PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 247, 16 October 1917, Page 2

PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION.

ITS OBJECTS EXPLAINED. REPLIES TO CRITICISM. LARGE TOWN HALL MEETING. A meotinsr held under the auspices oi the Protestant Political Association last night at the Town Hal! was- ar..-ruled by a crowd that just about tilled thp large building. The proeeedin-n throughout wi-re marked by the utmost enthusiasm, the shakers being frequently applauded. After tin- mpetiup had been op.-ned with the National Anthem, thi- chairman (Mr. 6. Moon .l.n-i read apologies for unavoidable ..).-.mre from the Hon. J. A. Hanaii i Minister for Education) and Messrs'. \V. Sosworthy. Ml.. E. P. Lee. M.1 , ., and .1. S. l>k-k-<">n. M.l>. TT.K STARTING POINT. Tn opening the meeting Mr. Moore 3nne« r.-marked that he thought the occasion a fitting one t ( > emphasi.-e tin , causes that hud call.-d the Association into Heing. and the nbj.-.-i.- and principles fnr which the Association stood. S<xne jour years ago the Roman Catholic Federation wa> formed with the dear-cut issue of takinp a hand in the political arena and influencing legislations and legislation. One of its rirst steps was a demand upon the Hon. .1. A. Hanan. M.P. (Minister for Education), that Koman Catholic -rho<Ms be subsidised t>y tht" Stato. that iv fare oi the fart that already .< most liberal provision for truncation aloncj unsectarian lines existed in this country. A meeting of Roman Catholic bishops had passeil a resolution rondemnine the mixed system of education a? danaeroii< to the morals of CathoHe youth, otherwise that education with Protestants was a danger to the moral? of the Roman Catholics. The demand ■was for Catholic schools, under Catholic control, for Catholic children with Catholic teach.-rs. but subsidised specially by the taxpayer of this country. The demand was not srantod. when it was intimated to the Minister i>y the deputation that further influence would be brought to bear to alter the present system, which recognised no religion, but equal citizenship alike to Roman Catholic and Protestant, [t wa> that act and attitudt ■which revealed the real of the aims of the Federation. Coupled with that was the co:nmon knowled-i ihat already a movement was beinjj made to dominate lo<-al elections, school comtnittees, municipal Council*. State departments, the Civil Service and the public Press. The speaker related an Incident of the last municipal .'K-ction in connection with his own candidature, in which his name had hern used without Bis permission in a certain matter, and he had been telephoned "from St. Patrick's Cathedra] " rpqiie-timj him to renounce the use of his name. Because ot an implied threat in tii<- manner of the rpqmst he declined to s'tni the renunciation, and he in- told later by a fellow candidate that if they did not -ipi the renunciation they would r>oo vote--. He did not make the renunciation because of the implied threat. Tho»e farts •ilhoiiPtted the Federation against the political horizon and marked it mit apoenLarlly poitieal in design and effect. P') LIT I γ-s \M) TUF. WAR. Tnat rhaUenge brouerht into being the Protectant Political a body of Protestants, day by day growing ■tronsrer. who were determined u> frus" trat.- any attempt by A minority to dominate the political machinery of tw' country. It had Seen pii^e'ted'that the mo-, ci.ient of the Prote-t.-.nt Political j\s-ocjation misht tend to dissension and strife at a tune when .ill should present a 'mitel front to a ifimmon enemy. But tierp ua- a duty c-a-t upon those"unable to tak. their place in the tiring line, t > see that thai samp freedom winch our boy= were givTijs t ieir lives to uphold on the far-off battlefields, should not be Biena<i'd at home ;n their absence. Some people asked where ,ias the evidence ot pohtiial azgy — ion he spoke of. I!.' reminded people of the f jmt question *sk?d by Uermany and pro-Oermaiw at the time when Ij-rd Kobort- warned EnilinJ of her danger, it uas no! one of the objects of the Protestant Political Association to attack any man's rehgion. On religious niatttrs the Association .ni consistently tolerant, hut vhere the Church was iu;e 1 a.i a political instnimeut to doniin.it- politic* they had to be guided by the of history. In cuuntrie.-, ivhere the Churi-h ol Home liAd held p.-lui.