The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1916-01-22
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This is in the nature Of a pre-
liminary consideration Of The Men,
acc trial, for the reason that though
the case will be ended before the
paper reaches the reader, the trial
il at the present writing in prog
ress and an extended description
cannot be given until later.
The. Supreme and Vital Issue
There have been many critical
hours in the history Of this Repub-
lie, but not until recent years has
there been a nationwide, organized
and systematic attempt to replace
the magnificent free democracy Of
our fathers by system that in his
tory, theory and practice has con-
sistently opposed all the distinguish
ing glories Of our free Republic
popular Sovereignty. freedom Of re-
hgion, thought. speech, prsss and
assembly 6iUoroe Of church and
state, aud popular secular education.
The present peril is doubly dan
gerous because Il is advancing I'M
der false pretences, claiming that il
does not represent a hierarchical
power that condemns popular SOW
ereignty, freedom Of thought and
utterance, divorce Of church and
state, and our public free school
system, in the face Of the fact that
the last three pOpes. the only au-
horitdtiUe and 10 the subjects of
TIE pdpal system, infdllible mouth
pieces Of The hierarchy, hare gone
on record iH condemnation Of all
these things.
No one can read the encyclicals
OF eT odthedrd and therefore TO all
Catholics infallible and binding
declarations Of Popes Plus ", Leo
XIII, and Plus X in regard to all
these things without recognizing
that this war is between two ir-
reconcilable theories Of government.
It is a war for the very life Of the
democracy Of the fathers and those
great bulwarks Of free institutions
against which Rome has waged a
ceaseless war since the days when
she began her merciless extinction
of the God-fearing Albigenses, in
the twelfth century, to the present
hour; war in which the same in
tolerance and implacable hate have
oftentimes been eyinced as marked
the struggle between ancient Rome
and Carthage.
The Menace Trial
The prosecution Of THE MENACE
which opened on Tuesday, January,
18th, in the federal court rooms in
Joplin, Missouri is an event that
will loom large in the prospective
of history, for it is the great OPEN
ing battle in the mighty irrepressi-
bic conflict between two world
theories of government that, being
mutually exclusive, cannot exist to-
gether.
There have been several sharp
skirmishes between the upholders OF
the democratic theory Of govern
ment and the organized upholders
of the papal theory in recent years
since the Roman Catholics set out
TO make America dominantly Cath
olic. But not since the Knights Of
Columbus and the American Fed
Grafton of Catholic Societies began
their attacks on freedom of speech
and press has any battle been waged
that is comparable to this deter
mined attempt to crush THE MEN,
ACE.
The Stage and the Background
Joplin, Missouri, is a small west
ern city Of about forty thousand
souls. Heretofore it has chiefly
been famous as great zinc mining
center. Henceforth it will have an
other claim to Immortality. From
to-day Joplin will be known to his
tory as Alton, Illinois, and Harper's
Ferry are known to history.
History takes note Of crucial
events. Little else appears upon
her negatives. What makes Mara
thon forever glorious in the worlds
hnnals? What gives enduring in
Y terest to Salamis, to Thermopylae,
to Runnymede, to Independence
Hall, or to the Alamo? All these
places would have been forgotten or
Innocent Of interest had it not been.
for events Of historic importance.
The overthrow of the Oriental
hprdes, the heroic defense of the
Spartan band, the signing Of Magma
Charta, the promulgstion of the
Declaration Of Independence, the
nAforgettable heroism Of the little
bahd who had no messenger Of de-