THE FIGHT FOR THE SCHOOLS

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 167, 15 July 1914, Page 8

THE FIGHT FOR THE SCHOOLS

• HOW IT WAS DONE IN QUEENSLAND. Till: l-.\[) H sTIFIKs THE MEANS. (By JOHN I AICIILEY, MA.}; No. ir It i- saf e m -ay that never in Antral i-.-inn history was a ,-a„se won lav sii.-'i unworthy means as vva.s the rails. in the alleged inleri'sls of the Bible an.l reli'ji.in in t,,i nsbin.l. A.- every move in ihe game in New Zealand has so fur Ii lowed the tactic- adopted in Queen— I..'id. we mac ii„,k for enlightenment lo i Queensland as to the probable source of l inline .vents. THE PETITION. Ihe Queen-laud (iovernmeni w.is moved | '•" granl a referendum on account of a | |.eiili..:i presented by the Uiblc ill s.-hoial- 1.i'.i0,i,,. iii,.,-,, was „o scrutiny "i l ii< petition, lint when it was 100 i lit.' after t.io- referendum was granted ii v a- found lhat this petition was a coin, i pound of petilious gathered for over lif-t-en veir,- be,".,re. Hue M.P. declared ' ml o" per cent, of the people who . siefied were nol living ill Queen*!;! nd | »I.M the petition vvas presented. ISh-c. "11..„5„,,|."c.v.. p. ;:ik.i Moral lor N'.-vv Zealand! The p-li ion ' :••>•■ used a- ii claim for a referendum is j ■ ;iiitc a- deceptive iii different ways as lie- Queensland one. We niu-t have n | -,I'ii'imv of it. Ilcputable organisations . challenge that petition and are prepared! It. prove its mn iiii-ta orthlness. j WHY THE I.Kr'EREXDI M \S.\S I. RANTED. Tlie Premier nn.l the l.ibonr parly |.'i tiie llefcreiiiliiin Bill on through with-n-it worrying ahuitt its injustice. Hotli pinii-s in tin- House undertook to stump iii- country against t'ae proposal: ctui-lid-iil that'it won!,] lie beaten by three I l" "ii-. But when the poll drew near. I parties were entangled in political tights. and the referendum went by default. l'Vvv M.1., even knew vvb.it the proposals submitted to the elector- really involved. Politicians, teachers. Trrshvtcrians. and others let the thin- go by default, and l here was im organised opposition to the Bible in Schools League. ; Moral for New Zealand: Wake up and Kill ihis iniquitous thing ; it. it,, beginning. THE BALLOT I'APEK. The Queen-land ballot paper was almost identical with the one ill lion. I. Mien's Bill. It i- fnitin.il by the Bible in -.ciiools League, which will res!-, every c|T..it made by our Parliament to have I hi- I iHot paper altered, it is lui/.y and v '.--ie where anything awkward is f to be .oil. ealed from the voter. Yet in Queensland, after the referendum. Parliament loutiil ib-elf bound baud anil fool by this very cleverly drafted and innocent-look - mo description of the scheme. Moral for New Zealand: Parliament iiuisl see that everything latent in the plausihle description of the scheme i-tiii-d.' explicit before-note it well bef -iv the referendum i- granted, if it is granted ot al l . Every interpretation, .--. ,-iv safeguard to liberty and to justi. ■. iini-t be inserted in the present bill, or it will be for ever too late, us will be shown presently. We will expound this ballot paper presently, and the need for c\trente caution and precaution will be THE KTCFEKENDIM ELECTION*. Tii- poll was taken on t.'ie same day ::- ;iv.- separate other matters were submitted to the elector- concerning the i uiiimonwealth. lv the confusion thus r..-:iltin_' the Religious Instruction in Stale Schools vv.i~ large'v overshadowed. nnd the Bible in Schools' League bad all a f s own war. l)n?"n- ~f .piotatioiis from Que land' "Hansard." \ 01-. CV.. CYi.. in.l I VII.. could be given to prove this. W'o'.e still, there were about -JUO fewer i.olliii.' booths than al a parliamentary i '.ci ion. and hundreds of electors in country district.- could not travel to lhn,'a re-1. booth. It was snow n that opposition to tlie propo.-al was strongest i — country di-tricts. U'or-c again. Al a.number of booths to iv were voting papers for only a fraction "I the voter-. At Ruiidahe'rg there wore only "T. pipers where :;nil people i -ii.illy voted. Members wired for more v olino ptpers. They could not he se- , or.-.1. Polling booths were piacurdod in- - '•'" nnd out with appeals: "Vote for 1....1." "Tote for (io.l and the Bible." Ml who opposed ibe iniquitous method proposed were of course enemies of laud, n: were dubbed Koman Catholics. | THE RESULT. The Hihlc in Schools emissaries prae--li. illy took charge "f the booth-. They "..!.- in-i.ie and out. accosting voter-. N.. scrutineers were allowed on the opj ~-iie side. There were 7(i.'!T informal v..!.-. And after sill tiii-a. what was tlie j r.-i I .' Kill ol Jlill.llO'.l elector.- oil the j i,,;i. IJl.lin did not vote on the referen\n,| of tlie electors who actually I v,.,1.-I on nt her questions ou the same ,-. "ii.iiiii'i did mil vote ou the religious - fe en linn. The p.iblo in Schools and Biidit ..i Entry League was thoroughly oi-., u-ed. .md go;, every voter to the r...|| -with avhal result; They polled 26.S pc ni.. or ii little over one quarter of ! |... electors on the roll. \,t ihey had. a- they have done in \. w /.ealiind. declared that they repre-sei.-ed ileiiominntions comprising over TO per cent, or a little over one quarter of rp,.ir:er of the electors. .l.±!K in number, .biminated Ihe whole Parliament repr. -ciii ill" JriO.lliiil electors in Queensland. an,l de.i.- I t/iem to eros- a "t" or dot an ' i" oi lhat vague aud delusive ballot sl'.i TAB I AX STRIFE. I)iirin_' Ihe conlcsi the bitterest sec t iriaii striic wa- rai.-cd. ('.inoii liarland. ,:.,, ni-gaiii-or. duhheil opjioiicii'- indis- , rlmin nelv as being lloinan (atliolics or. . onlrol'i'd by thai I littrch. (l.c: us not '..-.-I lhat cry.i When a majority of Ihe P: -bvtcriaii :nini-ie,.. of Qiiccn-laiid had , ie-,.,-,1-,l iv "Hansard (Vol. i*\ | . p. |i'.l7i for the "credit ~i I'n-si.v leriaiiisui." thai they ~ :-,. oppo-cd io the bill. Caiioil <!a - ) i-.i-l ait einpil'd lo rescue Key. A. McKillop. ~,,,| ,|,.,-liLieil that he wa- nol marching •iii'.ler Lhc I'aidiual's I Mora lis I humor." 11. v. \. M.-KUb.p promptly tclegrapln-l 1i,,, 1,,- b.i. "heaitily opposed to ihe "., ,:, Kill and to nil Stiite aid to religion." |; ~ .1, M.-liregoi- lltilis.inlised a letter \ ~. i \ I. p. ITii-li in wiiieli lie explode.! i. .iii-reprcsenlalion ol Ihe I'le-hvlcr-i in ~,,-iti,,,,. Il'.ible iv School, 1.e.i0,,.----i,Hi, ills declared lhat Presbyterian mini-- i i.r. iM-i-e iinaiiimoii.slv ill favour of lhe| Ilea. -I. M.-Hirltgor said: "It i- I ■ ;,,, t),,. |,eopli> should he instructed in i th.. !,iu-ua'T" oi tin' Iriit 11. , . I do not tb.nk .i r .rt v i n person's 'Canon Gar-l.-i-, wonder/.il phrase ('march under iv, i. irdmal's banner'i will affright those' who, from conscientious motives. oppofic tii J Id. ... A majority oi Pr'.-oytenan minioiers, whose Protestantism cannot be questioned, . . are op>aa»eij to the bill." He also referred to

