The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1918-02-23
ROMANISM VENTS ITS
SPLEEN IN MARYLAND
In Rage Over Proposed Legislation
Catholic Review Substitutes
Abusive Eplthets for Argument

The Great Secret Order, accord
ing to The Baltimore Catholic Re-
ViSw for Feb. 2nd, is q "contempti-
BILE organization" and Mr.. Waldron
who has put vim and yigor into its
work in Maryland is now motor
ious."
And this, because The Baltimore
Catholic Revtew, the real voice OF
Cardinal Gibbons, wants to censor
or pass on all bills before they are
submitted to the Legislature, 80 it
may be privileged to consign all
measures not meeting with its ap-
proval to the waste basket, q desire
peculiarly typical of Roman Cath
oic cardinals, priests and editors.
On this latter point it says:
It is really a pity that in our
state and federal assemblies there Is
not a committee which should first
pass on the advisability Of letting
propositions, measures and bills be-
ing introduced in public sessions.
There should be some means by
which such ridiculous attempts as the
one mentioned should be killed a.
borning, so that the intelligence Of
members should not be insulted by
having to listen to such indecent and
unwarranted introductions, and their
time saved for more important mat
ters-for matters Of vital interest
and general usefulness. Fools ought
to be saved from their own folly.
And those who seek to waste valu-
able time, or to direct attention to
senseless propositions, or the consid-
Grafton Of injurious measures ought
to be headed of at the very begin
ming.
The cause for the editors (Rt.
Rev. Msgr. G. F. Thomas, ]. G. D.,
LII. d. violent exercise Of his pen
as quoted above can be divided by
two.
First, the monsignor expresses
and feels, as do all hierarchal dig
nitaries, that there should be a
commission, composed of those who
will observe well in the Catholic
cause" whose duty it shall be to
censor all articles appearing in the
public print and kill all laws "a
borning" which do not work to the
special interest of the Roman Cath
olic church as such.
Second, he is influenced by the
present emergency which demands
Immediate action on the part Of
Rome, if she is to defeat the bill
which strikes a deadly blow at in
voluntary servitude and the bill
for safeguarding the public school
funds from the mschinations Of am
bilious Roman politicians (both
bills now before the Maryland leg
islature. See article by Judge Ma
tions, page four).
1t is because the Great Secret
Order was very influential in the
last election, and because Mr.. Wald-
ron has doubtless been influential in
getting these two bills before the
Maryland Legislature that the Balti'
more Review refers to the one as
Contemplate" and the other as
notorious"
1t is because the hierarchy feels.
now more than ever, the real weight
behind the move to defeat the OBJ.
jects of political Rome and because
it knows that behind this move is 8
sentiment thoroughly American
and one that is bound to take hold
of thorough Americans, that tht
editor becomes SO indiscreet as tt
recommend an establishment of thu
Congregation Of the Index ovel
American law-making bodies. Tht
duty of such an index would be Il
discard measures proposed for law
which might prove less favorable tc
the Roman Catholic church and it
political interests than the existing
order. The desire, it will be noticed
by re-reading the quotation from
The Review, would be to kill sucf
measures before they reach tht
legislature in order that the peopl,
may have no voice.
This the editor is pleased to pict
ure as a means Of saving "fools from
their own folly" while in reality i
is nothing more or less than tn,
expression of an ardent desir
which has always been, and alway
will be, entertained by the Roman
hierarchy, that the autocratic few
should sit in judgment over ant
prescribe for the "senseless masses.
= The editor only reiterates tn
position of Pope Leo XIII. Or
page 1870 Of Leo's Encyclical Let
ters he condemns democracy an,
popular sovereignty, and advance
the following as one Of the objeC
tions:
'1n society grounded upon sucl
maxims, all government is nothinI
more nor less than the will of th