PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION

Southland Times, Issue 17755, 5 September 1917, Page 5

PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION

AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING

ADDRESSED BY REV. HOWARD ELLIOTT.

The speaker’s reputation may have had something to do with it, or perhaps the subject of his address made a strong appeal to Protestants. In any case, be the reason what it may, the Municipal Theatre was last evening packed from the front row of. the orchestral stalls and the orchestra boxes to the most distant corner of the gallery, when the Rev. Howard Elliott, National lecturer for the Protestant Political Association, rose to speak. The Rev. H. B. Hughes, who presided over the meeting, introduced the lecturer; remarking that they were gathering there because, in the words of the 'poet; “The time is ripe—and rotten ripe—for a change.” No one knew that better than the Rev. Howard Elliott.—(Applause.) In the course of a few further words, the chairman suggested as a slogan for the P.P.A.: “To set New' Zealand free.” RESOLUTIONS CARRIED. At this stage a couple of resolutions were submitted to the meeting in the following terms: —: Moved by Mr Pollock, and unanimously resolved; “That this meeting of Protestants in Invercargill expresses its hearty approval of the National system of education now in vogue in New Zealand as opposed to the sectarian system; and its determination to strenuously combat all attempts to interfere with the religious liberty which the National system affords; and congratulates the Honourable the Minister of Education on his firm opposition to the grant of State aid to Roman Catholic Schools.” Unanimously resolved, on the motion of the Rev. A. Peters: “This meeting of Protestants of Invercargill, held in the Municipal Theatre on Tuesday, September 4th, 1917, protests against the glaring injustice that is being dpne to them, the teachers and children of the Dominion, and especially the men of the Second Division by the preferential treatment of the Marist and Christian Brothers in respect to military service. Further, this meeting considers that the proposal which has been submitted to Cabinet to exempt sectarian school teachers whilst still conscripting the teachers of our State schools is calculated to provoke loyal Protestants to the strongest resentment. We emphasise the fact that nearly one-third of the eligible teachers of the First Division, and many of the Second Division, have volunteered, whilst the staffs of sectarian schools are intact, thus the children attending the State schools are penalised because of the patriotism of their teachers, many of whom have laid down their lives for the Empire and the King and the children whom they taught. This meeting therefore calls upon the Government to take action to ensure that these private school teachers render their due service to the Empire before the men of the Second Division are called upon to leave wife and children to take the places that single men of the Marist and Christian Brothers ought to fill, and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister.” REV. ELLIOTT’S ADDRESS.

The chairman having read a telegram of encouragement from the Association in the North Island, the lecturer was finally presented and greeted with a thunder of applause. The Rev. Mr Elliott expressed gratification at being faced with so large, and he believed so representative an Invercargill audience. There was a special significance about their meeting that night. The P.P.A. (Protestant Political Association), had already engaged in organisation work in the North with so encouraging a result that they expected, by the end of September, to have at least 10,000 members enrolled. Then his central committee, taking into consideration the present political position of Invercargill, had decided that - the best possible next field for . activity was Invercargill. Therefore he had been seat here with the object of forming a branch of the Association, that when the time for action came, the Protestants of the electorate should be united and ready. When next election came the eyes of Protestants throughout the Dominion would be fixed upon the Protestants of this town in the fervent hope that they would act‘aright and according to their truest principles. Here the speaker explained that the NonProtestants were hostile to the Hon. J. A. Hanan in consequence of his having refused their demands for State aid to sectarian schools.' Therefore the Protestants of Invercargill should band themselves together to see that by no sleight of hand, by no trickery, nor by any means at all, was their member defeated. They wanted him back with the biggest majority which he had ever had, not only for his own sake, but also for their sakes. — (Hear, hear, and applause.) Passing on to deal with the platform of the P.P.A. the speaker said that none of its planks attacked or reflected upon the religion or religious practices of the Roman Catholics. Every man’s religion was sacred to himself so long as in the practice of that religion he did not infringe upon or interfere with the rights of his fellow citizens. (Applause). Under the glorious Union Jack every man, no matter what his religion, had equal rights and no one would question another’s faith or creed. They were not in any way entitled to bear any animus towards the faith of the Roman church. Nor did .hey. The movement was purely political. If, however, the Roman Catholic Church participated, as a church, in politics it must not expect to be immune from criticism. If, too, that church became so active in certain political matters that it was infringing upon the true rights of the Protestant Church, surely then it was time for Protestants to organise politically and to say to the others, “You must stop, stand back, keep your hands off and keep in your place.” He wanted to put before them first of all the need for the P.P.A., and yet it was almost superlative to speak of the need when he had heard so many expressions of appreciation of the formation of the association. At the same time there were those in their midst who, while sympathising with the objects of the Association, said that the time was inopportune for its formation. They were at war, engaged in a great and tremendous enterprise, and it seemed that all their energies should be turned in that direction. But, whilst in other circumstances the time might be judged inopportune for the cradling of the P.P.A., here the position had been forced upon them by the ever-increasing activity of the other side, and they had been compelled to organise lest, while their attentions were focussed upon the war and the other great Imperial issues of the moment, those in their midst were securing the things which they had no right to have, and the possession of which would bring about a state of affairs that would be inimical to the future of the dominion. They did not want to be prejudiced or narrow-minded in their views, but there was such a thing as being too broad-minded, too easy—easy until their birthrights had been filched away from their children. They might be so much engrossed in ordinary things and the things of the Empire at this time that the things which belonged (o the nation’s deepest life —affecting their greatest privileges perhaps—passed too much unnoticed. In order that they might remedy th.at and be alive to their rights he called upon them to organise through the P.P.A. The New Zealand . organisation did not stand alone but was supported by kindred movements throughout the British Empire for, sad as it might be, the fact remained that the stress of war and the turmoil of public life that the other British' dominions had been thrust into during the last three years, had discovered to Protestants that there were at work in the Empire influences which were inimical to its welfare. There had been attacks upon ordered system until, out of all proportion to their numbers the Roman Catholics exercised a strong influence over all branches of the; civil life, and that influence was not a good one. Therefore the P.P.A. In Australia Mr Hughes had given it as his opinion that the forces behind the strike were not altogether tiros© of Labour. In that the speaker held that Mr Hughes

had been right. There was a force working against Australia and against New Zealand because it hated Britain.

