The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1918-06-15
SAYS The EDITORS STATEMENTS ARE FALSE
Bitter Assault Characterized as the Very Opposite of Facts
and Mullen Shows How the Censorship Which the
tdItor First Used Againt Him Has Extended to Job
Prlnng---May Be Forced to Suspend His Church Pauer

EO1 MARTING under the conscious
.ATC ness that he had allowed him.
\ ~ self and his paper to become
EGN the tool of Rome the editor
and manager of The EUening
Revlew of East Liverpool, Ohio, re-
Gently took it upon himself to write
an article on Memorial Day, which,
instead Of being an article breathing
brotherly love, was nothing short of
bitter and vitrolic attack upon John
Mullen, pastor of the Christian
church, whose statement of fact as
to how the Liverpool opposition to
the war chest came about carried
statements showing how the Patri-
otic League for receiving contribu-
tions for war purposes had been Or
ganized and carried on its work in
spite of a press so unfavorable that
its columns were closed to this side
of the case. This side be it known
was not in favor of the war chest.
Let there be no camouhage about
this article. The only reason for its
being written is that the preacher
took exactly the stand we think every
preacher ought to take and the
charges the editor makes against him
as a result are, so the preacher says,
the exact opposite Of the facts. It's
a case Of one mans word against an
other with US, for we haven't the
proof in sight that the pastor says
he can produce, but when it comes to
believing one Of two opposing stories
we prefer to believe a man who has
the backbone to stand out for what
ne believes is right and who makes a
tight on the war chest, to believing
an editor who so far forgets the mis-
sion of the press that he, under any
conditions, closes his columns to both
sides or either side Of any contro-
versy?
In our last issue we carried an ar
ticle by this same Rev. John Mullen
who told how the war chest cam
paign was "put over" in that city.
It also told Of how he organized the
Patriotic League through which per-
sons who did not wish to contribute
to the funds of the Knights of Co
lumbus might give to such organiza-
tions as they chose.
Just to Find a Word
To find a name for this, we sup
pose, was the chief incentive for the
editor going back to the civil war and
attempting to give his vitrolic attack
upon Mullen a Memorial Day ring.
At any rate he emerged from his at
tempted fight into history with the
term "Copperhead" which is what
slackers and obstructionists were
called among the men of the north in
Civil war days.
That is the term he wanted to hang
on Mullen and the Patriotic League
but 1t so happens that Mullen is
neither Stacker nor an obstructionist.
True, he did not want to be com
PEELED to contribute to the war chest
fund so long as the Knights Of Co
lumbus were connected herewith and
he So stated. He knew there were
hundreds Of others just like him and
he knew there would be the usual
coercion that goes with the war chest
scheme. He wanted to avoid helping
the Knights but wanted to help other
organizations with which he was and
is in deep sympathy and he knew
others wanted to help other organ
izations and avoid the Knights SO he
took the lead, and with others, or
ganized q Patriotic League for the
sole purpose Of distributing the con-
tributions Of its members among war
relief organizations as they wished
them distributed.
This certainly was not obstruction
for 1t was proving an outlet for
money that would not have been OBJ
had the League not been or
ganized for many Of the people who
gave through the League would not
have given to the war chest at all
and others gave more by having the
League through which to disburse
contributions in the manner they de-
sired. Mullen performed really pa
triotic service that has not been per-
formed by many men, simply because
too many are afraid to murmur ex-
cept at the direction of those whose
function 1t is to hire and fire.
OF course it must not be over
looked that the sponsors for the war
chest wanted to include the Protes-
tant churches as benefciaries in the
fund after the objection to the pres
ance Of one sectarian organization
was raised, but Mullen was right
when he insisted that this was COM
promise of principle and he would
nave bean the worst kind of coward
4 he had made q little support forl