I I -the sectarian bitterness the bill is j a heady causing—n bitterness from which this country has hitherto been free.'' THE ITvESBVTEIiIAN OFFICIAL UKCAN. ( anon (inHand, during the last few days through a Press Association telegram, has sent all over New Zealand this same .sectarian era. Ile says that "Kom.in (atliolics are to lodge a petition so lhat the mailer will he fully discussed,' 1 .r words to that effect. He knows perfectly well that Ihe Baptist and Congregational and Advcntiat. Churches have turned down the league's scheme, and that many of the foremost Presbyterian ministers are opposed to it. and that the National Schools Defence League is nol :a Catholic organisation. But "Vote for Cod and the Bible." au.l "Down wit "a Popery." arc the catch-cries of an inji.iuitoiis organisation. Bishop •luiiit.s also • j declared publicly ill Christ church that the opposition wan a "handful of Koman Catholics." | The Presbyterian paper, the Messenger.] ptiMis.lipd ill Queensland, delicti this sectarian i-i-v. and a lending; article, 3rd Sep- J tettiber. 'I.HO. declared:—"We do not, think the question of religions instruction in State -.-boots one that should J [have been submitted lo a referendum,: nor do we think that I referring to iM.P.'sl one who thinks the tiling asked j I for is prejudicial to the state, should I |support it' -imply because a majority . .asked for it." I The next article will -how that even !,1„. legislator- vv io passed the bill did I not know what ilia- innocent looking | ! ballot paper landed tlicm in for.