The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1918-11-23

steadas desire to reshape the destinies of the hui
man race more in accord with the spirit of modern
times.
Kaisers, kings, emperors-potentates Of all
kinds who have hitherto ruled by means of the
magic wand known as Divine Right-are abdcat-
ing their thrones and fleeing from the righteous
wrath Of an awakened and outraged people. The
pope Of Rome is the ory colossal fakir of this type
which remains to curse the world, and his throne is
trembling. Crowns are going into the ash heap
along with the rack, the wheel and the thumhscrew.
The theory that might makes right is dead and that
tyrannical rencarnation of force and murder, the
man who lifted the lid off He'll and touched off the
confagration that has consumed the best there was
of all civilization, has been spared to see the last
vestige Of autocracy and militarism perish in the
flames Of his own lightning.
The terms of the armistice which brings this
world holocaust to close include Evacuation re-
paration and restitution insofar as restitution can
be made for the wanton sacrifice Of human lives by
millions and the destruction of property by whole
sale. The wreckage is terrible but we should hold
back our tears, for our brave dead can sleep in
peace and the sacrifice they have made for the sat-
cation of the world and for the weTfare of future
generations has not been in rain. NOW FOR THE
RECONSTRUCTION! Let us beat our swords
into ploughshares and our spears into pruning
hooks and rebuild on grander and more glorious
scale than ever. This is the spirit Of America, and
the spirit Of America is now dominant throughout
the World
What the United States has suffered is not to be
compared with the suffering of bleeding France, Of
old England or of sunny Italy. Nevertheless tho
power possessions and resources of the nation have
been completely diverted from the paths Of peace
that it will take the combined wisdom of patriotic
people to convert them back safely to the ante
beIlum basis.
Many things have been endured as war meas
ures that cannot be endured permanently. This
statement is not made in the spirit Of complaint,
for The Menace has never complained Of single
UGr measure, notwithstanding the fact that the
newspaper industry has probably suffered more
sorely than any other by reason Of war measures
and the discontinue they entailed.
Under no pretcxt in tho catalog, save war, would
the American people submit to the least abridgo-
ment Of the freedom Of speech and Of tho press.
Under no other pretoxt would they submit to fed
era control Of their most private and personal af-
fairs Under no other pretoxt would they entrust
the affairs Of state, vithout gunsion, to the hands
OF single individual aa they have to the president
Of tho republic, who, In normal times at least is
nothing moro nor loss than tho executive selected
by tho people to carry. .out their mandates, Undor
no other protcxt would the people tolerate for a
moment any law or act that would tond TO deprive
them Of full and free criticism Of public oticaldom.
But, o. said before, and as wa say again, the
American people loved democracy to the extent that
they were willing to sacrifice 1t FOR willis In order
that It's permAnency might bo insured, and when
the president announced that we were going into
the war for the purpose Of giving democracy to the
whole world, they were still willing to sacrifice,
EVEN WILLING TO FIGHT AND DIE, that
this ideal might be placed before the peoples Of the
whole world. When autocracy took the throne for