-.i] sway, oi dominated in political matters ,w ,n Britain. France, ltalv. America. Ireland and Mexico, ther" had l)een unihini: l»ni «liarj-. turmoil. non-progresMvene-s. ani hrtolerance. Ireland had -ho.vn n Intolerance of Protestantism, and v ■ I. cline in patriotir-m that. Ijeairareri description. The refprred tv tb< figure- of the recruiting in Ireland agiven by Mr. Fldjfar Crammond. H< stated that Ireland had i-ontribiited onl\ J7.4 per rent of available lighting men •Khile England. Scotland, and Wale bud contributed 7i>.7 per eenl of tneir men. Protectant. Clstei h.id npplierl fil.2 per cent of ill the Irith recruit-. Ireland made a n> plor.ible -h.mini in inrupai i-on with th( over-eas Dominions, in sending I.Ti.inii Men from a population of 4..)00.00l) Australia had sent 3:i3.1J00 Iroiii .i j.npu latinn nf 5.000.1KH». \,-.\ Zealand no.ool from 1.H00.000. < .mad.i 400.000 fron eight million, and ><>uth Africa lOd.Oiiil H- quoted .i cable from the "AucklaiK Star of iic-t'rtici .1, in which 'ardini J-ojriie appeaied for Catholic chaplain* for the frunt. and th- l.i.k ol chaplain* to the adhcrrnrp of Iri-ti prints to the Sinn Kein raoveiuent That indicated that Ireland na> u ..t belli.' peruiittecl to bear it- lull -Iwr. of responsibilities tv tiip Kmpire. ft wa-s such political inrluence- in thi public life of the country whi>-h men lathe hundred had to their feet n> combat. TUP: ASSOCIATION'S OBJECTS. Some ~i S u.h men we,-, on the platlorni that stateii Mr Moore-Jones, and do intimidation nr side-tracking ■would divert them from tln-ir purpo-c. The oDJecta of the A-.-,oeiation were tv maintain and defend the and 1 bertiei of the people. a.nd to promote tbp political and social and iiiornl wm||. v " being or the D»jmin:on; tn ~(><-urr the return of approved <-nn<li<laU>s to Piirlia-me-it and to <:ivic nftice to -exiire the impartial administration o> the law, of the Dominion, to safejruard the Stat.; and tlie Km pin- a^ain n t the of sectarian interests; to promote loyalty to the Protectant religion, the 'Kins (being Hotestant_i. and to the limpire And the A-*ociation'a motto was "equa rights and privileges for all. special privileges tor noaf. To those no loyal mar or -woman could refuse to fay "hear hear." THE CHURCH ELEMENT. Pastor C. K. Meyers said that the plat •T-irm of tnc Protestant Political As-io nation was one on which fair discussion on the aims and aspirations o f thi Eoman Catholic Omrcb. would coutiauc

but it would be baiTed to any who wished to discuss them with a spirit of animosity or religious hatred. (Hear. hear.) It must be patent to every student of history thai the Roman Catholic Church was not satisfied to work as a religious organisation and to concern itself with a religious mission in the world. A great deal had been heard abour the Catholic votb. Why, he asked, should there be a Catholic vote at all? When a man went to the ballotbox he should not be trammelled by the doctrines of any Church. (Applause.) In 1912 an American Roman Catholic archbisnop stated, in response to a query from a member of his Church, that he must submit himself to the decision of the Church, even if he had to sacrifice political principles. It was a bold statement, but it could be proved that the Roman Catholic Church through its political associations challenged all that was best in our country's constitution. Freedom of opinion and the right to I express these opinions through the I nn'iliuin of the Press and of speech were our best and greatest rights. Continuing. Pastor Meyers said the Roman Catholic Church was uncompromisingly opposed to a free Press. In 1564. Pope Pius IX. issued an encyclical. 'in which he condemned and proscribed : the doctrine that ""liberty of conscience and of worship is the right of every man [—a right which ought to be proclaimed i ami established in la.v in pvery well- | constituted State, and that citizens are entitled to make known and declare. S with a liberty which neither the cclesij ii.~ti.-al nor the civil authority can limit, i tln-ir cninictione of whatever kind, by I cither wnnl of mouth or through the J Press, or hv other means." The speaker .-:; d that this encyclical also proscribed ' tlw contention that "thp will of the i people manifested by what is called pubpie opinion constitutes supreme law." It could only be in keeping with such a j pronouncement to find that all fair crij ticism calculated to undermine the political aspirations of the Roman Catholic Church were resented in the same spirit ;n which they were condemned by Pope Piue IX. ' FREEDOM OF UTTERANCE. Mr. Meyers said that 13 Washington a [newspaper had been boycotted under the , authority of Monsigno'r Russell, of the Roman Catholic Church. In Christchurch a newspaper comment on Bishop : Rrodie's utterances at a public meeting showed that the same spirit of suppres- , sion existed. Although opposed to a grep Press for others, the greatest liberties were taken by Catholic journals. I Pastor Meyers read extracts from the i"'N>w Zealand Tablet" to show how intolerantly public men were attacked. and how openly the cause of the Empire j was criticised. In view of these facts one judgment only could be passed on tne increasing activitie 3 of the Catholic Federation. The speaker proceeded: "We must •say to every Protestant Church. 