The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1917-07-28

DO searehed and disciplined, ana no citizen
who 10 awake to the value Of citizenship ;
rights will rest until such an order has been
Issued.
Incidentally no single misfortune In all
tho country in these troublous times has done
40 much a. this will do to harden the hearts
Of the already numerous skeptics against our
war for democracy. II pesesful citizens can
not pursue their orderly way without inter
ference By the military the old fear Of mill
tarism" must rise again.
II will be well for the country II yestsr-
days outrage Is promptly disavOwed and as
promptly punished Free America will not
stand much Of German style military autoe-
raey In its dsmocratic army.
Az for the uniformed men who outraged
our eitizenry, they are. We are glad to say,
only q small part Of the whole number Of
those who have chosen to fight for their
country. But II may not be out Of place to
suggest to the government that, II this II the
temper Of 90 many men that further riots
ara threatened. It 10 best for the cause Of
peace at home to hustle these troops to France
where they may fight for their lives against
an armed foe without any spare time for
bullying innocent women and tired lsbOrsrs.
That this is not a partisan defense
of the Socialists may be known from
the fact that the Boston Joundl is Re-
publican in politics. 1t discusses the
affair from the broad viewpoint Of a
patriotic American newspaper, and
does not stop at what we have quoted.
In succeeding issues It insists, in one
Of its editorial leaders, on the dis
covery Of the rioters and their dis
honorable discharge from the service
they have dishonored, from which the
following is cleaned:
Soldiers have no police authority under
civil government. even had the Socialist pa
raiders been violating the law.
Sundays affair was, plainly and simply, o
rise Of Soldisy against the civil population.
outside Of Russia and Germanizsd AlSaee.
When any power opposes the freedom Of
thought and Of speech. that power violates the
most sacred promise Of the constitution. And
II that power be . military power, the last
vestiEe Of the Americans right to life, liberty
and the pursuit Of happiness 10 gone.
MILITARY MEN. ABOVE ALL OTHERS,
ARE SUPPOSED TO EXERCISE DIGNITY.
SELF-CONTRoL. They wesr Q government
uniform. They are the protectors Of the ns-
tion. II they turn to abuse Of the people,
THE CRIME rs TwoFoLD.
The opinien Of every honest American In
viewing this shameful episode will bs not
that the Socialists were right. but that the
soldiers were wreng.
LET Us. IF WE CAN. WIPE OUT THIS
DISGRACE TO OUR FLAG. THIS RE-
vERsAL OF OUR FINEST PROFESSIONS
OF DEMOCRACY.
We are engaged In war against the cruslsst
and most powerful autocraey the world has
ever known. We need in our fight the high.
est courage Of our convictions in true de-
noeraey for all the peoples Of the world. We
must By cur own actions and attitudes jus
tify the stand which We are taking against
militariSm and misruls. WE CAN AFFORD
NO MIITARIsM AND MsRULE OUR.
SELVES. SURELY.
Let 10 wipe this out, then.
Let ~, first. discover that few Of our SOL
dieS were engaged In the attack upon the
eitizenry. Then let NJ invite the few not
only to apologize 10 the mayor Of the city,
- Admiral Bowlss suggests, bat lot NJ invite
them to take OF their uniforms and lsavs the
service Of the Flag which thsy have saIlisd
In their brutal performance against puhlie
freedom. We are short Of AghtinE men. Il
is true. but We can better afford 10 spare .
few scores now than To hesr the stain Of
this incidental STAIN THAT WILL NOT
wHITEwAsH OUT AT A FEW SMOOTH
WORDS FROM COMMANDING OFFICERS.
Who the Rioters Were
The paper quoted does not attempt
to classify the rioters or to seek for
the motive or possible reason for their
unbecoming lack Of discipline; but we
fortunately have means of identify
ing the class which mobs as freely In
uniform as out Of II. There Is q
priest-edited propaganda sheet Of
popery published In Brooklyn, New
York, which calls itself The Toilet
In the closing lines Of an editorial in
that publication Of July 7 are the fol-
lowing lines which close tirade
against Socialists in particular and
anti-papists in general: be
"But perhaps they were in Boston
last Sunday where Catholic soldiers
rescued the fug from their Disgrace
ful kands."
This refers to the Boston rioting,
and frankly informs US that It was
Catholic soldiers" who stopped the
parade, tore the American flags from