The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1914-04-04
Who is the Menace!
~ N. p HsSpES.

/" M MrxAcr dcclas.s that the Ro
man hicrarcky - the dcadhest
- menace 20 our liberties and eiT.
iliration. On the other hand. the
Roman Catholic press uah one voice as
scrts that the chief nicuzoc 70 our pcanc
and liberty Il this nogtfapcr called THE
NENACE, ana the Vocabulary is exhaust
ed In supreme effort 10 smother aud bury
tho papor cndeJ an avalanche Of oppro'
brious cpiihcts. People Who are not
well informed on The subject hardly
know What 10 think about the controversy.
Il IL dihioult for them 10 believe an that
rHE MG.sAcK publishes, but the direful
language Of the Roman Catholic press
den0uBeiug TIA MESACE leads them 10
think inat much. II not AL, that THE
MEsAIE publishes must be true, or u
would not call forth sueh severe dsnun.
Citations. especially whcu no effort IL put
forth 10 dispruve its assertions, or 10 con
vict the publishers Of libel, though every
effort is made 10 suppress the paper.
Now'you want 70 know who is right.
What is the real menace 10 this nationi
Is IL the Roman Catholic political ma
chino, or is u that paper they are fond
Of calling "the dirty shectt" To ar.
rive at some conclusion. lot us review for
a moment some Of the claims made BY
the pope Of Rome and his adhorents.
We hnd this decree regarding the su.
prcmacy and infallibiliiy Of the pope,
passed by the Vatican Council ~ 1870:
"we renew the definition Of the Ecu.
menical council Of Florence 1881, 90.
cording 10 which all the faithful Of
Christ must believe that the holy
apostolic sec and the Roman pom.
til hold the primacy over the
whole world. and that the Roman pontiG
Is the successor Of blessed Peter the
prince OF the apostles aud the true vicar
Of Christ, and is the head Of the whole
church and the father and teacher Of all
Christians.h
The claim set forth in this decree puts
the pope in the place Of Christ not only
as the head Of the whole church, but as
the ruler Of the world. This 10 evident
from the language Of Pope Leo Kill,
in an encyclical letter, dated Jan. 10,
1890, on "The Chief Duties Of Christian
Citizens" In this letter, Leo XIII.
said,
"But II the laws Of the state are
manifestly at variance with the divine
law, containing enactments hurtful 70
the church. or conveying iniunctions ad.
verse 20 the duties imposed by religion.
or II they violate In the person Of the
supreme pontiH the authority Of Jesus
Christ, then truly 20 rcsist becomes a
positive duty, TO obey q crime. :.
But the supreme teacher in the church Is
the Roman pontiff. Onion Of minds,
therefore, requires, together with a per
feet accord IN the one faith, complete
submission and obedience Of will 70 the
church and 70 the Roman pontiG as to
God himself
These statements set forth the claims
Of tho pope-claims a. false as they are
baseless and blasphemous, and they are
from the very highest Roman Catholic
authorities, one from the Dogma OF In
fallibility, the other from Pope Leo
XIII. In these false elaims Of the pope
lie the real danger TO eur free institu'
tions and popular government
No man Who renders supreme olleg
lance 10 the pope Of Rome can be trill
loyal american eiti=cH II he takes ar
oath Of Office TO enforce the laws Of th,
state or Of the United States, he must
violate that oath at the bohest Of the
pope Of Rome. In this way our laws are
annulled, and our government imperiled
just 50 far as the pOPs's authority il
superior 20 that Of our government
Herein lies the danger Of electing Ro
man Catholics to Office 20 administer tn,
affairs Of the nation. Such men are not
free, according 10 these DEGREES, TO ex
ercise their own Judgment, even in po
litical matters. but must obey the in
struetions Of foreign power at Rome.
The real menace 20 our nation an
these false claims Of Rome, who rules moi
by "divine right, f" but by n usurpatior
Of authority 10 which he has no rightfu
claim.
Il is beyond question that the pope Il
opposed 10 our public schools, opposed e
freedom Of thought, speech and pres
and condemns the separation Of churcl
and state. He is strupgly opposed Z,
this nation because Il ''has rejected th,
pope as head of all church and stat,
government. {" His strategcm is "to max,
America dominantly Catholic" by plac
ing Roman Catholics ia Offices Of stat,
aud nation, in order that be may OBJ
tain control Of the government. How
could il be otherwise when his subjects
are pledged 20 carry out his decreesi
Let no one be deceived by the bittei
vituperation of the Roman Catholi,
press. Their cry and hQSl is that Of 4
beaten cur that realiss il has beer
caught, and only provts that the con
tentions Of The MKSAcE is no airy &c
tion, but sober truth, tresting upon {
solid basis Of undeniabls facts.