SCRIPTURE REFERENDUM.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5311, 24 June 1904, Page 7

SCRIPTURE REFERENDUM.

THE VICTORIAN RESULT. The Catholics of \ ictoria arc evidently highly pleased with the result of the roiorcudum on the Bible in schools question. Archbishop Carr has been presented with an address of coiigiatiilawon by the Catholic Young -Men’s Society, and in his reply (reported in tho Melbourne “Argus”) expresses his view of tho result. as follows: “The Catholics know well they were not ono-fourl h of the inhabitants or the electors of the Stale, and that if they stood alone at the recent elections, and in regard to tho referendum, they should have been hopelessly outvoted. But they had not stood alone. They appealed to the intelligence, the discrimination and t lO sense of their fellow-citizens of every denomination, and tlie appeal had not been in vain. (Applause.) When the relornndnin was first mooted an interviewer awed him how ho liked u. lie answered it a s tht' American colonel, answered the lady who inquired if he hail a. rasto for music. The colonel said, ‘Madam I am not afraid of it.’ ((Laughter.) dhe Roman Catholics did not like the referendum; they did not seek it; they did not think it a fair moans of deciding religions questions, particularly where minorities were concerned. But, nevertheless, they said iliev would use it with confidence, because, unless they had entirely iiiiscalyulated on tho generosity and Hut jusUeo of tho electors, they expected au overwhelming majority. (Applause.) . Ho had not expected, and could nor havo expected, that the victory would hnvo been so complete as it had proved. (Cheers.) On the first question they had a majoritv of 27.000. (Applause.) ine value of that majority was that by common consent, before the referendum was taken, and by proclamation ct the Premier, it was reogmsed that the answer to tho first question would practically determine tho entire is*ue. # It the numbers of those who voted ‘yes io the first question, and ‘no’ to i lie second and third questions (as tho Catholics desired) wore added together, and contrasted with those who answered no to tho first question, and “yes to the second and third questions (as their opponents desired), there was still a great and substantial majority. No matter how tho returns woro looked at, tho fact was established that the electors had made up their minds that for the present no change was to take in tho secular character of tho Education Act. (Applause.) No doubt, with regard to tho second and third questions, there had been a good deal of confusion and purposeless voting, but tho votes Oi those who' voted ‘yes’ to the first question stood against tho introduction of the Scripture lessons. What tho Roman Catholics had to ho thankful for was:— First, tho guiding sense of tho press, especially the daily press, which had stood for equality, justice and fair play , between man and man. (Applause.) Secondly, thoir success was duo to tho honesty of tho great body of the dec- 1 tors; and thirdly, to the intemperate manner in which tho demands of thoir opponents wero put forward and the extreme sectarianism with which that programme was affected/*