'You ar,. free to fulfil your mission.' and to , the Roman Catholic Church we can say. ' V on. too, are free; but, remember a"ll ot you. that the price your Church pays tor this liberty is an absolute divorce trom political interference.' Remember Abraham Lincoln's words, and 'here nighly resolve that those deadr.ahslLnot ; nave dieim vain, that this nation under j ' -od shall have a new birth of freedom and tnat government of the br , th P people, for the peopfc Wl l>7ll bt perish, irom the earth.'" (Appiau'se.) A REPLY TO CRITIC-ISM. ~ I Mr George Al.lri.lgc, the next speaker. 'criticised a -rraion preached by the Rev Kuther Ainsworth i n .St. " Patricks Cathedral recently. Father Ainsworth. .-aid the speaker, had assumed the task of publicly rebuking the association, and had attempted to give it a lesson in toleration and charity. He had indignantly declared that Catholics had been subjected to a bitter campaign directed ugainst "'the sacred institutions and sacred personages of the Catholic ( liurch," that "ridicule, misrepresentation, and bitter calumnies were hurled with sickening reiteration against them." . Any campaign at all had been directed not against persons, or Roman Catholic morality, but again-t Romanism as a system which now. ae always, opposed the principles of civic and religious liberty. I Applause.) Father Aineworth had termed the association a villainous association, and its members ac ignorant, intolerant bigots. He had either spoken without Knowledge, or lie had wilfully misrepresented it. when he had declared ite avowed purpose was to "procure justice and equal rights for all Proteet.int-." The association would be unworthy of its name, and would forfeit its right t'i existence were its objects thus limited. (Applause.) It might suffice for the Catholic Federation to limit iteelf to the interest* of its own eo-religionis.ts. but true Protestantism had in it something wiiler an'l more generous. Its ninttu m< "'Kqual righte for all: special privilegre for none." That was the association's standard. (Applause.) The association had come into being not ibinause it was bedieved that Romanist doctrines were unsound, nor because of tie Church's eerenwinies or charities. These might, be considered as private matters, with which no outside association anil no man bad a right to interfere. Hut it was the system which concenied itself with secret diplomacy, inttrnational intrigue mid political which the association opposed. The .spiiker sai«l that Roman Catholicism contained iVat ires inimical to the State. ar.'l detrimental to the interests of the individual, and they must be withstood ■by all who wi-heel to cont-ervc the lilbertie* -o hardly ivon by our forefathers. ; 1 Applause.) There were two factors which had contributed to the formation of the association, an 1 both were important enough tv demand sm-h an organisation. The first «'a* the origin, progress, and pof i-ilile Hiitcome of the war. This had awakened the activities of Rritish Amerij can Protestantism. Apart altogether I trom the clearly-uncjprstood actions ot thi! Vatican, it was the boldly-'leejarpd intention of the Kenman centre—the War party —to secure the renewal of the Temporal Power of the Papacy. The London "Standard" has stated that at a private .sitting of the Finance (ommitte • of tli» Bavarian Diet 'the Premier ot Bavaria stated definitely that Germany anil her allies, including Mohammedan Turkey, had pledged themselves to .is-igu a portion of Italian territory for tin- revival of the Papal State abolished half a century ago." That, with all the consequences which belonged to such a grant, was of itself .sufficient to call into existence throughout the British Empire .strong Protecting Associations to stiffen the backbone 01 the rulers in their resistance to this scheme. (Applause.) But there was a more immediate cause, and that was the and existence of the Catholic Federation, which was an organisation to fc » used by the Church to push its nlaim?, primarily to disintegrate and wrtnk our system of education. These two things acre sufficient to justify the existence of the Protestant Political Association. (Hoar, hear.)

