The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1916-11-25


IN the best and truest meaning Of
each term. And this man is charged
with-obscenity.
The mountain clearly laborcd
TO bring forth a mouse when the
filthy mind Of Romc's Inquisitors
finally fixed upon this cowardly
calumny rs their chosen weapon.
Obsccnity from such a man as Thos.
+. Watson? Ii would be ridiculous
were il not so vile. Watson may be
aggressive; he may be vigorous, and
he may be austcre TO roughncss in
his treatment Of rascality and i'm
morality; but 10 link obSceniiy with
his name IS enough 10 damn the dc-
cuser through time and all eternity.
And believe me, Watson feels it.
This poisoned arrow wounds most
those who least deserve il. Such
venom is most virulent to innocence.
Like the blow Of a rattlesnake' this
attack from cover strikes deeper
than anything an artful enemy
could devise. None know better
than Rome the effect 10 the victim
Of such a wound TO moral pride. II
just judgment for malicious prose
cution were rendered against III,
papal system for this injury, there
Is not enough wealth in the cotfers
and in the property Of this world
wide corporation TO compensate this
great soul for what the agents Of the
papal system have inflicted upon him
But Rome doesn't care. Rome is
struggling desperately to escape just
censure; and cares not whom it may
wound OF how. Watson is the sole
remaining victim of the pope's de-
stroylng agents in America. The
rest have escaped or have been de-
stroyed. Too many have suffered
the fate Of William Black; and n
few have come through the ordeal
1t remains to be seen whether this
farCical prosecution Of Thos. +
Watson can 90 on for years TO come.
or whether it is to be fully and
finally ended at the coming trial.
The history of this persecution
abounds with instructive facts and
incidents. When Mr.. Watson took
up the defense OF American insti.
tutions and American morals against
the aggressive inroads Of popery
Rome's first reply was a boycott
against his publications. Had h.
not been made Of sterncr stuff thar
the average publisher, this strok,
from Rome's favorite and most ef.
fectiye weapon would have silenced
him; but Rome misjudgcd the tenn
per of its adversary.
Like Martin Luther, and the yer,
few in centuries who have dared de-
fy this arrogant power, Watson be-
gan to fight only when he realized
by personal experience the real ma.
ture of the thing he had irritated
But Watson fought fair from the
beginning. All he did and all he
said was put forth in plain black
and white for the world to see anil
pass upon. So far as he was con-
cSrned, there was no hiding behind
a district attorney, no attempt to
induce government to so much A.
punish the boycotters Of his legiti-
mate business.
Like one armed in a Just cause
he came out into the open to take his
own part and let the people judge
between him and his opponent,
But Rome does not fight hat Tat
It's pretenSe cannot be mdinidiae,'
by appeal 10 facts and calm judo
ment. Frightened at the inevitable
outcome Of free and open discussion
it rushed to the politicians who werr
beholden TO the papist vote, and de-
manded that all such publications
be barred from the mails. Our
readers are too familiar with all
that to repeat it here.
But when the pOstofce department