"Neue Rheinische Zeitung" – Censorship

The Hohenzollern Overall Reform Plan
Contents
The Billion

Page numbers refer to: Karl Marx – Friedrich Engels – Werke, Band 6, S. 351–352

Censorship

[“Neue Rheinische Zeitung” No. 246 of March 15, 1849]

*
Cologne
, March 4. The German daily press is truly the most flaccid, drowsy and cowardly institution that exists under the sun! The most heinous infamies can take place before its eyes, against itself, and it keeps silent, it conceals everything; if one did not learn of it by chance, one would certainly never learn through the
press
what delightful March violets the mercy of God has brought forth in individual localities.

In Düsseldorf, the citizen and Communist Drigalski attempted last autumn to reintroduce censorship under the pretext of the state of siege. <See
“Drigalski the Legislator, Citizen and Communist”
> He succeeded for two days; but the storm of public opinion forced the sabre-rattling gentlemen to abandon their censorship cravings forthwith.

And what is the situation in the old provinces?

For three months, censorship has been in full glory in two different districts, and the whole old-Prussian press calmly tolerates this unheard-of encroachment on its rights!

Just listen:

Rosenberg in Silesia, March 7. The
“Rosenberg-Kreuzburger Telegraph”
carries at the head of No. 19 the following statement:

“We request the esteemed readers of our paper not to hold us responsible for the delayed publication of this number and its incompleteness, but to take into consideration that we are still under a state of siege and that the
‘Telegraph’
— which of late was censored by Herr Sack, the Royal District Administrator here, who has been elected deputy to the Second Chamber — has, since his departure for Berlin, now been placed
under direct military censorship.

The Editors”

Furthermore:

In
Erfurt censorship has likewise been in force without hindrance since November 25
. The local press was initially censored by Herr
F. W. Huthsteiner
, now police inspector, former editor of the
“Barmer Zeitung”
which was once liberal under censorship, an alleged liberal or democrat, later a subordinate of Duncker and a continuing Prussian policeman. Although this honourable gentleman even struck out articles from the hapless Berlin
“National-Zeitung”
(!), his exercise of office was still found not Prussian enough, and he was replaced by an
officer
. Thus,
military censorship
also exists in Erfurt.

As if that were not enough, censorship is also being introduced for newspapers and writings printed abroad, i.e. outside the siege zone. The
“Erfurter Adreßblatt”
of February 7 contains the following announcement:

“By order of the royal, highly commendable commandantur, here, the public of this town is warned, under threat of
‘appropriate police penalty’
and of
‘immediate arrest’
, against
distributing
or
posting
here any writings printed abroad
which cast suspicion on the measures of the government or even attack them in malicious opposition
and in this way tend to
alienate the minds of the inhabitants from the existing constitutional
government,
or are likely to arouse embitterment against certain classes of inhabitants and thereby cause
agitation and discord in this town
.

Erfurt, February 5, 1849

The Magistrate, Police Administration”

The reintroduction of censorship, the improvement of the ordinary by military censorship — these are surely matters that concern the press closely enough. And yet the press of neighbouring towns, the Breslau, Berlin, Leipzig press, accepts this as if it were all a matter of course! In fact, the German press is still the old
“good press”
.

But we ask our drowsy deputies in Berlin whether they still do not intend to proceed forthwith to move the impeachment of the ministers?