The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1915-10-09

the obnoxious charge Of obscenity
as a convenient prrtcxt.
The inHdequacy OF the old law
for the persecution Of innocence
had been demonstrated aS early
as 1872. In the case Of that eminent
eccentric. George Francis Train,
then a newspaper publisher in
Boston. who was arrested ON the
charge Of circulating obsceniiy.
II was brought out at the trial
that the allegedly obscene matter
consisted Of excerpts from the
Bible. and Train was released. II
transpired that Train 5 purpose in
subjecting himself TO arrest was 10
test the integrity Of the law 5 in.
tent.
New Weapon Is Devised
Il thus was made evident that
Rome and her allied rascalS must
arm themselves with a weapon
more eficacious than this clumsy
club.
So that stultified statute known
A. the L. $. Comstock Law was
conceived. The following year
Anthony Comstock became a post.
Office Inspector, and his long cru
sade of crookedneSs and cruelty
under the guise Of morality was
begun. All things not Romish
were made victims of his ruthless
rule. Literary classics were sup
pressed. Art exhibitions were
closed. Masterpieces Of sculpture
in public places were demolished.
Blackmail was levied upon all pos
sible persons who would submit 10
such extortion. Comstock oper.
ated under two different laws
the New York State Comstock
Law and the United States Com.
stock Law. The latter applies ex.
clusively to the mails, while the
former covers all creation within
the confines of the Empire State.
OF course Rome did not appear
openly in these ncfarious opera
tions. As usual when expedient.
she got a Protestant TO do her
dirty work, that she might escape
blame from her victims sympa-
thizers. Always il is her cunning
policy to utilize a Protestant pup
pet, when possible, for any per-
formance which might entail dis
agreeable consequences, just as
the crafty monkey used the eat s
paw to draw his chestnuts from
the Goals.
II there be any who doubt Rome's
actual relation TO Comstockery, let
them ponder this significant fact :
Throughout his long and per
niciously active" official career,
NEVER DID COMST0CK MO
LEST A CATHOLIC, NOR HAS
A CATHOLIC EVER BEEN AR
RESTED BY OTHERS UNDER
THE COMST0CK LAW.
If the Comstock Law was de-
signed for the purpose of iegiti-
mate prosecution, the inevitable
inference from this immunity is
that ONLY PR0TESTANTS ARE
OBSCENE. We know better than
this.
Yet the fact remains that the
Comstock Law never has been APP
piled to anybody or anything con-
nected with Catholicism.
To those who do not under
stand the nature of this infamous
law and the manner of its opera
tion, it should be explained that
it is constructive in its application.
II does not define obscenity.
Whether or not a thing is obscene
is left TO the discretion of the
court. Should the judge for any rea-
son, however remote from the fact.
see fit to construe any given mat
ter as obscene and instruct the
jury accordingly, conviction is the
inevitable consequence. Under
this blind and laundering pro-
cedure, innocenca in court stands
about an equal chance with a sher-
bet in sheol.
Comstock Deceives Many
No decent person, of course,
condones obscenity, it being disin-
tegrative of decency. BY this rea-
son, and because they have pur-
posely been mislesd as to his true
character and actual aims, many
well-intentioned persons, especi-
ally in the West, honestly believe
Anthony Comstock was a sincere
man with an admirable mission.
But In the East, where he was bet
ter known and understood, few