MALIGNING THE EMPIRE

Evening Star, Issue 17926, 23 March 1922, Page 9

MALIGNING THE EMPIRE

DR LISTON’S AUCKLAND SPEECH. At a meeting of the Wellington North branch of the Protestant Political Association, held last evening, tho following resolution was passed :— r ' That this meeting of members of tho Wellington North branch of tho P.P.A. heartily congratulate Mr J. H. Gunson (Mayor of Auckland) upod the loyal and patriotic manner in which ho dealt with tho disloyal utterances of Dr Liston at Auckland.” Speaking to tho motion, Mr Georgo _ Harwood, a vice-president of the association, attacked Bishop Liston for his remarks. He. said Ireland had stabbed England in the back at the Easter rebellion of 1916, and Dr Liston called tho suppressing of tho rebellion murder. Yet ho professed to love his country. If bo was a loyal New Zealander he should love his country well enough to get out of itr Tho Hibernian Society at" Auckland had endorsed Dr Liston’s action, and it was impossible to attribute his attitude to ignorance. This meant that Roman Catholicism had dropped its mask. No apology could atone for this outburst, nor would it bo sincere. He considered Mr Gnnson’s attitude worthy of all praise. Ho was a Protestant with a backbone.

Protestant with a backbone. At last night’s meeting of the Dunedin Methodist Council a resolution was carried condemning Dr Liston’s recent utterance and congratulating Mayor Gunson on his firm and dignified action. THE'BISHOP’S REPLY. A copy of the letter sent to the Mayor of Auckland (Mr J. H. Gunson) has hcon handed to the Press by Dr J. M. Liston, Roman Catholic Coadjutor Bishop of Auckland. It reads : I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of Saturday. I notice your Worship issued your “protest” before I could possibly havo received your letter. Seeing that your Worship had not the courtesy—not to say sense of fair play —to await my reply to your question before handing your condemnation of me to tho Press of New Zealand, it seems to mo quite unnecessary that you should have written to me at all, and it is certainly' unnecessary that I should

answer your, question. The bishop, in a postscript, says : “ As your Worship has made this matter public, I am handing this letter to the Press.”

REFERRED TO GROWN LAW OFFICERS,

[Psa United Press Association.]

WELLINGTON, March 23.

M:r Massey states that tho papers concerning Dr Liston’s speech havo been re ferred to the Crown Law Office.