The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1915-10-09
C0MSTOCKISM IS INDICTED
Infamous Law Framed Solely to Serve the Ends Of Injustice Now Being
Used by the Roh 0ppessor to Destroy The Menace and mpon
Its Sa---Comstocks Alliance With Catholicism Demon
strated Beyond All Doubt

clique ever were deceived in this
direction. For more than a gen
Grafton he has hecn a stencil i'm
the nostrilS Of rcspcctability.
Nearly all our secular papers. ~.
pecially the powerful dailicS and
the influential wecklics of national
circulation. have united ia de.
nouncing both the man aud his
methods. Conspicuous among these
latter is a publication Of such high
standing as Louis r. Post 5 The
Public. which has devoted much
space 20 such denunciation
No Roman Catholic paper ever
has voiced such protest
In the East many Anti-Com.
stock Societies. whose membership
embraces the best elements OF
their respective communities, have
been organized for the sole pur.
pose of combating Comstockism.
For dependable opinion on the
Comstock Law, from a source the
integrity Of which can not be i'm.
pugned, | would commend all
doubling readers TO a report Of the
annual meeting of the National
Purity Federation, Oct. IL. 1906.
which unanimously adopted a res.
olution praying for relief from its
evils. From the preamble TO this
resolution is taken the following
I'm view of the fact that purity
workers are constantly placed in
jeopardy because Of the uncertain.
ty Of the judicial test Of obscenity,
and because the law has in some
instances been made the means Of
injustice and cruel wrong; and in
view Of the fact also that the in.
definite character, of the law rem.
ders IL impossible for anyone 10
know whether he is acting within
the law, and because the law has
been made a menace and a hin.
draDce to many earnest workers
whose efficient help is most seri.
ously needed" etc.
Which Side Are You With?
In the face of this expert testi.
mony TO the contrary from emi.
nent and experienced moralists,
who now will insist that Comstock
and his law have been promoters
of purity
From my own personal expert
ence | can give an example Of Com
stock S methods which shows con-
clusively that he was no veritable
agent of virtue and morality.
When, in Cleveland, early in 1899,
my arrest under the Comstock
Law was impending, Comstock s
chief lieutenant and authoritative
mouthpiece, a man named McAfee,
whose baptismal name / am un-
able TO recall, called upon me at
my Office and frankly confessed
that my prospective indictment
had nothing TO do with the moral.
ity of the mails, but was for the
purpose of suppressing my paper.
This is not a question of OBJ
scenity,' he coolly informed me.
eve intend to put you out of bus.
mess.
AS a large part Of my circula-
tion was through the newsstand
trade, and most Of my subscription
list could easily he diverted to the
same channel, | replied that in
case ! should be deprived of the
use of the mails ! would ship the
paper to dealers by express.
"No you won I, he calmly con-
tradicted. I'VE have passed an
Interstate Commerce Law that
will prevent you sending your pa.
per out of this state. and il can Z
subsist on its Ohio circulation"
And he made good his boast.
That Interstate Commerce regula-
tion, devised for my undoing, is
in force to this day.
BEFORE HIS DEATH, COM.
STOCK CAME INTO OFFICIAL
DISREPUTE, HIS METHODS
WERE DISCREDITED. AND HE
WAS DISMISSED FROM THE
GOVERNMENT SERVICE.
What Shall Be the Verdict?
The foregoing is only the first
inStallment of the voluminous tes.
timony in the case Of Comstockism
VS.. THE MENACE. | will ask that
ComstOck apologists among Men.
ACE readers will wait until all the
evidence is in before rendering
their verdict.