Coming back to New Zealand, the lecturer touched again on the case of the Minister of Education and his refusal to sanction State grants for sectarian schools. The bitter attacks made on him after that—an attack in which one of his Majesty's Ministers of the Crown in New Zealand had been addressed in terms that should not have been used towards a common vagrant —savoured of arrogance and indicated that the Roman Catholics believed that they had in the country a strength which they meant to use in the interests of their church. . Romish influences were at work in almost every public body, and at every election of that nature throughout the dominion there was a force working to put Rome into power. To combat that there must be a Protestant organisation. If Parliament was to be strong and clean and pure - they wanted men there who would not look around to see how the Catholics wished them to act, but who would have principles and who would act on these principles, secure in the knowledge that the Protestants of the country would stand behind them. He was hopeful that the P.PA. would unearth such, who would be just to all and partial to none. There were far too many bald-headed men in the New Zealand Parliament. New blood was wanted. They needed in the Legislature some of their gallant young Protestants now out at the front, and he hoped that the Association might be the means of getting them there. A voice : the sooner the better. Unless Protestant New Zealand organised those of its present generation were going to leave the country in a worse state for their children than it had been for them. All parents had a duty to their children, and even if they cared not for the result of the fight for themselves, they must take a hand in it for their children’s sake.

Touching still again on the educational aspect of the "question, the lecturer dwelt at some length on the advantages of the national system over sectarian education. He claimed that the sense of patriotism, so strongly developed under New Zealand’s national system of education, was almost entirely lacking in those who had been pupils of sectarian schools, in support of which he stated that amongst the 12,000 military defaulters hiding in this country to-day, and sneaking away from their obligations, would be found “mighty few” Protestants. (Applause and a voice: “No.”) Of the exemption from military service of priests and Manst Brothers, the Rev. Elliott had a word to say. Some arguments might be advanced in favour of the retention of the priests, but he considered that nothing could be said for the defence of the Brothers. A voice: You don’t know anything about it. The Brothers were bound by the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and the speaker had yet to learn that those could not be kept in a trench. (Applause). It was detrimental to the education of Protestant children that their (the State) teachers should be taken and the Brothers left. Yet according to the latest messages Sir James Allen had placed before the Cabinet a measure which provided for the total exemption of all Priests and Brothers. Voices: Throw it out! Throw it out! The lecturer agreed that that was what they wanted to do, and added that if the P.P.A. could manage it he would be called to account by his own constituents for his pronounced leniency towards the Catholics. Proceeding, he said that they wanted to be fair, and to send all the Priests would be an injustice. The Catholics were entitled to that spiritual ministration which the Protestants had, but at least a proportion of the eligibles should be sent before any married men. The mention of the Auckland Postal Enquiry called forth loud applause. The speaker said that behind his complaints leading to that enquiry had been evidences that in the Government departments there were influences at work which were altogether deadly. The announcement that 33 per cent, of the employees of the Auckland . Post Office were Roman Catholics had, been a staggerer to Auckland,

A voice; What a pityl Rev. Mr Elliott: It is a pity, a very great pity, and I tell you that it will never be a good thing, or a safe thing for this country, until that state of affairs is mended. The Catholics number 14 per cent, of the population, and they are entitled to 14 per cent, of the Government jobs. How many have they got? , Voices; Sixty. The"Lecturer: That’s about it. Another voice: Eighty: Continuing, Mr Elliott fainted of an Invercargill Public Service revelation which, if he chose to make it, would open the eyes of his hearers. Voices: Let’s have it. Come on. Out with it. Open our eyes. The speaker was firm, however, he had had sufficient Enquiries for a little time, he said. Resuming his address, he said that in the Railway and Police, and other branches of the Civil Service a movement was going on whereby all the positions were being filled by men of the one creed. A voice: Too true. The speaker: It is true. Another voice: Sinn Fein.

Yes, said Mr Elliott, it was only too true and it was not because those men were more able, but because there was an influence working in their favour. That voice again: Where do you come from anyhow? The Lecturer: I come from Ireland (laughter), and, judging from the voice of my interrupter, I should say that he comes from there too —only further south, (Renewed laughter). The speaker next produced a copy of the “Green Ray,” which, he said, was “green without and green within” and, by reason of its anti-British sentiments, surely an object for the censor’s attention. Concluding, he said that they all believed that their Empire, more than any other, stood for freedom and justice. Wherever the Union Jack waved men were sure of justice and liberty and mercy. (Applause). They were proud to belong t« the British Empire because it had given the Protestant religion to the ■‘world, and they were proud of that religion because it stood for the highest liberty that the world knew. Therefore they stood for the highest Protestantism. Not anti-Roman-ism, because that was not Protestantism, but’ the highest and best of all that Protestantism meant. To accomplish that and to keep it ever, before them, they should organise with the P.P.A. (Applause). A vote of thanks, moved by Mr J. S, Baxter, was carried enthusiastically, and after a similar compliment had been accorded the chair, the meeting closed, as it had begun, with the National Anthem.