BISHOP MORAN AND MR BARTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3500, 12 May 1874, Page 3

BISHOP MORAN AND MR BARTON.

. To the Editor. Sib,—rln your issue of this evening there appears a second letter from Mr Barton in reference to the part taken by Catholics in the recent election. This letter gives me the lie direct, and has, consequently, no claim on any attention-from me. But, under the circumstances, I owe it to the public to state the case as between Mr Barton and myself more fully than I have hitherto done. In my former letter, from an unwillingness to trespass tco far on your space and to contradict Mr-Barton’s statements unnecessarily; X confined myself to what I then considered sufficient for my defence, and passed over a great deal of Mr Barton’s letter unnoticed. Mr Barton did not suggest to me, either directly or indirectly, either himself personally at any interview or through a third party, that a petition should be drawn up and sent to each of the congregations for signature ; and that each of them should be presented to the Council by the members sitting for the respective districts.” We had no interview in reference to the drawing up of a petition ; nor had we any conversation to that effect. Before our first interview, the Dunedin petition had been drawn up and signed. Mr Barton had two interviews with me, and only two. I sought the first for the purpose of asking him to present the petition of the Dunedin Catholics, which had been already prepared ; and on that occasion the conversation, which Mr Barton denies, did most certainly taka place. The second interview was sought by Mr Barton himself ; and on this occasion he asked ine to Use my influence for him in the Lakes District, for the representation of which he said he intended to be a candidate. The conversation between us during this interview, as given in my former letter, is undoubtedly true in every particular. It need not, therefore, be repeated now. But towards the close of this conversation, I did go over from the fire-place, where we had been sitting, to the wall on which there was a list of members who had voted against our most just claims and absented themselves -from the division without cause, and said, “ There is a list of our enemies. In every contested election we shall vote against these, no matter who may be their opponents ; and though we are not strong enough to put in friends, we are in many or most places strong enough to keep cut these—our enemies, ” As to the meeing said to have been held in St. Joseph’s Schoolhouse, I must say I never heard there had been such a meeting. ' I do not believe there was such a meeting. On the •vening of the day of the election, at 8 o’clock, there was a meeting of the Tablet Company in St. Joseph’s School-room ; and whilst the first comers were waiting for the arrival of a sufficient number of shareholders to constitute a legal meeting, the conversation turned on the event of the day. I was present, and told those who were in the room and cared to listen, what I have stated in this and my former letter in reference to the two interviews I had with Mr Barton, and our conversations during these interviews. But this could have had no influence on an election that had been decided several hours previously.—l am, &c., ~ , ~ „ tP. Moran. Monday, May 11,