CORONATION OATH AND THE HOME GOVERNMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 11666, 28 September 1901, Page 8

CORONATION OATH AND THE HOME GOVERNMENT.

Cardinal Moran paid a visit on the 18tb inst. to the bazaar at toe Newtown Town Hall in connection with St Kieran's parish, Golden Grove, Darlington. The Cardinal, in the course of his speech (as reported by the 'Daily Telegraph') said:—Fairs-brought together the people and assisted to promote that love and concord so desirable. Those who were not Catholics were present that day in numbers. This he was phrased to* see. In Australia they had a broad and enlightened people, who were ever ready to assist in every movement for the good of the nation, no matter by whom inaugurated. Of course, they met with some who were narrow-minded enough to have strantje ideas of the doings of the Catholic Church, but even these people, when they came to rub shoulders with their Roman Catholic brethren, soon began to find they were wraug in their ideas, and the absurdities which pervaded their minds soon disappeared.—(Applause.) There were a few others, however, who were very bitter towards their Catholic citizens, and were so without canse or reason. For such they would pray, and would earnestly hone tha't some day even these people would become friends of tho Catholic Church.—(Laughter.) Disraeli, one of the great leaders of England, in Iris young days had a bitter hatred towards the Catholic Church. Even so strong was he that the great. O'Connell termed him a descendant of the Impenitent Thief. But in the course of years a change took place, ami Disraeli altered his opinions in this respect; and in .the same way those so-called leaders of Orangemen in this State when they posed as teachers and leadens to the Catholic jwrtv were onlv siniled at. and they (the Catholics) praved that the time would speedily come wlien those foolish people would see things in their true light. It was recognised bv all broad-minded and enlightened people "that the Catholic Church was the guardian of all the great social problems which were common to all.—(Applause.) If thev looked at the United States they would "see' that great nation plunged into mourning through the work of an assassin. They in Australia owed ranch to the United States, and the wave of sympathy which had gone out showed clearly that they were bound to the American people in a bond of true sympathy.—(Applause.) The Australians to-day were in every sense of the word a genuine republic. He did not speak tbns as a rebel. Par from it. He spoke from a common-sense point, of view He repeated they were in every true sense a republic.—(Applause.) Their only difference to America was that they had a permanent head, while in the United States the head was elected and came into power every four years. On the other hand, o«r political parties succeed each other accordingj:o the numerical strength of the partv whi lo the sovereign bead remained the same Thus in Australia they had all the liberties and freedom that, a republic could ? T- V j I n^ he 1?°"" rfe - vs ' or beginnJiitt, znstead of that liberty and freedom, thev were controlled by a most despotic authority: brit now there-was even- freedom of a. republic How did that change come to pass? Tt was through the common sense of the political leaders of England They saw that with the growth of these colonies separation would ensue unless they changed that policy, a policy which the leaders of England recognised had forced the United States to sever her connection with the Home Government—(Applause.) If the same treatment were extended to Australia for one month which guided the Home Government with regard to the United States of America, then Australia would be an independent nation within one month (applause)—and m severing herself under such conditions she would have his (the Cardinal's) fullest b'.essin:;. People in England did not understand the requirements o'f the people of Australia, or even understand what they in the Commonwealth did He was lately highly amused at the address of some letters from England which came under his notice. One was addressed to the Prime Minister of Australia or Cardinal Moran (Laughter.) The writer thought if it did not reach one official it would surely reach the other.—(Laughter.) [There were several other instances mentioned by Cardinal Moran of a similarly striking character 1 Continuing, the Cardinal said thev owed much to the example of the United"States. They owed also a great debt to themselves in Australia.—(Applause.) They had shown themsems bent upon .asserting their rights ia not allowing Imperial jingoism to force

its Jaws upon Australia. They knew best what the Australians wanted, and they in Australia would not allow themselves to be trampled upon by those at Home who knew so little of Australian life.—(Applause.) Regarding the proposed change in the Coronation Oath, the Catholics of Australia had sent a strong memorial, for tie despatch of which document they were greatly indebted to Mr Barton and the members of the Commonwealth Government, because tiiese gentlemen 'adopted irt the fullest way and in the promptest manner that manifesto sent Home to the Home Government bythe great body of Roman Catholics in Australia. However, they now saw how Mr Chamberlain, as representing the Home Government, had dealt with the question. He (Mr Chamberlain) evidently did not recognise the protest sent by the Catholics of the .Commonwealth of Australia, but he had stated that he saw something in the newspapers in which'reference was made to the fiction of the Australian Catholics. Mr Chamberlain seemed to be very ignorant about the action of the Catholics being endorsed by the Commonwealth, bat he (the Cardinal) would tell Mr Chamberlain that Australians had too much sense to be gulled and deceived by such effrontery as that.— (Applause.) The people of the Commonwealth knew their rights, and were determined to fight for them. —(Applause.) One of those rights was that when that oath insulted a body of Catholics comprising more than a fourth of the population it should be removed. When a Sovereign came and offered insult to a fourth of the citizens, and the Government were asked to remove the insult but refused to take any action, then they in Australia would tell the representative of that Government that they knew their rights, that they were on independent people, and would staTtle the Home Government some day sooner than such Government expected.—-(Applause.) It was the Home Government that was forcing such action on. He (the Cardinal) knew of no more liberal-ntinded man than King Edward VlL—(Applause.) There was not one man who more abhorred the present form of the oath than did our Sovereign the King.— (Applause.) Enlightened as he was and guided by the enlightenment of his illustrious mother, Queen Victoria, who preceded him on the throne for so many years, he knew and felt that it was wrong. But he was forced by law to make a profession of that which he did not believe himself, and by so doing to insult his people—(applause)—a people that ho would rather honor and respect.—(Applause.) All that Australians required was that the Home Government would not impose such an unpleasant duty on the Sovereign. He (tho Cardinal) was confident that the good sense of the Empire would endorse the manifesto of the people of Australia.—(Applause.) Alderman A. Kelly, MT. A , moved a vote of thanks to the Cardinal, and on behalf of the audience congratulated the Cardinal on attaining his seventy-first birthday. Alderman Moran seconded the resohitJon, which was carried by applause. The work of the bazaar was then proceeded with.