VARYING VIEWS OF CHAKITY. Dealing with Father Ainsworth's statement that the Roman Catholic Church v-as ever the practical exponent of Christian charity in its widest cense, Mr. Aldridge gave what he considered instances of the lack of charity on the part of the Roman Catholic Church and its representatives. He eaid that in every city . where Protestantism wae supreme I Catholics were tolerated; in no country ! where Romankm was supreme was Protestantism tolerated. Father Ainsworth said that charity in ite widest sense existed in the Catholic Church. Charity! He called on the shades of the Protestant martyrs of the poet centuries to stand up and tell of the charity of the Roman Church. And it wae the boast of the Roman Church that it never changed. It was daring of one of the Roman priesthood to talk of Christian charity, seeing that he was a member of a hierarchy which pledged iteelf to the persecution and extermination of heretics. Roman Catholic bishops were compelled to take a vow I that "heretics, schismatics, and rebels to ]our Lord the Pope I will to my uttermost persecute and oppose." Archbishop Bourne had stated that thie part of the oath was not required from English I bishops. That was because Protestant i England would not permit such action. The speaker said he did not know if Dr. Clearv was also exempted, but if he were it wae for the same reason. It was exacted, however, from Roman functionaries in other lands. If the chairman of |the Ministers' Association took a similar !oath. woUld the denominations represented be able to boast of their Christian charity? Mr. Aldridge concluded by asking if the Papacy had set aside its claims of 'supremacy for ite head and laws in Ureat j Britain and in this Dominion. Had it repudiated its claim to depose kin;»s and princes, and to absolve their subjects imni allegiance? Did it no longer claim the right to kill heretics? Did it now concede equal rights for all, special privileges for none? If not. Father Ainsworth's laudation of the charity of Romanism wae worthless. IS THIS THE TIME? Rev. Howard Elliott, whose appearance was greeted with cheers, remarked, in opening, that though he was there to speak on the Post Office inquiry, he wished to state that some misunderstanding had arisen respecting the aims [of the P.P.A. Dealing with the cry of I "'sectarian strife,"' he said the association protested against it as unjuet and untrue. (Hear, hear.) Neither on the platform of the association, nor in any of the literature published by it, had any word been uttered or written that reflected upon the doctrinal beliefs or the religiou* practices of the Roman Catholic Church. That church, however, was something more than a church. By ite organisations, and through its publications, it was a political institution, adventuring into politics both local and national. Because of ite menace the Protestant Political Association was being organised. I The Roman Catholic Federation, during 'the past three years, had oeen organising b\- holding public meetings and enrolling i members in the political interests o£ its Church, and no cry of sectarian strife had been raised. But as soon as the Protestants commenced to organise, the cry of sectarianism was started. The Protes tant Political Association was hot raicing any sectarian issue, except the one raised by the Catholic Federation three years ago. When the Church of Rome essayed to enter the political arena she I had no right to resent either criticism or counter organisation. ( Applause.l