History Repeated

New Zealand Tablet, 4 October 1906, Page 22

History Repeated

- ProfoMtiqn and non-prohibition arcguestions on which Catholics are: free to hold such opinions as : their observations of fact and their- powers of inference may seem t ,to;;them. to warratnt. .In .'some at • least' "W these"' countries, if, is' the fault or. tie misfortune of \.the pifohibi- ' tiono movement that---.it is in 1 part- captained !byV- men"who- regard Catholics as outride the. : protection -of trtiie 1 . T<?n.epmmanidm"ents, -and who, af tier j having -outraged > our. .most cherished religious ( Jor.''tf|iity-fiYe;\ months,^ greet • us with, a passing smile onv .tfie tKir^ty-T sixth-r-for - the" sake- of the .voting power which, we ex--ercise. - These Extremists are in part responsible for the." antecedent distrust With ,wfoich "many catholics' view. the. movement.... And -they are \ : Wholly^Jaccountabl^, for - the fact . that convinced , prohibitionists of ou»i- f aitfc find it difficult -to, take a public and- prominent- "part in the movement. This remark applies with especial foroe to the clergy, who are naturally loth to hob-

nob- on .public platforms . with .men , jcalUniniate:?. and defame us in so reckless a manner, and who, on occasion,' make themselves , r the " bear-leaders of such noxious creatures' as Margaret Shepherd' and" , the .Siait~, r terys.. ,- ' ■ '" ."•.'---. -. ".-'- X--\,T . ' ".•.'>,"-?■.'. '"''"-• •w The • experience- of New Zealand Catholics .in.. . /this > respect ' is toeing;' just now- repeated to' our'-co-re^-,-ligibjiis'ts in; South itus"tralia'! : The elections are' :< "aprprbachdiig., Sundry enthusiasts, ..:are" setting . their -.capjs to catch the Catholic vote, , and' smiling the.-custom-.-ary evanescent smile at the people whose feelings they have been trampling upon in season and out of season during the past three years. A Protestant clergyman (the "Rev. Mr.. -Meld) has strongly deprecated, in the Adelaide secular press, the systematic vilification to which Catholics have been subjected by some of his fellow-workers in the prohibition movement. It was, perhaps, unfortunate that his protest was directed against such attacks, not on account of their unfair and unchristian character, but on account of the votes which are thereby lost t'p the cause which they advocate. With him and with the bulk of temperance workers (says Father Mclnerney in the same paper) Catholics have no manner of quarrel. ' But,' he adds', 1 we can "hardly be expected to stand upon the same platform with the cranks who keep - assailing us all the year round, in the wanton and unchristian" fashion with which your readers are familiar. If mean and malicious falsehoods are constantly being told • about Catholics and their religion by persons who are prominently identified with the temperance party, - that party can scarcely hope to secure the votes of 'the general body of Catholics. Will the alleged panacea of the temperance reformers prove really effective for the prevention of drunkenness ? . ... On questions such as these, as far as I am aware, most Catholics have an open mind. They regard them as highly debatable questions, with much 1o be said on both sides. Still, I venture to say that the vast majority of Catholics are in hearty sympathy with the ultimate aim of the temperance party — namely, the suppression of drunkenness. Many Catholics may be. somewhat - sceptical as to the wisdom of the specific measures proposed by the Alliance, but I think I am right in saying that most of them would support the temperance party by voice and vote were it not for the rabid bigotry of a small section of that party. . . . I have no fear that any right-thinking person will blame the Catholics for acting thus ; it was their way of protesting against the malevolent and unchristian attacks ma-deupon them by a small but noisy section of the temperance party.'