Cardinal Moran on Socialism

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 26, 29 June 1905, Page 3

Cardinal Moran on Socialism

At the opening of the Federation Fair in aid of St. Francis's Convent, SySney, his Eminence Cardinal Moran^took the opportunity of making some remarks on the anti-socialistic campaign in which Mr. Reid and friends are engaged throughout the Commonwealth. His Eminence said :— I ha\e referred to another extensive campaign, which is being carried on, and apparently with success, throughout the length and breadth of the State. ' We have the distinguished, eloquent Premier of our Commonwealth engaged in a warfare against socialism. Some few monins ago in addressing our good Hibernians I said I had some doubts as to what was meant by socialism and as the campaign has gone oh I must confess that my difficulty has increased. I have not as yet a very clear idea as to what is meant by socialism' in the present campaign. There can be no doubt as to the socialism which Mr. Reid and his brother officers are assailing. They are assailin-g communism, and they are assailing anarchism. They make no secret of it, and for my part I would wish that their eloquent discourses were delivered in France or in Germany, and I am sure they might have some effect on the anarchists and the communists who are there certainly endeavoring to un-d^-imne the welfare of the State. But it seems to be quite out of place in Australia.

Our Democracy has no such aims, and it is difficult to understand how men in their senses could be going about cormbating some extreme views of communism and anarchy when really there is no enemy against whom their assaults may be Directed. I said a person might be puzzled to Know how this campaign has arisen or why it is being carried on, but 1 have heard an explanation— l do not mow whether it may meet with the \iews or the approval of tne parishioners of St. Francis's. During the past few months, and at the present lime, they are carrying on in the literary circles of Spain and England, France and Germany, a grand tercentenary celebration of the great work of Cervantes, which is known as ' Don Quixote,' and it occurred to me that as we have no literary celebration here the head of our Gommonwealth may well engage in a Quixotic enterprise— a Quixotic campaign— and thus it m.ay be said Australia has done its part in commemorating this tercentenary celebration of the publication of ' Don Quixote.' No one could doubt that all those distinguished leaders who are lra\elling through the country, who are marshalling their military forces and who are sharpening their swords, have only the well known wind-mill to receive the blows. 'They are discharging their artillery with all their long-sipent eloquence, but the only enemy to receive their charge is the soap bubbles of their .own fancy. Certainly it seems strange that sensible men, were it not to do honor to ' Don Quixote,' should go about the country in such a way. I say our Democracy is* not the enemy that is combated by these extreme principles that are laid down in this campaign. Our democracy is only a social development, jyid a development carried out on constitutional grounds and constitutional lines, and the objective of our democracy, instead of being subversive to society — to join the ranks of communism— and hostile to the well-being of society, is rather to promote progress and prosperity, and peace and plenty. From mv heart I wish our democracy every success in attaining this objective.