The New Zealand Tablet Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, 23, 1877. POLICY OF CATHOLICS AND THE 'DAILY TIMES.'

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 238, 23 November 1877, Page 11

The New Zealand Tablet Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, 23, 1877. POLICY OF CATHOLICS AND THE 'DAILY TIMES.'

tUR contemporary, the Daily Times, is not pleased with the policy recommended by us to the Catholics of New Zealand. We advise Catholics, at all future elections, to vote against candidates who have voted against giving aid to Catholic schools out of the funds set apart in Parliament for the purposes of education, no matter who may be their opponents. The Times is evidently uneasy at the prospect of such a policy being adopted. Our contemporary is well aware of the effect inseparable from the adoption of such a policy, and fully perceives that perseverance in such a course must ultimately wring justice from all our other enemies on tins question. He endeavours, therefore, to place a false issue before Catholics, and tries to deceive and frighten them According to the Times, it is only the Heads of the Catholic Church that are in favour of denominational and opposed to secular schools. This is intended, of course as a compliment to the Catholic laity, who will, no doubt, appreciate at its full value the delicate compliment that in supporting Catholic schools at their own sole expense and in the midst of public obliquity and injustice, they are poor demented slaves, led blindly to squander their cash against their convictions, at the mere bidding of their priests barely the Catiiolio laity of New Zealand will be exceedingly obliged to the Daily Times, of Dunedin, for the very flattering opinion entertained and expressed concerning them by this journal. J But to add to the force of this exquisite argument, the Daily Tones proceeds to inform Catholics that if they do not at once throw off allegiance to their principles and bow down in adoration of secularists, they are only poor slaves, destitute of independence and victims of ecclesiastical tyranny. It is pretty clear that our contemporary labours under the most profound ignorance in reference to Catholics, and that the contempt for them which his words imply, has no other foundation than the absurd prejudices in which he has been cradled and grown up even to mature age. His idea is that Catholic voters

in deference to secularists, — men who put their hands into Catholicpurses for their own selfish ends,to the exclusion of those they thus plunder,— should bow down and lick the feet that have just spurned them in the most unjust and contemptuous manner. The demands made by Catholics for justice, their petitions to be allowed to expend their own money on their oavti schools, their protest against the iniquity of being compelled to support anti-Catholic and godless schools, have been, equiyalently at least, actually kicked out of both Houses of Parliament. No notice has been taken of them, no respect paid to them ; their voice has been unheeded ; their existence, we might -say, ignored. And yet the Daily Times lias the audacity to tell the world that Catholics who resent such conduct, and vote against the perpetrators of such wrongs, have no independence, no manliness, are mere slaves, and the dupes of their priests. The Daily Times would wish to persuade Catholics that their honour is to be found in their dishonour and degradation, then- independence to be exemplified by deserting their principles, disobeying the teaching and authority in which they believe, and in permiting themselves to be the dupes of the chichanery of the Times. The Times, however, is apparently not certain as to the effect this kind of advice may probably produce ; so our contemporary proceeds to strengthen this chivalrous argument by another founded on our fears. The editor of the litnes tells us that a block vote by us against all who have voted against our just claims, will inevitably lead to a similar proceeding on the part of our opponents. But this has no terrors for us. We cannot be worse off in this respect than we have been ; our opponents have always given a block vote against our schools and always will, no matter what we may do, so that this threat falls upon our ears as the idle wind. It is more sound and can frighten only children. We are really surprised that our cunning and utterly selfish contemporary could have so far forgotten his usual caution, as to commit himself to such a silly statement with the view of frightening Catholics from acting a manly, independent, and consistent part.

No ; for Catholics there is hut one course open, if they wish to maintain the character of honest, manly, independent and courageous Christians, if they wish to avoid the indignity of being trampled under foot by designing and scornful politicians, and the shame of being the victims of men who laugh at their simplicity even while they cajole them. Our contemporary is evidently labour-in? iii the cause of certain friends, who, at the approaching general election, may stand in need of the votes of Catholics" whom they have so lately laughed to scorn, insulted, and grievously injured. The Tiuies evidently wishes Catholics to vote for such men ; and with a cunning, which reminds one of that of the old serpent, endeavours to sow discord, if possible, between the Catholic laity and their clergy, and to work upon their fears But m rain, Catholics are not the idiots the Time* considers' nor are they children to he terrified by a mere shadow We rejoice to know that Catholics, with the exception of perhaps a dozen or two poor paltry creatures, whose power and influence only extend to the length of injuring themselves, and making themselves ridiculous even in the eyes of our contemporary, will be true to their principles and their manhood There can be no doubt as to how they will act when they come to the ballot-box. Any one who fancies for a moment that Catholics will vote for any candidate who voted against their just claims, does an additional injustice to them, and proves that he entertains a low and unfounded idea of them and without reason regards intelligent and brave men as 'mere slaves and tools of men of sinister political purposes. We a«ain recommend Catholics to keep their minds to themselves, to take no part in party politics, to make no promises to any one, and on the polling day to vote against all former secularist Members of Parliament, no matter who may be their opponents.