POLITICAL AND PARTY SPEECHES.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 1, 25 April 1884, Page 15

POLITICAL AND PARTY SPEECHES.

j&OujraHE politicians and the Press have a busy time »/|KJ|i«r just now ; our leading men, as they are called, ■ are earnestly engaged in shedding all the light they *spg§c2s can on the present social economical and political Sk^cilb^ state of New Zealand. Considering the result, "^■^Jl we must say tbe result of their labours is little

more than nil. All that has been said by the Premier, the leader of the Opposition, and their respective followers has been often said before, and as well. What, then, is the object of all this eloquence which is rolling like a torrent over the Colony ? Of course we cannot answer this question, and we doubt if the speakers themselves, if they spoke candidly, would care to avow the real reason. The only thing hitherto remarkable about these speeches is their treatment of the education question. We venture to say that there are not a dozen intelligent men competent to pass an opinion on this great question who are satisfied with our established system of education ; and yet there is not one found to propose any amendment or modification of it— except the Bible-in-schools men. According to these the introduction of the Bible as a class-book will make it quite perfect. The compulsory exclusion of Catholics, which such an introduction would secure, is with them the greatest improvement, and, indeed, the amendment that is called for. All others are for leaving things as they are, with the exception of some, who, whilst allowing the system to be worked as at present, would give some aid to denominational schools. The undue proportion of the public revenue devoted to the free education of the children of well-to-do people is to continue to be a characteristic of its administration, and all the other anomolies connected with it are to be left untouched. Mr. Rolleston will not amend the education law in any way, neither will his colleague, Mr. Connolly. Even the Hon. the Premier, who is, as he declared in his speech at Hawera, dissatisfied with it, does not see his way to any amendment. Politicians of both parties are afraid to give their opponents an excuse for getting up an agitation on this question. If the party in office dared to be just and politically honest,- the Opposition would instantly bring into the' House of Representatives a want of confidence motion ; and if the Opposition proposed to do justice to Catholics, the

Government party would instantly denounce them to^the country as the enemies of the education of the people. Berth parties are watching each other on this question, and neither is willing to forego its chance of office for evea a shore time, for the sake of justice to a minority, although it happens to be a very respectable minority. Thus it is that Catholics are made a shuttlecock with which politicians and Parliamentary parties amuse themselves, instead of seriously turning their attention to devising means to give the couutry a just and really efficient system of schools . And so it will continue to be till Catholics learn to entirely dissociate themselves from all parties and treat all as enemies till all agree to do them common justice on the education question. "What can be more monstrous than the present system, which gives a free and godless education to the children of all who make no sacrifice to eaable them to discharge their first and most pressing duties, and punishes those who make very great sacrifices to educate their children as Christian children should be educated, by compelling them after providing for their own children, to pay for the free and godle ss education of the children of people, who will not pay a penny towards the education of these children, leaving them to be entirely educated at the public expense. And not satisfied with upholding this system, and insisting on its continuance without change and modification, some of our members of Parliament hesitate not to calL schools manfully supported by Catholics without public aid by opprobrious names, utterly forgetful of the fact that the schools frequented by their own children are maintained by money wrung from the earnings of all the unmarried people of the country. There is a flood of words on every other question, whilst the one great and most important question, the one question which has contributed more than any other to the deficit in our public finances, is passed over with substantially the remark, No change, no amendment. Such is the policy of our statesmen ! What an exhibition, what a want of courage, honesty, even of humanity! Is it any wonder that, with such rulers and legislators, the country should be in distress, an immense country with only half a million of inhabitants, and with perhaps greater resources than any other country in the world? In the Government of this country there is a lamentable want of not only statesmanship, but even of common sense and common honesty.