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


joined in thanking the pope for the
aid he had rendered them-which
thanks was inspired by the fact that
the Jesuits had again been loosed to
prey on free institutions. Note how
the condemnation of popular sover-
eighty and the upholding of the
kaiser from the Episcopal thrones"
is in perfect agreement with the vat
leans position nearly one hundred )
years ago when it Joined hands with
those autocrats whose position was
primarily responsible for our own
Monroe doctrine. 1t was the Eng
lish statesman, Canning. who then
foresaw the goal of the then auto
Gratis and realized that the South
American republics were in danger,
and it was he who warned President
Monroe which not only was response
BILE for the promulgation of the Mon.
roe Doctrine but likewise served to
bring England and the United
States into closer sympathy-a thing
which Rome and the despots, then as
now, recognized as the Anglo Saxon
menace to despotic thrones and .hier-
arches.
The position Of the last two popes
and Benedict XIV, and the Secret
Treaty Of Verona. have been in
Quoted into this article merely to
show that the position Of Pope Bene-
dict as reflected in the pastoral let
ter read from the Episcopal thrones
cOndemning democracy is thoroughly
in line with what his predecessors
taught and is only typical of the po-
sition Rome has taken at all times
where the issue has been clearly
drawn between popular sovereignty
or true democracy and the autocratic
or divine right theory upon which
popes, kings, czars and sultans base
their claims to supremacy over the
people.
Indeed, it is not surprising to find
Benedict conniving with the Central
powers for, only on the theory that
the vatican is the blindest of the
blind can 1t be asserted or believed
that the intrigues Of the private
chamberlain to the pope were car
ried on without the knowledge of the
pope, through privileges afforded him
by reason Of his station in the vat
lean household. And even after adj
mitting that such a feat were pos.
sible or probable any sane man will
be compelled to revert aeain to tha
facts only to find that Erzberger.
Hertling and others of the Catholic
party in Germany are and have been
taking advantage of the world war
to urge the return of the papal states
to the pope, declaring that Germany
might yet be privileged to be the
agency for the accomplishment of the
long desired restoration. In the face
OF the elevation Of these men to Do
'itions Of power in Germanv--in the
face Of their whole-hearted support
md Communications from the vati-
;an-any person with one whit less
han a superabundance of effrontery
would hesitate before asking the
world to believe the vatican is neu-
,ral. But the world must also come
to realize and recognize the menace
Of Romanism in fields other than in
: ternational.
Once the people can come to thor
oughly understand that not only q
whole world of international units Is
engaged in a deadly conflict between
he principles Of autocracy and de-
nocracy, but that each international
unit has within it those two factions;
one representing democracy and the
other autocracy which are continual
$ Y at variance with each other then
: viii they be able to understand why
9 It is that covert attacks are made on
free institutions and. know why a
E certain sect tries to dominate polit-
T cal life and favor none but its hind
Ia the hope that changes in the
law and lethargy Of the people viii
e enable them to overturn the estab'
: 'ished order, and make republics dom
a inantly Roman Catholic by the sub
r stitution of the papal for the demo
8 cratic theory Of government.