The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1916-11-23


in his heart is once more organizing his defense
against Romish calumny and persecution He is
getting ready to fight your battle, and to win
another victory for freedom if such victory is
possible.
We regard that victory as not only possible,
but as more than probable. When such sham
as the so-called Roman Catholic church meets
an honest man like Watson in the presence of an
American jury, buster, unlimited wealth. and ar
rogant pride suffer a sweeping discount. The
intellectual strength and moral uprightness OF
the defendant will count for more than a horde of
Jesuits, skilled though they are in the mesmerc
tricks Of the black art.
Put yourself for moment in Watson's place,
ana realize as you must, how he must feel Here
is gentleman of genuine refinement: scholar
whose literary work commends him to the best
people OF Europe as we'll Of America. He has
served his State and his country with distinction
and success in the greatest legislative body of the
world His home life is so for above reproacn
that an intimation to the contrary would awaken
the resentment of every neighbor and fellow citi-
zen. He is clean, wholesome and militant war
rlor against vice, immortality and all that polute
and corrupt old and young alike-A patriot a
scholar, and gentleman in the best and truest
meaning of each term. And this man is charged
With-Obscenity.
Obscenity from such man as Thos E. Wat
son? 1t would be ridiculous were it not SO vile.
Watson may be aggressive; he may be vigorous
and he may be austere to roughness in his treat
ment of rascality and immortality; but to link
ohsconity with his name is enough to damn the
accHser through time and all eternity
The history of this persecution abounds with
instructive facts and Incidents When Mr. Wat
son took up the defense of American institutions
and American morals against the aggressive in
roads OF popery, Rome's first reply was boy
colt against his publications. Had he not been
made OF sterner stuff than the average publisher,
this stroke from Romes favorite and most effec-
tive weapon would have silenced him; but Rome
m1s1udged the temper of it's adversary
Like Martin Luther, and the very few in CEN
turtles who have dared defy this arrogant power.
Watson began to fight only when he healized by
personal IF no
he had irrtated. 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 and pass upon. So far as he was concerned
there was no hiding behind district attorney
no attempt to induce government to so much as
punish the boycotters of his legitimate business.
Like one armed in just cause, he came out
into the open to take his own part and let the
people judge between him and his opponents
But Rome does not fight that way. Its pretense
cannot be maintained by appeal to facts and calm
JUDGMENT. Frightened at the inevitable outcome
of free and open discussion, it rushed to the poll
tlcians who were beholden to the papst vote, and
demanded that all such publications be barred
from the mails. Our readers are too familiar with
all that to repeat it here
But when the postofice department and con-
gress both refused to do Rome's bidding the next
thing was fftythousand dollar appropriation
by the Knights of Columbus plus no one knows
how much, for the pretended purpose of combat
ting religious PREJUDICE" The world now
Knows now the announcement of this appropria-
ton was hut part of the declaration that court
proceedings had already been brought against a.
certain anti-papal publication
AS long ago June 1912, action was brought
against Mr., Watson; and the papist press was
jubilant in anticipation of what it hoped might
happen. There delay fter delay due to one
cause and another, principally because those back
OF the prosecution realized the difficulty of getting
through with what they had attempted.
The principal charge was because of certain
passages which the defendant had printed from
Rome's theological works in the original Latin
language. The stuff printed was bad enough to
be sure; and the prosecutors were so afraid of it
that they failed to quote it in their charges or in
the indictment they had secured by means best
known to themselves.