CARDINAL MORAN AND THE COMMONWEALTH CELEBRATIONS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 3, 17 January 1901, Page 19

CARDINAL MORAN AND THE COMMONWEALTH CELEBRATIONS.

THE facts of the shameful blundering by the Lyne Ministry in connection with the Commonwealth celebrations — to which we referred editorially in our last issue — are told as follows by the Sydney Catholic Press of January 5 :—: — The absence of his Eminence the Cardinal from the procession on Tuesday was one of its most conspicuous features. The reason why was asked by everyone. He was not present either at the Bwearing-in ceremonies, and although his Grace Archbishop Carr, of Melbourne, and several bishops were in Sydney, not one member of the Catholic hierarchy took part in the official celebrations. This was all the more extraordinary, people said, as his Eminenoe had taken a very prominent part in the federal movement, and the movement had had the assistance of all the archbishops, bishops, and priests of Australia. On Wednesday his Eminence explained the reason. ' It is merely an illustration,' he said, ' of the weakness of the Government. I intimated to the Government from the commencement that if they wished me to join in any of the proceedings I should get the position to which I was entitled. Regarding that position, there can be no doubt, as the Home Government officially communicated to our Governor-General the order of precedence, in which the Cardinal is allotted the place of honor in precedence to the Protestant Arnhbishop. This official list has been communicated to the Premier, Sir William Lyne, and he read it over to me himself. 'It was under such arrangements that I accepted the invitations which were officially forwarded to me. But late on the night of Monday last the Premier sent for my private secretary, and intimated that the committee of management had awarded precedence to the Protestant Archbitfbop. that he claimed such precedence in all social functions, and that the Government did not see their way to upset the committees arrant; enients. Under such circumstances I of course took no part in the procession, or at the banquet, nor shall I take part in any othtr social function until my due position is recognised.' 1 But,' we said, ' Sir William Lyne stated in the Press that the order of precedence was fixed by the Governor-General himself. We read that in the Telegraph.' ' The Governor-General expressly intimated to me that he hal nothing whatever to do with the matter of the procession, and that the whole responsibility for it devolved on the Government of New South Wales,' replied the Cardinal. In the course of further conversation the Cardinal said the Catholic Bishops were not invited. Invitations were sent to Wesleyan ministers in Perth, but the Catholic Bishop was not invited. Three or four ministers in Hobart were invited, but the venerable Archbishop got no invitation It was the same iv the southern colonies. A Cardinal gets precedence everywhere, including the English court. In Lord Jersey's time it wai decided in the case of two dignitaries of the same position, prtcdence should be given according to seniority. Such is the case in Canada and Ireland, where Catholics are in the majority. We may add that his Grace Dr. Carr, Archbi«hop of Melbourne, refused to take any part in the proceedings on Tuesday because he considered that an insult was offered to the Catholic body, and the same course was pursued by the Bishop of Goulburn, Dr. Gallagher. On Wednesday night the Cardinal dined with the GovernorGeneral, and on Friday his Eminence and Archbishop Carr and the visiting Bishops will present a federal address from the Hierarchy of Australia to Lord Hopetoun at Government House. ' At the last moment,' said his Eminence to a representative of the Freeman's Jvu ma?,' the Government refused to recognise the precedence given me. It was only at nine o'clock on Monday night the Government intimate 1 to Dr. O'ilarau that the Protest* nt Archbishop claimed precedence, and that the Government did rot see its way to interfere with the arrangement, as the committee had approved of it. I intimated I could not under these circumstances take part in the procession or the State banquet in the Town Hull. The matter of precedence,' he added, ' had been already decided by

Mr. Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the Colonies. The GovernorGeneral received a formal list, and after the Chief Justice the Cardinal takes precedence and the Protestant Archbishop comes next. The blunder was the act of the committee, but the Government had approved of it.' We might point out, says the Freeman, that at State functions at Government House his Eminence is given the place approved of by the Home Government, and at the levee given by the Governor-General on Wednesday evening, at which the Cardinal attended, Lord Hopetoun, who can afford to rise above petty political intrigues and local jealousies, did not depart from the procedure which has been clearly laid down by Mr. Joseph Chamberlain. Sir Henry Parkes and Mr. Wise ("says the Catholic Pres*) paid high tributes to the labors of the Cardinal in the cause of federation ; his labors, Mr. Wise said, are scarcely second in importance to those of Sir Henry Parkes himself ; and he was fighting for the national cause when Mr. Lyne was opposing it. An insult from a man like the State Premier on such an occasion is therefore most untimely and unfortunate.