The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-04-18
WHY CANADA BANNED THE
MENACE.

the text Of the official letter of the
Canadian Postal Department rela-
tive to the exclusion Of the Menace
from the mails. A supplementary
statement contained in a mem
orandum, dated April 2, and is
sued by DR.. R. M. Coulter, Deputy
Postmaster General Of the Domin-
ion, gives the reasons why the De-
partment placed the ban upon
this newspaper. The memorandum,
which is interesting in view of
the attitude taken by the United
States Postal authorities towards
the Aurora publication, is as fol-
lows:
"Any paper discussing religion
in an abstract way is responsible
for it's own opinions, and we do
not in any way interfere with
such papers. Men may be Prot
estant or Catholic in the extreme,
and may hold their views in the
extreme, and give pronounced ex-
preston to them in the most ex-
IRENE way, and the Postofice De-
partment would not interfere at
all. But when personal abuse,
rejecting on the honor and chas-
tity Of women, and on the clergy of
any denomination as a whole, is
INDUCED in, or when women of a
certain faith are reflected on, as
has been done in THE Menace,
then this department understands
it as it's duty not to allow such
things to pass through the mails.
This is the law which the depart
ment has followed in the past and
intends to follow in the future.
It has been and will be applied
impartially to all papers, Catholic
or Protestant, which may indulge
in such things -
This statement enunciates the
policy of the Canadian Postoffice
Department in connection with
such matters. The practice of the
department when matter is sub
mitted to it by the public as COM
ing under these sections Of the
Post Office Act is to carefully ex-
anime the publication submitted
and in the event Of it's being con-
sidered as violating the law to ad-
wise the service generally that
such matter is prohibited trans
mission by post. This was done
in the case of the Menace.
In substantiation Of the course
followed in respect to this paper
there is contained in the mem
orandum a long list of quotations
and headings which the depart
ment believes justifies it in COM
ing to the conclusion that the pa
per comes within the law prohibit
ing the transmission of Indecent,
obscene, immoral or scurrilous
literature. '' AS an illustration,
Mr.. Coulter points out that state
ments were made in the Menace
to the effect that "bishops and
priests in Canada are genuine
white slavers.' Mr.. Coulter also
quotes other statements published
in the Menace rejecting on the
morality Of the Roman Catholic
priests and nuns.
The memorandum states that if
any Catholic paper had INDUCED
or should indulge in such refec-
lions as have been INDUCED in by
"The Menace" most certainly it's
privileges of the mails would have
been or would be cut off at once.
"When this case was brought to
the attention Of the department,
continues the memorandum, "and
when the columns Of the paper
were examined and the statements
contained therein concerning
many Of the people of our coun-
try, there was nothing for the de-
partment to do but to live up to
the law and debar this paper from
the privileges Of the mails. Z"
The Deputy Postmaster General
further states that papers like the
Menace are liable to prosecution
under the Criminal Code Of Cana
da, should any one care to bring
action against them. "Under
section 2O9 Of the Criminal Code,
anyone is guilty of an indictable
offence and liable to two years
Imprisonment who posts anything
of an obscene, immoral, indecent
or scurrilous character.
"This, however, is not matter
for enforcement by this depart
ment, and therefore the depart
ment has simply contented itself
with acting within it's powers as
regards matter circulating through
the mails. [ have not the least
doubt, however, that did a per-
son choose to make this a per-
sonal matter and take it up under
the Criminal Code, the editor of
the paper, were it not for the fact
that he is foreigner and a non
resident of Canada, would be sub
ject to the penalties of the Grim
inal Code
The privilege of the mail has