The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1915-12-25

ihNf OF = wear agu .alus
This howl against ii-Caihohc papsrs
comes With had gracc from nn orgAniFa.
tiuu that h actually Nindirti1e IN its a..
'acks upon Protcsiantism, and any in.
stitutions that have grown mp under its
iniucncc. Protestant ministers AZ dcsig.
uatcd as upstarts, with no authority 20
Irupagatc religion. The r.. Irlhcs arc
looked uI'on as mere gathering PLACES foi
hcr'iics. tn marriage st,icc Is openly
calle-d IN question When performed hy a
Protestant clergyman, and the childrcn
of such marriage are called illegiiimEte.
The public =,hools are denounced as god.
irss dcns Of vice and shame. and the very
civilization which Professionalism has built
up h. characterized a. a sin against Col
and humanity because Il is not under the
domination Of the popc. These arc the
awful things that appear IN Catholic pa.
pers time and AGAIN. and yet no ptutcs.
tant has ever hntcd that these patcrs
should BE- excluded from the mails. We
have no idea that Congress VIII be so
unwise as b. heed this hcartless cry, but
II Il does u will az once produce a situa.
tion in this country from which Catholics
themselves mny we'll shrink But the very
braEcnncss of ihis movement shows more
conclusively than we have ever bccn able
70 tell Il, that the nation must awake %
this awful menace, which. had Il the
power, would sweep us into the anarchy
and ignorance, the crime and poverty OF
Mexico and spain.
In its issue Of January %, last,
The Reform Bulletin. published at
Albany, n. Y. and edited by the
Rev. o. X. Miller. scented the dan
ger Of such legislation and inter
pretcd the far reaching plot Of the
hierarchy as follows:
The latest scheme Of the Knights Of
Columbus and the Roman Catholic hier.
archy Is this. They are making almost
superhuman efforts 60 get n law passed
by Congress, giving tho Postmaster Gen.
eral, power 90 suppress all papers which
he considers immoral, or which attack any
ehuieh or religion, as they say. II they
succeed in getting such law passed this
winter or next winter, then the great ma.
tional issue Of 1916 will bo fought out
in this country on the question Of who
shall bo Postmaster General Of this ma.
ton.
The price which any candidate for
President will have 60 pay in order 70
get the support Of the Roman Catholic
church in the presidential election OF
1916 will be TO make a definite promise in
advance 20 appoint as Postmaster General
the man agreed upon by the Roman Cath.
ole hierarchy Of this country, headed by
Cardinal Gibbons. And IL a pliable tool
Of Romanism is appointed rs Postmaster
General, IL is frightful 20 think what may
happen during his administration. lie
would Immediately withdraw the second
class mail privileges from every paper
which speaks unfricndly of him or Of any
Catholic leaders OF the Jemits.
Many religious papers which are now
more and more beginning 90 find their
backbone and TO say things, would also
be forbidden the use Of the second class
mailing privileges, which would mean the
suppression Of all such papers. The Re.
form Bulletin Of course, or any paper
that dares speak with the boldness with
which we are speaking in this issue, and
with which we spoke during the last polit-
Naa campaign III TINS a1NaANF hNAAA
mediately he suppressed.
The Western Recorder, a Baptist
publication, issue OF February Is,
1915, referred to one of these Ronr-
ish press-muzzle measures and
stated the Protestant attitude very
clearly. 1t said:
Congressman Gallivan, from Massa.
ehusetts has introduced a bill in the
House Of Representatives, empowering
the Postmaster General to exclude from
the mails any publication containing any.
thing "refecting on any form of wOr.
ship
We have long ago found that no limit
could be fixed 20 the audacity Of the de-
votees of some cults, but that is beyond
the bounds hitherto fixed by our iudg-
ment or fancy. IL is not difficult 20 see
where this proposed legislation would
land us. Not only would ii throttle the
freedom OF the press, but abridge the con.
stitutional rights Of every American citi-
zen. Ii would also lead TO the possible
suppression of every real Protestant and
Baptist paper in the United States. ANY
Protestant that is worthy Of the name,
will protest against this form and fashion
Of Romanism, and every Baptist who
breaches the Gospel must reflect on papal
supremacy and the form Of worship, and
a multitude Of other things prscticed by
our Roman friends.
Should our lawmakers so far forget
themselves, (and they never will,) as TO
enact such a law, il would be promptly
declared unconstitutional But even
should the courts sustain such law, its
enforcement would be absolutely impos-
sible. A sovereign people would never
submit 10 such tyranny, even IL revolution
were necessary 70 resist IL
The obvious object Of the bill is the
Of anti-Catholie papers. IL
such papers misrepresent or mahgn any,
one, ample redress may be obtained in
our courts without resorting 10 the Star
Chamber, or the Inquisition. This pro
posed legal abortion is too barbarous TO |
merit serious consideration. Such a law
might have met the wishes Of the eceles. |
iastical inquisitors Of the Middle Ages,
but II viii not commend itself 70 the
liberty-loving freeman Of the twentieth