THE ROYAL MARTYR CHURCH UNION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3448, 13 April 1920, Page 26

THE ROYAL MARTYR CHURCH UNION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir.,—About 12 months ago several leading .New. Zealand papers reviewed a publication issued by the Royal Martyr Church. Union, entitled "The Principle of Monarchy." I may mention that this society, which has-a large and distinguished following, exists primarily to uphold the principle of monarchy, as against extreme and materialistic democracy. It is nonJacobite, but has strong Stuart sympathies. The president of the Royal Martyr Church Union (Captain H. S. Wheatley-Crowe) recently issued his annual address, from which 1 venture to make some extracts:— ■ 1. Yoa have seen during the past two years half • Europe already completely dethroned, and the principle of monarchysuperseded by "something" else, and reviled and degraded. 2. To the roal monarchist—to the old Royalists of France, England, and Scotland, be they nobles or dalesmen—the monarchy meant something. They believed in it. - 6. La 1906, when I founded the Royal Martyr Church Union with the object not only of perpetuating the memory of the Church's Royal martyr, King Charles I, but in the interests of those greater principles in Church and State for which the King stood. 4. There was also struck the Medallion Star' of the Memorial of Merit of Charles the Martyr, for special service, on the council of which, amongst others, were Lord Shaftesbury, Lord Stratnmore, and tne late Bishop of Worcester. 5. In January, 16*19, this country, or rather this people, through an extreme and determined section set the example of regicide; and as I have said before, this people is suffering for the great national crime of January 30, 1649, and will continue to suffer until it is atoned for. 6. You deliberately killed your King, a good man and a great man, who was your anointed Sovereign. His politics may not have been of the wisest, but I know a little about hia politics, and they do not disturb me very much. Politicians of the present day have encroached upon the liberties of the people to a far greater extent, and in a more determined manner than Charles I or any of his successors of our own Royal line of Stuart ever ventured to do. 7. We must also bear in mind the perverted action of this country when it allowed its politicians to bring about the Hanoverian succession, with its attendant foreign influence. Just bear in. mind this fact, that while the politicians and the Government of this country were, perpetuating thi* crime upon the nation s and the people, your own bonnie Prince and rightful heir—a brave, bright youth—after an attempt to restore the right was being hounded to death in Ihe bleak Highlands of his native Scotland at the bidding of a foreigner. You at last broke his heart and drove him to despair. That' is the truth, the plain truth. But please remember it. > 8. The primary object of the Royal Martyr Ohurch Union has been to maintain the fundamental principles of historic mpnarchy and Christian belief. ', ■ All upon whom the foregoing extracts fall as balm should communicate with Captain H. S. Wheatley-Crowe, The Steppe House, Pencraig, Ross-on-Tyne, Herefordshire, England.—l am, etc., C. C. Bagnall. Foxton.