SPEECH BY CARDINAL MOHAN.

Evening Star, Issue 11658, 19 September 1901, Page 6

SPEECH BY CARDINAL MOHAN.

THE CORONATION OATH. A REMARKABLE ADDRESS. Pre»« Association—By Telegraph—Copyright SYDNEY, September 19. (Received September 19, at 9.20 a.m.) In the course of a speech when opening a, bazaar, Cardinal Moran said: “At the present day we in Australia had a genuine republic.” He was not going to speak as a rebel, but as a common-sense speaker. Cornpar ng America with Australia, he said that if the same treatment were extended in Australia for one month as that which had guided the Home Government in the past in regard to America, before another month Australia would be an independent State, and “ she would have my fullest blessings in being so.” Regarding the suggested change in the Coronation Oath, about which the Catholics. in Australia had sent a very energetic protest, they were greatly indebted to the Commonwealth Government for the prompt manner in which they had forwarded their manifesto to the Home Government, but they saw, to their chaerin, how cavalierly Mr Chamberlain, as representing the Home Government-, had treated the question. He seemed ignorant about the whole question and its being endorsed by the entire Commonwealth. He would tell Mr Chamberlain that Australians had too much sense to be beguiled by such effrontery. They knew their rights, and were determined to fight for them, and one of those rights waa that when the Coronation Oath was an insult to the great body of Catholics the wording of it should be amended. When the Sovereign came forward and insulted one-fourth of the citizens of Australia, they said to the Government of Great Britaun, who force*! sn~h an Oath on the King; “If such a thing goes on we know our rights, and an independent Australia will startle them some day sooner than they expect.” He did not think a more liberal-nrnded man than the King existed, or that anyone more abhorred the oath he was supposed to take. But the King was, mrc*s he objected, forced by the law to make a profession of what he did not believe and to insult citizens whom ho would rather honor and respect. All they wanted was that the British Government ahon'd not impose any such unpleasant duty mi the Sovereign.