The Menace (newspaper)
The Menace was a weekly newspaper published in Aurora, Missouri that developed a circulation of 1.5 million nationwide with a virulently anti-Catholic editorial stance. It promoted itself as "The World's Headquarters for Anti-Papal Literature."[1]
History
The Menace was founded in 1911 by Wilbur Franklin Phelps within the first three years there were a million subscribers. It was an anti-Catholic publication that fed upon the Ku Klux Klan hysteria of the 1910s–1920s. Along with the paper, the company also published anti-Catholic books and arranged engagements for anti-Catholic speakers.[2]
The Menace was published in Aurora from 1911 to 1920. In December 1919, the publishing plant burned down, arson was suspected. Publishing was moved to Branson, Missouri and the newspaper's name was changed to The New Menace. It was published there from 1920 to 1922. It then moved back to Aurora from 1922 to 1931. It was succeeded by The Monitor which was published in Aurora from 1931-1942. It ceased publication in December 1942.[3]
Roman Catholic leaders took notice and clipped articles from the paper that alleged lewd behavior by priests, leading to federal prosecutors indicting the editors on suspicion of mailing obscene materials. The Menace won the obscenity trial held in Joplin, Missouri, in 1916.
See also
References
- ^ Pearce, Matt. "A century ago, a popular Missouri newspaper demonized a religious minority: Catholics". No. 9 December 2015. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- ^ http://etext.ku.edu/view?docId=ksrlead/ksrl.kc.menacenewspaper.xml The Menace Newspaper Collection, Kansas Collection, RH MS 1266, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries
- ^ http://etext.ku.edu/view?docId=ksrlead/ksrl.kc.menacenewspaper.xml The Menace Newspaper Collection, Kansas Collection, RH MS 1266, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries
  | This article about a Missouri newspaper is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |