The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1916-01-22

ing crucial moments in the story Of
nations or the history Of eiyiliEa-
tions, make indelible impress on the
ages. These are dear TO history I;
50 Joplin from this day will live in
story.
Hand Of Esau-voioe Of Jacob
Who is the prosecutor Of THE
MENACE, and what Is the true ami
mus behind the prosecutiony
0utwardly and seemingly il is
the United States Government, but
inwardly and truly it is politico-
ecclesiastical Romanism; and be-
hind the United States Govern
ment are the Taxpayers Of Amer
lea, who have 10 bear the burden
Of this and other costly trials that
have been brought about at the in
stigation of the clericals who are
striving to substitute the papal for
the democratic system Of govern
ment.
Only because Rome is in politics I;
only because she is organized and
can act as a unit, is il possible for
such shameful burdens 20 be inn
posed upon the eighty-fye million
non-Catholics Of America by the
less than fifteen million Catholics in
the effort to further abridge the
liberty Of the press and to check
freedom Of religious discussion
through employing technicalities
that are in effect a shameful abuse
Of the obscenity statutes.
On more than one occasion, at
the annual meeting Of the Ameri-
can Federation Of Catholic Socie-
ties, resolutions have been passed
demanding legislation that would
abridge the right Of religious dis
cussion. For years the Catholics,
in their press, in public meetings
and through their organizations,
have been carrying on an aggressive
warfare TO destroy THE MENACE.
The present suit is merely one Of
the multitudinous efforts of politi-
eo-ecclesiastical Romanism to de-
stroy the most formidable organ ar
rayed against the un-American ag-
gressions Of political Romanism.
Abuse Of the obscenity Statutes
The so-calIed obscenity statutes
were passed by our law makers for
the purpose Of preventing the pub
lication Of palpably obscene, lewd
and corrupt matter that was being
circulated with the manifest pur-
pose Of debasing the morals of the
people. Many far-sighted friends
Of freedom and statesmen of breadth
Of vision and knowledge Of history
opposed the legislation on the
grounds that it would be liable to
be employed as an instrument Of
persecution against undetermined
men and women who were striving
TO correct abuses and expose i'm
moral and debasing conditions. II
was pointed out that great interests
that might be fattening upon cor
rupt practices, or organizations that
might be engaged in evil practices
which feared the light Of day, might
easily seize upon these statutes to
prevent the public from being ac-
quainted with the evil facts that
cankerlike were eating into the body
polite.
The present prosecution is a
striking verification of the predic-
tions Of the wise and noble-minded
statesmen and moralists who feared
that the proposed legislation would
be thus made an instrument Of
persecution for the shielding Of
those who feared the light.
Clearly, in all cases of this kind,
if the ends of justice and morality
are to be conserved by the courts,
certain elements must be taken into
consideration, as, for example: the
intent Of the lawmakers who framed
the statute; the character Of the de-
PENDANTS; the palpable aim and OBJ
ject Of the publishers; and the gen.
eral moral tone or character of the
publication.
If stern moralists, whose passion
is to purify and ennoble society, are
to be made amenable to the statutes
for exposing conditions of white
slavery, for instance, and attempt
ing to protect the defenseless from
the moral lepers Of society; If high
minded Christian men, whose only
aim is TO conserve morality and
preserve free institutions, can be
prosecuted for exposing moral in
iquity and evil and un-American
conditions, then vice, immortality
and obscenity will flourish az the
bay tree by virtue Of such abuse of