The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1916-07-15

a Upoftsa N Ne pfsaa-
On June 26th, and 27th, the ST.
Louis Post Dispatch, tried TO spring
a sensation on the unsuspccting
public. The fact that the attempt
proved a dismal failure, was not
due TO any want Of zeal on the part
Of the reporter or lack Of skill in re-
yamping and presenting the already
oyerworked tactics Of political Ro-
manism in lie determined war on
all who dare 90 maintain and de-
fend the fundamental principles
and provisions Of our liberal democ-
racy from the organized and sg-
gressive attempt Of the knights Of
Columbus and other props Of the
hierarchy" TO substitute the papal
system OF rule for the distinguish
ing glories Of our free republic.
The failure Of the ambitious ef-
fort Of the would-be sleuth was large
" due to the fact that he undertook
an impossible feat. The palpable
absurdity Of attempting TO make
intelligent readers believe that a
public meeting where members had
been sent cards Of invitation urg-
ing them to bring friends, where
large groups Of people were ad-
mitted on a single card, where, in
deed, individuals without tickets Of
admission found no difficulty in Sc
curing admittance, and where at
least one late conner had TO wake up
the sleeping doorkeeper, to hand
him his ticket as he passed into the
hall, necessarily lacked the elements
essential TO convincingly impress
the public with the conviction that
the meeting was a dark, deep, mys-
terious gathering Of plotters, or
that the ambitious reporter was a
second Sherlock Holmes, who, hap
PLY, for the safety Of the state had
appeared upon the scene in time to
expose in all it's naked enormity the
nefarious designs Of these modern
sons of liberty, who TO the Roman
Catholic hierarchy are as obnoxious
as were their predecessors whom
King George III sought to sup
press 'ere the birth Of modern de-
mocrscy, startled and terrified,
alike, monarchies and hierarchies OF
the Old World.
In the second place, as we shall
presently show, the America Of
1916, is not the America of 1890,
for Rome has in recent years lived
up to the A. p. A. indictment of
earlier days in such a way as to
startle out Of their lethargy, millions
Of lovers of democracy, making Of
them, militant defenders of the
principles and provisions of our
free institutions which Rome is as
sailing.
Catholics On Post Dispatch
Before noticing the Post-Dis-
patch article which is exactly what
we would expect to find in the
Western lTatchmaH, We wish to no.
tice two facts in this connection
!, that are interesting and illuminat-
ing. For more than a score of
years, the .boycotting tactics and
the club Of the "Romau Catholic
vote" have been companioned by a
systematic and many-sided attempt
10 establish a censorship of the
secular press over politico-religious
discussions that tended to throw
light on Rome's political activity as
seen in her warfare on our public
non-sectarian schools, our free
press, freedom Of speech and as
sembly, and the principle Of com.
plete separation Of church and
state.
During recent years, so effective
has been this iniquitous and utter.
H un-American subyersiye effort OF
the hierarchy through its politioo.
religious props, that the columns OF
practically all the great dailies are
closed to free and healthy discus.
sions of these most live questions
that so largely differentiate the
democratic system Of government
from that of the papal sovereign
rand indeed, from all other mon.
archial forms of government.
So successful have been the per.
sistent and determined efforts oi
the American Federation of Cath.
olic Societies, in getting editor,
and publishers to feed like pigeon:
out Of the hand of politico-ecclesi.
sstical Rome, that in recent year:
the Federation has been bold and
almost hrazon IN ifs hoaefs Time