Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 23 November 1911, Page 2366

Notes

more commendation A veteran priest on the missionbeloved by all who know writing to a Dunedin confrere regarding a proposal to still further extend the circulation of the N.Z. Tablet, intimates that he has secured a number of fresh subscribers in his district, and remarks: 'The Tablet is well worth fighting for. Every number seems, if possible, an improvement on the preceding one.' As a practical pendant to this, we may mention that our traveller reports that, in the matter of obtaining new subscribers, his last trip was the most successful on record up to date. The Timaru Election Party feeling usually runs high at election time and it was quite natural, and human,' that the friends of Mr, R. Craigie, M.P., should have felt annoyed at seeing unpleasant things said regarding their candidate. They are entirely in the wrong, however, in supposing that there is anything at all out of the way in the publication, at election time, of such a letter as that which has aroused their joint and several indignation. Any Catholic elector in any constituency in the Dominion has a perfect right to write a letter to the paper regarding the merits or demerits of a political candidate, particularly in regard to his attitude towards Catholic 'questions; and, provided the criticism is not couched in abusive or objectionable terms, on no principle 'of justice or fair play could a Catholic paper close"its columns to such a communication. As every reader knowseven without the express disclaimer which is always inserted at the head of letters, to the editor—the paper itself is in no way identified either with' the statements or with the sentiments of its correspondents. The correspondence columns of a paper—■ with the proviso already mentioned:are for the free expression of all shades of opinion and had the letter of'' An ; Irishman ' happened to be in praise of Mr. Craigie instead of Mr. Angland, it would have been inserted just as readily. The obviously proper course for the friends of a candidate who has been subjected to criticism'.. to adopt, —not to lament that criticism should have been published-but to. promptly come forward with explanation and vindication; and in' the present case the supporters of Mr. Craigie have done this with a vigor and completeness that ought to be eminently satisfactory to that gentleman. So far as the" Tablet is concerned, our correspondents of this week will probably recognise that they have received a generous allowance of space in which to.present their case; and Mr. Craigie ought to consider, himself a lucky man to receive such an advertisement. •-..;. ... * We did notnor do we nowread into 'An Irishman's' letter that direct appeal to sectarian feeling

which our correspondents appear to have seen in it; and we think they have quite. unduly magnified that feature of the communication. So far as such an element can be said to have been implicitly contained in it, we are entirely at one with them in deprecating and condemning it. Mr. Angland himself would, we believe, be the last to ask or expect that Catholics should vote for him merely because he is a Catholic, without the least regard to his views or merits. As we have said, we think our correspondents have, in this respect, taken a great deal more out of the letter in question than lies, at least, on its surface; but the fact that even the bare appearance of the sectarian spirit should have elicited such an emphatic expression of disapprobation is a splendid testimony to the complete absence of bigotry from the general body of Catholics, and to their perfect willingness to give candidates of every shade of religious opinion an absolutely square deal.