BAPTIST UNION AND REV. HOWARD ELLIOTT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 22, 20 October 1917, Page 8

BAPTIST UNION AND REV. HOWARD ELLIOTT

■RECENT REFERENCES IN P.ARLIA- ' MINT. The question of tho action of the Rev. Howard Elliott as organiser of the P.P.A. and the altitude assumed towards him- by Parliament, and especially by Mr. L. M,lsitt,.M.l'., was carefully discussed by the executive of the Baptist union now sitting' in Wellington, and ultimately tho secretary, the Rev. R.. S. Gray, was authorised to hand out for publication the. following . resolutions, which- were unanimously adopted:— "That we desire it to be understood that the Baptist denomination has no connection as. a denomination with the j'rotestant Political. Association or any other- political association, but inasmuch, as the fact of.the Rev. Howard Elliott being a minister of tho Baptist Church was stressed in Parliament. as ■ though tlie denomination were itself involved in. Mr. Elliott's proceedings, this executive resolves: . ■

"1. That this executive condemns the action of the Government in instituting' h censorship over : the P.P.A. P.O. box, applying not only to literature,' but aleo to .private correspondence, while.it re--i-iained from .any similar action with regard to "the Roman Catholicey and holds that its. failure, to prosecute the Roman Catholic- organ the "Tablet": for the publication of.seditious articles'wartante<l the charges of religious-partisanship. It'.attaches no. importance to the statement made, by the Attorney-Gen'traV, Mr. Herdnian,..that, acting upon tlie advice of .the Crown-' Law Office,' he" concluded that no action should l>o taken; "as a verdict could not be obtained, since 6uch advice was tendered by. a Department which, cither in ignorance or. defiance of the fact, acted' without any legal authority in giving instruction that the unjust censorship should bo instituted. ,! 2. That while it accepts Mr. Isitt'e assurance that so far as . the Baptist Union was concerned he was actuated only by a desire to defend its good-name, this executive feels that it'was quite competent to deal with the matter, and regrets that its' action was prejudiced by such a public declaration as that madfi by him in Parliament. It considers that a more judicial statement of the case might have been expected from him. and is greatly surprised that lie uttered no word of condemnation of the Government's unjustly discriminating censorship. • . • ■ • . "3. That it entertains m> doubt of Mr. Elliott's sincerity, but • dissociates itself entirely from the charges and • insinuations contained iu the letters which havecaused so much public - discussion, an , ' condemns the use and publication of them iu the controversy -with" the Roman Catholic Church." - -