It had been said by some good Protestants, continued Mr. Elliott, whose concern for the Empire and the great necessity for winning the war caused them to I object, that the «esent was not the time 'for inaugurating a great Protestant organisation. Had the matter been left ■to the option of Protestants they would i have chosen aunost any other time in the i history of the Dominion for such an ! organisation. The choice did not lay I with the association, however. The neces Isitv had been forced upon it. The pain- ! ful fact, wae that during the period of jthe war the aggressions and arrogance !of the Roman Church had become so marked and dangerous to the interests of Protestantism and the Empire that in every part of the Empire Protestants had been forced to organise a= Protestants jwere now doing in Xew Zealand. The ! Protestants of New Zealand were the last of all to take up the work. To wait I until after the war would be to play the game of the association's opponents. 'It would be impossible to organise effectively the Protestant forces under one year. An election was certain to take place "before the elapse of that period after the war. and Protestants would be found ! unprepared for the attack as Britain was {unprepared for Germany's onslaught. iThey would be blind men, and traitors to their great heritage if they allowed themselves to be caught, while irreparable injury would be done to the future wellbeing of our land. (Applause.) POSTAL INQUIRY REVIEWED. I Referring bo tile postal inquiry. .Mr Elliott said that the opinions of men ot all standing throughout S>* Zealand were that the finding of the eommis-.-Joner was thoroughly unsatisfactory, and against the weight of evidence, and attempted to justify an injustice that was intolerable. The censorship was still being exercised over llox 012. and the people of Xew Zealand now knew that the correspondence of Protectants was singled out for censorship while no correspondence of a Roman Catholic organsation. institution, or "publication was subjected to such a scrutiny. The ramraeskill was of such an inadequate an J restricted character, providing only for the investigation of the charge of nondelivery of the letters to the ministers, and for the inquiry to be held in th« Minister's room at the post oflicp, that When the speaker saw its terms after £oing to Wellington to get a copy ol the commission, he declined to appear before such a commission, and demanded, through his counsel, that the commission should cover all tne charges, that if be a public inquiry, and that a Supreme Court Judge should ibe appointed to hear the evidence. A new commission was then issued, but it wna so drawn up that it ellectually pievented any satisfactory inquiry into the censor's action, and the services of a ■Supreme Court Judge were refused. Formal objection was then taken to Mr Bisihop hearing the case, on the grounds 'of want of confidence. The objection was ; ibaeed on the grounds that Mr Bishop ' was an extreme Hign-cburch Anglican, ] and as such more inclined to Rome than to Protestantism, that he bad juet been an inmate in a Roman Catholic private hospital in Christchurcn. that ihis expressed opinions as chairman of the Canterbury Military Board on the exemption of Mariet Brothers indicated his sym.pathiee, and, lastly, that he was not a lawyer, and had no legal training. This fact nlone justified the claim for the services of a Supreme Court .Tudge. but Sir .Joseph Ward had decided, and Cabinet I could not interfere.

