DISESTABLISHMENT IN WALES

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 102, 29 April 1912, Page 4

DISESTABLISHMENT IN WALES

"i Considering the predominance o: t£ I Li"r*?ra]s in the Hou-e <■>;" Common*, it hardly Surprising that the Bill fir t: Duestabiis-iCTen: of the v bur.:. :r. Wall 3 ?houjii command a ;troc£ majority. Y< ? this measure iri.'i have to :"3cp vehemer •" and obstinat" opposition before it b "- cocif- law. Mr. L:<iyi !>eers:e i- natu: ? aiiv -i".'kf- —a- : r -..- nstio r or: :hi: «p«>?riou. bj: :be Bill r.eei- n ■ better .:--•:--■»> than was put forward "<" > it :y Mr. MeKenna when hr fir-: public! r outlined his measure three month* .is , ' 'i As the H'rr.p Secretary said at tb* , tin;' ■the .:•■•—a- ! :"~r Si-zm-TK i 1 Wai.-*, i- has«-d or. purely nations ground-. " Wγ have r.o thought -•: sacr: l^? ,, or fpo!.at;on or robbery or an; of "..i» t!to- w.t>. which of a:. , charged Our basin**- ir the ef:ab:;;hm?n by iaw of .'. ( hur. r: 10 Tvhi'"i ih° grea , bj|k of in-, people co not belong, an! «'<* a*ii for nothing more and no'.hin! less than equal treatment by the >tat< of the various I'.enoTriir.atiorL; :n »'hicl the r"':r.o;i- life of \\"a>= finds it: mDolip..er.t and lie expression." As i' tile jrer.erai principle on which the E-tab-iuhmen". i« Mr. M Ker.n.i quoted with sreat force Bi.-hop Wel'.don's dieturc that .'n Established (. aurcb ■"?b.ould bi far ?tron2er than ?uy other jo.iy : ::./>: :■} a rule :hf Church should embrace half the nation wiihin hei pale"; and a? a fur her condition, the Bishop demanded that —.he Church should be broadly =rrnpa;hftic with the temper and current of national religious life." Tbe-e are reaionab'.e and equitable conditions, and Mr. M:Kenna and Mr. Lloyd <>-orZ'"- contend '.hat they do not exL-t in *.he .a.-c of the Anglican Church a- r.o'.v estafblifbed ir. "A ales. Aβ regards the rir.-t Zesx vi numerical I strength. a:--x>rj:r:<»' to the o: ; the Royal i. omm.-sion there .ne at the ! present Trine tnrre Nonconformists in \\"a>- for every Anglican churchman. A* to the r+ezmd quertioo, whetner the An giicaa ( huroh .? in sympathy wu,h W e'»h : cutionii! life and -eEtacenL. Mr. Lloyd George declares, that speak. for bL- : he can an.-'*er with an cmi phatic nesrat;ve. The fait that for 100 rears no Welshman was appointed t-o a \Vei-h bishopnc is s-ipiilk-ant enough: and Welshman do Dot need to be reminded that the greatest of -he Welsh ted-r-herv and preachers have been "either ehunned by the Church in whicli they were bred, or dnven from the pale." The ? e things fe-v* jrradaa'.ly impressed tbeiwiTes upon the fonscJou?iies* of the people, and so "the demand for Dis establishment ha- penetrated into the very heart of Welsh nation-il life. 1: ■>*"a ? iK>t tiii 15&5 that the «-x.iea=if,n of thf franchise gave the Welsh people a chance of expressing their convictions on this point. But since l>*t'>. in circcessive Parliaments, the WeUh vol-e for Disestablishment ha* never been less than TO per cent. of the Weiss members ' and in one of the Parliamentc every Welsh member voted for it. A- to th« iu-ore material aspects of th" proposed change. it may be pointed out that : is intended, subject to exisun? life interests, to di.=end'*- , *.h-e • Tiuroh of an income of £1? 1.000. which will be restored to national purposes. Bnt this will still leave the Anf!K-an Churrh bciwer £80.000 and £100.liO0 a year, derived from the>e public source*, and it ~«">U still be "by far th-? most richly endowed of any denomination in Wale-."" The Liberal Bill .-ertair.ly wm; fair enough to satisfy the mo-i exactine requirement.- of equity. And as to the principle- involved, we believe that they appeal t< , the srreat majority of people in the <-.vt-r-ea Dominions 25 strongly s; to Mr. Lloyd Georpe or Mr. McKen.na: "To insi-t upon treating a faith which the Welsh people do not accept as if it i vere their national rreed: to continue forcing it ur-or. them a- such, in spite of their repudiation of ii- claim. '■• divert coinpuUorily tb-e whoie "i the ancient national endowintolerable of 2i! oppression-. T democratic Liberal* *u.-b argument? can never appeal in Tain, and we believe that the vast majority r>f the people of New Zealand heartily wish tie r>eople of Wales success in their demand 1 for "tiat measure of religions equality which is now enjoyed by every self-1 !To'?erniT<s Dominion throughout the! Emprrc." I