PERSECUTION BY FINES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 18, 16 October 1907, Page 5

PERSECUTION BY FINES.

PLIGHT OF THE RUSSIAN LIBERAL PRESS. St. Petersburg, August 22. General Herschelmann, the Governor' General of Moscow,,.has.discovered this summor a new amusement.': Ho takes his. morning coffee in the park attached to his summer residence, and over coffee ho reads all the newspapers. Ho had never read Opposition newspapers until recently, and ho' it amaiod at the violence of their tone. Most peoplo consider that the Opposition press has become hopelossly insipid • since the disaelution of tho Duma, but no doubt it even now permits itself a'mode of cxprcsaion which might easily offend tho tasto of one nurtured on tho "Novoe Vromya' J and tho "Moscow Vycdomosti." If is not for pleasure only that General- Herschelmann reads the Opposition papers. Just about the timo of the dissolution , he'issued an order forbidding pross criticism of tho Government under pain of a heavy fine, and, apparently, he-wishes personftlly ,to convince himself that this ordor is being obeyed. Arid since tho Govcr-nor-l-ieneral assumed the direction of the Pro3j Department fines have rained down upon the unfortußate Moscow papers. ' 'FINED OUT OF EXISTENCE. His Excellency. Was shocked by a phrase'in tho. aforetime Radical paper ."Parus , . , referring to "that antiquated institution tho Holy Synod'; ho bluq-pencilled it without hesitation, and for the offence inflicted a. fiiie'of; £3U. ' For a p«rios"'bf: similar garing ! offences the "Parus" was fined .-C3CO in the. course of a feiy days,, and . tho proprietors, - finding publication under such circumstances' ruinjns, ceased issuing the paper. A series of heM7- fines' hava bueu. iijjlicted on tho JRtisskiya Vyedomosti," tho oldest Liberal paper,.in Russia, with the result that it.has becomo cautious almost to tho verge ,of humiliating ' compromiso/ , . ' The romainingOpposition papers: iii Moscow are in similar case, snd llie proprietors, ,aro in a -.-. cruel d.deinma. If they try to maintain the character of their papers they are subject to inces'sant ind ruinous fines; if, on the other hand, to';phcato"tho : authorities they : '"malto their •papcre. colourless, they lose .subscribers. It i« ; curious that the scurrilous reactionary paper "Vyeche" has 'also been fined more than once; The reason of this is not to, be sourjht in a desire for equitable distribution of justice. ; It-is simply ,that the "Vyeche"was. once tactless enough to remind General Herschelmann of his non-Russian origin by bluntly calling him'a Jew. ' ■ ■

QUOTED• FROM " THE TIMES."- • •' In. other parts of Russia the press is verr slightly better'Aft'than 'in;' Moscow.' 'All governors' and .'prefects havb issued.-orders torbidding criticism of tho Goverhmaiit, aiid the Opposition'press is threatened with complete- extinction. A number of papers have already-; ceased ] publication;. : others suffer i«»ny, fines-, but- struggle on' in: the hope" of bettor days/ . A':Volga, paper wi,s.nned : £3o a j'nort'time; ago for "reprinting V ion*, weighty sentnnces ,"from -''Tho-l-imeß.- , - 5 Tho Es'thoniani'press, which; was-in-a uourishinjrconditisnthjis. been "crippled; several Radical' papers, bavo'been closed;, and tho authorities celebrated tho jubilee of tho' foundation of the Esthonian' prqss. ; by. . suspending the. "Postimees," the .oldest paper in tho lan-' .quagc,' which had succeeded in...weathering the ijtbrms" and tempests of all;. tho ■ fifty years.: The Lettish.press -is. b'oirig subjected .to;equally;bitter. ■.;!'.'-;; ~. ,'i . ),;;' '■ -BACK TO CENSORSHIP. '■ ■ :■; ' 'hi St:''Petci-sbu:'g several;papers hayo"beciii. 'fined'c,'but' liono' has suspended, jfjp'wspaper- men"rack",their, brains-, for safe subjects;.the ','Russ."- devotes columns to'the consideration of' tho. part• played' by insects in .conveying:infection; thu Radical' "ToVarishch;"'- which; has bfcen frequently heavily fined, fills a great .deal of its- space - withuseful' but hardly inspiring statistical information,,; but, bravely, protests at evwy opportahltr';.;. Profpsi;or..,,Mily.ukoft''s paper, tho Csnjtitutional; Deniporatic ' "Eyeeh," dis' 7 cusses polities', and 'even criticises tho Gqv-. arjiinent l , scathingly,'. but 'does ;•■ jt■' so . coolly tttat the/ apparently;'' fails "jtp realise , tiie' severity'of. the .'attack.- It is. remarkable that under' such'; a regime . the "Ryech" has'succeeded,in ".tiic; course of two months, in discussing the'present situation, in ill bearings '' and; preparing the' ground for aiiotiior electoral campaign. ■': : , ■'. ;When'j'airis:Said;'.however) ,it must be admitted that the Government havo found in this system'of fining-,.by'local "authorities a mo'fe' effective; weapon; against press criticism than, all tho cumbrous' and'irritating press regnktions . of- the '. lastV twenty months'. When apaper'begs, as a-Kieff paper l recently -did , ,- to be placed once more' under th"3 censorship, Reaction'must'have taken giau;strides. . ■ ■■£■'■'.. v, ■"•■'"' : ;-.> '.' ■••'"■■ '■■'■