1 The inquiry, said Mr. Elliot, had established that there were nine letters ■which were delivered without contents. The association knew there were more, ibiit could not secure tne evidence. Mr Bishop's finding on this point was after the manner of the surprised disciple, "Wihat axe these amongst so many?" The margin of error accounted for everything, although it was shown in evidence that it revealed an average of error 50U times greater than the average for the year of the whole postal service of the Dominion. WHY THE CENSORSHIP? As to the letters undelivered to the ministers, Mr Elliott said that that was the work of the censor, wiho wae not perI mitted to say anything. Hifl mouth was 1 closed, and ibehind that mouth lay ali the |facte that were relevant to the real rea- ! son for the censorship. The censor, like j the King, could do no wrong. An autocratic tyranny might not be questioned, but if questioned, would give no answer. [The evidence of the Solicitor-General reI veailed the reason, if pot the motive, for i the censorship. Up said that it was owing to the circulation of the pamphlet ] "Rome's Eideous Cluilt in the European C'-amagp." which he thought to be niischievous, although he protoaibly wa-s in /profound ignorance as lo the facts which it contained. The pamphlet was an article taken from t-he "Churchman's which wae published in l-.on-ilon and circulated throughout the Hni tieh Empire. It was published in the I religious press in every one ol the British .■Dominion*, and circulated broadcast in Irpampblet form in Australia, but nowhere dse in the British realm was it banned or ite circulation interfered with -notwithstanding the efforts of Rome to secure its 'prohibition —except in New Zealand, and then at the dictate of a Government oflicial who knew nothing whatever about thp matter. 1 Applause.) Here was revealed an unrestricted autoIcracy, which put in peril the rigut3 of . jrce"speech and a free Press, because tbe 'Solicitor-General thought the matter mischievous. Whilst the Roman Catholic newspaper, the -Tablet," was publishing matter so nearly sedition that only the AttorneyGeneral could sec the difference between the paper's statements and the real thing, no cenaorsnip was placed upon the box of any Roman Cat.iolic. organisation, institution, or publication in the Dominion. I The "Green Ray."' which was printed and [published at the same office as tho I "Tablet," contained statements so ofTi-n-Isive to Britishers that had the paper ' been suppressed it would have caused no surprise. The speaker said that he was not questioning the bona fides of the i Solicitor-General, who probably knew notning at all of the historical facts in ■ the pamphlet, but his action was an action that had resulted in the censorship of the P.P. Association's box, in the interests of the Roman Catholic Church. I. -r. Bishop's finding had not lessened !the conviction of the people of the country as to that. THE AUCKLAND POLITICIANS. When the finding was laid on the table of the House by Sir Joseph Ward, neither of the men who had taken an especial interest in the setting up of the inquiry was informed, but certain others appeared to have been primed with misinformation. Messrs. 0. Witty, 1 , . ('. Webb. J. T. M. Hornsby. J. "Payne. J. McCombs and L. M. Uitt were the speakers, and attention needed to be ! drawn to the fact that, apart from Messrs. J. M. Dickson and W. Nosworthy. no Protestant member of the House protested against the great injustice done over the censorship of the Protestant box. Every Auckland representative except Mr." Dickson sat silent. The speaker said he wondered whether Mr. C. J. Parr, Mr. C. H. Poole, Mr. A. E. Glover or the Hon. A. XI. Myers would have sat silent if a censorship had been established over the box of the Roman Church or its federation? Mr. Isitt spoke without full knowledge, ami used tne occasion to catch votes, Mr. record o e late pointed to only one conclusion. His appearance ami his speech tat the Roman Catholic gathering in [ Christchurch some months ago. when sympathy was expressed with the Dublin rebels, and an appeal was made for the widows and orphans of the rebels who now deride the uniform of a British soldier, and his motion to exempt Marist Brothers, classed Mr. Isitt with those who sell their Protestant birthright for the Roman vote. Mr. Elliott thanked 1 those who, from all parts of the Dominion, had written to him since Mr. Isiitt's ! speech, and especially his brother ministers, for their encouragement and support. The Post Office inquiry, said Mr. , Elliott in conclusion, had served a great purpose. It had added whatever was : necessary to arouse the Protestants of New Zealand to thp peril in which they stood through their disorganisation and 1 tolerant indifference. A new spirit was 'possessing them, such as possessed their .forefathers, and it would result in the greatest organisation that had ever been made in this land. It would bring a new life into politics. RESOLUTION" OF PROTEST CARRIED Mr. Elliott concluded by moving: "That this meeting of Protestants of Auckland, held under the auspices of tinProtestant Political Association, protests against the finding of the Post (lllice Commission in that it was against the weight of evidence, that the evidence disclosed that the censors.lip of llox o]:> was unwarrantable, and that the censorship operated in the interests of t| K - Roman Catholic Church. Further, this meeting protests against the refusal of Cabinet to appoint a Supreme Court ! Judge to conduct the inquiry, and demands that the Government should immediately remove the censorship from Box 912." i Thp motion was seconded by Air. Re". G. Clark, and carried by acclamation. "