The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1919-10-18

archy published in foreign languages and the
two hundred published in English in this coun-
try contain hundreds of editorial columns every
week in the year denOuncing those schools as
enemies Of religion" and inherently vicious. The
department of justice and the post Office depart
ment have suppressed. periodicals for less Sc
riOus wrongs,
The political diet Of Washington also took
steps to enforce more rigidly the canon law re-
Gently promulgated from the papal throne as the
COdex Juris CanOnici. No other autOcrat since
the Revolutionary War has been permitted to en-
force upon American citizens in this country
alien statutes handed down from his imperial or
royal throne. The Gibbons diocesan paper re-
ports those steps as follows:
The new Code Of Canon Law was dis
cuissed at length in its numerous bearings on
the religious and ecclesiastical life Of the
people of the United States, and it was de-
cided to obtain from the. Holy Father more
definite instruction on various points Of
practical Importance.
Here is a code of law being enforced in the
United States by authority Of the crowned and
enthroned Holy Father in his imperial palace in
Rome When the enthrOned princes Of his en-
pire who reign over our cities desire that law to
be auth0ritatively construed, they naturally do
not submit it for that purpose to the state and
federal courts that have exclusive power to con-
strue American law. They submit it to the
crowned autOcrat of the papal empire and his
court known as Curia Romano, sitting 5000
miles away.
Operation Of that alien law is not confined to
matters bearing on the religious and ecclesas-
tical life Of our people, as the Roman press would
have us to believe it is. The canon law of Rome
presumes to overrule and set aside American law
on such important secular subjects as marriage
and divorce, legitimacy of children, title to real
and personal property, taxation, schools, frater-
nal relations, the food and dress of American
citizens, the nature and validity Of contracts,
politics and many other matters having no pos
sible connection with legitimate religious or &C.
clesiastical life.
No wonder this alien system of law engen-
ders deep and widespread injustice and suffering,
No wonder the hierarchy of enthrcned prelates
charged with its enforcement are chronically al
loggerheads with the people and the civil au.
thorities. No wonder they meet lnanswerable
arguments with stale eggs, brick bats, arson and
murder at the hands of their trained m0bs Of
deluded rufians. No wonder large and increas
ing number of good citizens are determined tC
check the invasion of our land by this alien
autOcracy.
More than half the prelates at this diet were
Irish and nearly all the others were German
Scarcely one of them has an American name
None OF their churches, schools, hospitals OF
prisons bears an American name. Five bishops
four of whom are Irish and one German, were
constituted the National Catholic Welfare Coun
ell. They compose sort of steering committe,
to direct the activities among us of this alier
establishment that has blighted all the New
World from the Rio Grande to Cape Horn fou
hundred years. These enthroned prelates an
nounce their intention to meet hencefOrth ever!
year.