The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1915-01-16

holding himself or representing himself
20 be engaged In such business, that he
cndcavors 10 use the pos,onice faeilitics
90 further such businrfa II seems %
me that u these two facts h. established
regarding any person or enterprise that
such a person or enterprise should not
he permitted 20 utilize the mails Of the
United states In order 90 promote such
business. I know there are mnus
complaints about various publications
that are well founded. They contain
matter ~ offensive TO decent men that
they should not be transmitted through
the mails. 10 would be impossible and
improper to lay down a rule for legisla.
tion directed AZ a particular person OF
a particular publication. There should
be established by law a general rule u
conduct 90 be followed. There should
be some authority reposed in some Of.
fcial 10 prevent the use Of the facilities
provided by the United States in its
mails TO prevent anyone in engaging in
such business
You will note that Fitzgerald
speaks Of the annual report Of
the postmaster general, in which
he is supposed to have cited the
fact that considerable COM
plant has been made Of publica-
tions characterized as obscene,
indecent and scurrilous in their
character.
/, know, and every reader Of
The Menace knows, what papers
have been thus characterized" "
since the present postmaster gen.
eral took his siat at Washington.
At the present time there are no
really radical publications in the
country, such as gave the depart.
ment more or less anxiety several
years ago.
The papers characterized" as
obscene today are such papers as
The Menace, The American Citi-
zen, Watson's, and possibly a half
dozen Others which are fighting
for the pre-; ervation of the
American public school system,
the separation OF church and state
and resisting the political in
trigues Of the Roman Catholic po-
litical machine in the per-
son of just such men as John
j. Fitzgerald, and such intrigues
as abridging the freedom of
speech and Of the press, contrary
TO the Constitution of the United
States.
John ]. Fitzgerald himself, and
this underhanded attempt to muz-
zle the free and independent press,
is the best reason that could pos
sibly be offered for the necessity
of The Menace and like publica-
tionsl
cit has been held by the SUI
preme court Of the United States
that an immoral and obscene pub
lication TO come within the stat
ute must be one which must in-
cite persons to obscene or inn
moral acts and at the same time
tend to degrade public morals, "
says Fitzgerald.
AND WE CONTEND THAT
THIS IS RESTRICTION SUFFI-
GENT
IL is all the Restriction that hon
est people demand-and il is all
that is necessary to maintain a
moral atmosphere and protect So
ciety. We want no otherl
Fitzgerald's remarks above
quoted sound like an editorial
from the Western Catholic.
They bear the ear marks of the
letters sent TO Washington by Ro-
man Catholic lawyers and priests,
and quoted in the Catholic press.
Hatred for The Menace and ev.
cry other paper that dares crit.
icise this 'hok" humbug beams
out of every sentence and
every word, and while he says that
"it would be impossible and i'm
proper TO lay down a rule for leg.
islation directed at a particular
person or q particular publca-
tion," any man who has followed
the fight that has been made on
this paper by Roman Catholics
from Maine 70 California, and
from the lakes to the gulf, for the