The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1917-12-08

I1I ultra-conservative friends to
l,bI learn of the manner in which
N0sll Pope Benedict has answered
President Wilson's reply to
his peace mote, but certain it is that
he has, though in doing so the an
swer has been delivered to German
subjects of the papal sovereignty in
stead of to the president; merely an
other of the Enthusiastically Jesuit
ical moves that have marked the
present pope's activities in all mat
ters dealing with the world war and
which have been so strikingly notice
able in the kaiser's conduct Of Ger
man and pro-German propaganda.
1t will be remembered that Presi-
dent Wilson's reply to the papal
peace note rendered the maximum
condemnation Of German war aims
and German autocracy, going so far
as to declare that under no condi-
tions would the word of German au-
tocrats respecting any peace policy
be accepted, unless there be some way
to learn that said position of the
autocrats truly reflects the de-
sires Of the German people them
selves. Every American citizen who
has kept abreast Of developments
knows that the president virtually
told the German people to oust the
kaiser and show disposition to treat
fairly with all nations and the
United States might then be willing
to discuss peace terms, which was
tantamount to declaring that popular
sovereignty must be established in
Germany. Il
On the other hand, the pope, in
his peace note, and In all his actions
since the world war began, has
avoided any utterance that could be
interpreted as reprimand of Ger
man war aims or Of German autoc
racy. Indeed THE MENACE has con,
tended all along that aside from all
other considerations or ambitions Of
the papacy as to the possibility Of
the Austro- German alliance being
able to restore the papal states that
the vatican has stood by, and sup
ported, the Central Powers because
those powers represent the SAINT
theory of rule that has been the very
life and foundation of the papal sys
TEN, for just as autocracy is respon
sible for, and the life-giving power
behind, the Austro- German confict
today, SO is autocracy the source oi
life upon which the vatican must de
pend, upon which it has always de
pended, and with which it has, nee
essarily, always been in sympathy.
Before showing how utterly op
posed to democracy the position O.
the popes prior to Benedict XIV hai
been we wish ito quote an articl
from the November 22nd. issue of tn
KaMsas City Times, which record
what we are pleased to characteriz
as the pope's reply To President vii
son. It follows:
GERMAN CATHOLICS FOR KAISER"
"Rejected Sovereignty of the People
Berlin Statement Says"
washington, Nov. 21.-An Off
cial German statement photographic,
from the government station a
sNeuen says the Catholic clergy o
Germany, respecting the principle o
sovereignty Of the people, hav
aligned themselves in support Of tn
ruling house and the monarchic con
stitution. The communication, re
ceived here today by cable, follows
"'The German bishops will rea
from the Episcopal thrones this com
ing Sunday a pastoral letter il
which it is declared the Catholics o
Germany repel all attacks agains
the German ruling house and tn
monarchic constitution of the stat,
'The Catholics should protect th
throne against outside enemies an
internal revolutions. The bishops re
ject the sovereignty Of the peopl
which only brings other forms of in
equality and servitude and constrain
Of which the world war offers man
examples" &
Note first that "the German birh
ops viii read from their Episcopa