The ' Organised Vote ' Bogey.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 35, 28 August 1902, Page 1

The ' Organised Vote ' Bogey.

A short time ago, during a sort of newspaper 'silly season, some of the Protestant zealots of Melbourne and Sydney tried to work up public feeling against Catholics by denouncing in the Press the ' organised Catholic vote ' which they declared was in operation throughout the country and the alleged existence of which was made the occasion in Melbourne of the establishment of a new anti-Catholic organisation. It is interesting and gratifying to note that the most effective and emphatic of the refutations which have been made of the foolish talk indulged in in this connection have been made by Protestants. More than one Protestant member of Parliament has written to the papers absolutely denying — and they spoke from personal knowledge and experience— the existence of any such Catholic vote, and one of them— Mr Arthur Griffith, Member of the N.S.W. Assembly — has succeeded iv putting an effectual extinguisher on one of the anti-Cathplic leaders. The Rev. VV. Rutledge, a Protestant clergyman, declared at a public meeting that ' He personally knew of the case of a Protestant who had temporarily left a billet, and tried to get back. He was unsuccessful for a long time, but being wise in his day and generation, he joined the Catholic Church, and

before three months he was back at work. This instance might be multiplied by scores of others,' Whereupon Mr Griffith, M.L.A., wrote giving a detailed disproof of the •organised vote* fiction, and then challenged Mr Rutledge to produce the evidence for his statement. If, said Mr Griffith, Mr Rutledge would supply him with particulars of his alleged facts he would undertake to get a select committee of Parliament to thoroughly sift the matter. The Rev. Rutledge could not have asked for anything fairer than that, and if he had made his statement in good faith he should have gladly welcomed such a splendid opportunity of vindicating himself. Instead of manfully accepting the challenge, however, the Orange orator at once collapsed into ignominious silence. Several weeks have passed since Mr Griffith made his offer but not a word has been heard from the Rev. Rutledge. He had played the good old game of ' bluff ' but had rather badly • fallen in.'

Even more significant than the individual annihilations of the ' organised vote ' bogey is the refutation published on behalf of the whole Anglican body by their mouthpiece the Church Commonwealth of Victoria. After intimating that it has 'no sympathy with the Roman Catholic Church, either in some of her religious developments, or in the methods she adopts here and in Europe to achieve political ends,' the leading Anglican journal goes on to say, notwithstanding all this : 1 We have no compunction in declaring- emphatically that the circular published in Melbourne on Monday last, which affirms that it is desirable that a league should be formed for the purpose of meeting and counteracting the organised Roman Catholic influence on the legislation and administration of this State (Victoria), and which is unfortunately signed by three junior bishops and a priest of our Church, is utterly unjustified by the facts, is an error in tactics, and is calculated to bring into existence the very shadowy and unproved organised Roman Catholic influence which has smitten horror into the aforesaid three bishops and one priest, and the miscellaneous hodge-podge of religious opinions represented in the subsequent signatures.' Then the Church Commonwealth comes to close quarters with the ' organised vote ' myth : ' We have denied,' it says, « that there is any organised Roman Catholic vote in Victoria, and the burden of proof is, we think, on those who affirm that there is. But a few instances may be given to show that there is not. So far back as 1883 Sir John O'Shannassy, the leading layman of the Roman Church, was defeated at Belfast (now Port Fairy), a thorougly Roman Catholic electorate, and that although the whole influence of the Church from altar and elsewhere was thrown in his favor. The same constituency has twice rejected Sir Bryan O'Loghlen in favor of a Protestant, who now represents it. The districts about Kilmore, Lancefield, and Broadford have a very large Roman Catholic vote, and yet they have at different times defeated the popular Mr Gavan Duffy Mr P. Hunt, and Mr Rawson. Two Protestants, Mr Argle and Mr McKenzie, now represent these districts. If the Roman Catholic organised vote were a political influence, Mr Duffy would have been returned to the Senate last year, but instead he only received about two- fifths of the votes given to the Orange Mr Fraser, and was hopelessly out of the running. Again, VVarrenheip, a thoroughly Irish electorate, returned for many years the genial Mr Murphy, but on his death a Wesleyan captured the seat, to the great chagrin of the Tribune, which loudly prophesied his defeat at the next election. The election came, however, and Mr Holden still holds his seat. If the Roman Church has " organised for political purposes " in Victoria, she is making a worse job of it than one would imagine, or else her power is so small that it is needless to organise against her.' After such a complete and categorical refutation the organised vote ' legend, in Victoria at least, will surely be allowed to die a natural death.