage.
There was. therefore, intense indig-
nation among the Social Democrats Of
Germany when IL was discovered, in
the spring OF 1916, that the minister
of the interior was making arrange
ments to send out news service to be
furnished free to the smaller newspa-
pers. 1t was learned further that he
was engaged in instructing the va
rious lRndrats and other officials OF
the interior department how effective
ly to use this machinery in order to
gull the people to the advantage of
the government ant to keep them in
ignorance of anything which might
tend to turn them against the sys-
tenn.
Countless Orders and Decorations.
Besides the rat system there is, OF
course, the system OF decorations.
Countless orders and decorations are
given in Germany. At the head is the
Order OF the Black Eagle; there is the
Oruer of the Ret Eagle, the Prussian
Order of the Crown, the Orders Pour
lie Merite," the Order OF the House OF
HohenZollern, and many others. In
each of the twenty-five states there
are also orders, distinctions. and deco
rations.
These orders, In turn, are divided
into numerous classes. For instance
a man can have the Red Eagle Order
of the frst. second, third or fourth
class, and these may be complicated
with a laurel crown, with an oak
crown, with swords, and with stars,
and so on. Even domestic servant.
who have served a long time in one
family receive orders: faithful post
men and other officials who have
never appeared on the police books
for having made statements against
the government or the army are sure
of receiving some sort of order.
Once a year in Berlin a great fes-
tival Is held, called the "Ordenfest."
when all who hold orders or decora-
tions of any kind are invited to a
great banquet. The butler who has
served for twenty-five years there
rubs shoulders with the diplomat who
has received q Black Eagle for add
ing a colony TO the German Empire,
and the faithful cook may be seated
near an officer who has obtained
Pour le Merite" for sinking an enemy
warship. All this in one sense Is
but in its effect It tends
to induce the plain people to be sat
isfied with a piece OF ribbon instead
Of the right to vote. and to make
them upholders OF a system by which
they are deprived OF any opportunity
to make a real advance in life.
Most Complete System.
This system is the most complete
that has ever existed in any country,
because it has drawn so many OF the
inhabitants of the country into its
net. Virtually the Industrial work
ers of the great towns and the stupid
peasants in the country are the only
persons in Germany left out of its
meshes.
had a shooting place very near
Berlin; in fact, could reach II in
of an hour by motor
from the embassy door, and there
had an opportunity OF studying the
conditions OF life of the peasant class.
Germany Is stin n country OF great