RELIGION AND POLITICS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 647, 27 May 1882, Page 2

RELIGION AND POLITICS.

To the Editor. Sir, —I don’t think that the Protestants of this colony have ever paid sufficient attention tc Bishop Redwood's Bill, or what he prefers to call a “ pastoral letter,” nor have they considered as they should do what effect it has had in getting the House of Representatives filled with raw recruits, remarkable only for their indecision or want of principle. The Catholics are instructed to care nothing about “ Liberal” or “Conservative," “ Land Tax ” or “ Properly Tax," “Grey” or “Hall,” but “they should effectively remember at the polling booth their known opponents in the past.” In' plain lamuage, Sir, this means that the Catholics are to support any imbecile, or any traitor, or any unproved man,: rather than vote for a man who, however' excellent in every other respect, ' has'

proved that he will not vote to carry us - back to all the wretched dark days of education by the priesthood. The more liberal a man may be, the more he has done to give fair play to every lay Catholic, and to remove everything that could . bo objectionable to them from our public schools, the more he is hated and branded -by the Catholic priests. But this is not the worst of it. If they would let us know what they were about, and fight

above ground the Protestants would meet them in their own way, and good, liberal, trustworthy, experienced members would not be put out of the House by their block vote. But their aim, even in this election, is to keep the Protestants asleep, and make them believe that they are not going to vote as one man against the Protestant candidate, because he is a Protestant. But I will venture my existence that whatever promises he may they will be cheap efaotigh—the Protestant candidate will hot gfet ohe single, Catholic vote. The only places wherje this concealed but well drilled block-vote has been frustrated have been those places where the Catholics thought themselves strong enough to throw off the mask and avow their intention, as in Auckland and Nelson. Bishop Redwood’s orders are plain enough, and they will be obeyed by every Catholic in the Wakanui district, although some of bis subs are trying to make us believe that they are not giving orders to support the Catholic candidate even whilst allowing him to put a few shillings into the “ heretics’ ” plate at the Wesleyan chapel, to allay the suspicions of that body. Mr Saunders and Mr Ivess may say what they 'like, about the hateful character of religious fights, but whatever they may say, it will be a religions fight on one side; and in any case the Protestants ought long ago to have put down this, mischievous Catholic block vote by meeting it with a block vote of their own. —I am, etc. 6. M. Robinson.