REPREHENSIBLE TACTICS

New Zealand Tablet, 5 June 1913, Page 34

REPREHENSIBLE TACTICS

The Marlborough Express of May 27 is responsible for the following: .‘ It is to be hoped that the Government will not allow itself to be cajoled into complying with the request for a referendum on the subject of Bible-reading in the State schools. A card is just now being distributed from house to house, the people being asked to sign it and thereby intimate their desire for the introduction of Bible-reading into the schools and their request for a referendum on the subject. Doubtless a good many will sign because they are in sympathy with the movement, while other signatures will be forthcoming because busy housewives will prefer to sign rather than waste time talking at the door while the dinner spoils or the baby screams itself hoarse. So far, so good. But when it comes to the person who really does not want to —what of him or her? 'Will the canvasser take a refusal, or will he (or she) attempt, by quoting Scripture bearing more or less on the point, to gain a signature by these means ? Judging by the experiences of some householders, these very questionable methods are being employed in Blenheim. You are crucifying Christ you are choosing Barabbas ’ —this is the sort of argument that is being used in order to get cards signed. Now, people who think the question out calmly know that they are neither crucifying Christ nor choosing Barabbas by refusing to sign the cards if they do not desire to sign them; but others; may be, are swayed by the charge of un-Christian behavior, and weakly attach their signatures to what in their hearts they really do not believe in. Thus it will probably happen that a large number of the signatures to the Bible in State Schools League’s petition are not the signatures of people in favor of the referendum at all; and the country may thus be put to unnecessary expense in the holding of this referendum. The question naturally arises, in connection with this canvass, Who made the League’s canvassers the judges of the public conscience?’ * ’■ ‘ ’ • / In the eyes of all honorable and fair-minded oeople, such tactics stand self-condemned; and this impudent attempt to take charge of the consciences of the electors and to intimidate weak or scrupulous souls, by a sort of religious coercion, into signing a petition with which

they are not in reality in agreement, calls for strong reprobation. Canvassers who induce people to sign an order for goods by means of false representations find themselves within reach of the long arm of the law and it is to be regretted that canvassers who induce electors, by improper methods or misrepresentation, to sign a petition one effect of which will be to put the country to uncalled-for expense, cannot also be legally brought to account. In the absence of legislation, the one and only effective means left to us to checkmate such tactics is publicity. Whenever any such cases as those exposed by our Marlborough contemporary come within the knowledge or the experience of any of our readers, let public attention at once be drawn to them in the columns of the local papers. If the League agents will not. go straight from principle, there is nothing for it but to shame them into it.