PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1796, 2 March 1918, Page 3

PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION.

LAST NIGHT’S MEETING. A meeting was-held in the Town Hull last night for the .purpose of organising local Protestants into a' branch of the Protestant Political Association. Admission ■ was by ticket, and there was an attendance of about four hundred. The Mayor (Mr J. Chrystall) presided, and the speakers were the' Rev. Knowles Smith (Wellington) and the Hon. Win. Earnshaw, M.L.C. The speak-, crs-received a splendid hearing throughout. The only interjections made came from a member of thci audience when Mr Earnshaw criticised the disloyalty of the Labour leaders. The Rev. Knowles Smith is a fine platform speaker, and ho held the close attention of the audience throughout. The meeting opened and closed with the singing of the National Anthem. The Mayor, in opening, referred to the object of the meeting, and stated ttPat a temporary- office would be opened for the enrolment of members. The Rev. Knowles Smith said they were not out to attack the religious faith or conviction of any one. Under the British flag they had religious freedom, and it was every one’s right (o hold what belief satisfied his conscience. They had nothing to do with the doctrinal position of the Church of Rome. The Association was for men of any faith or no belief at all to deal with v political situation, and its power would be felt at the next general election. Three years'ago the Roman Catholic Church organised for political action, and formed a political movement called the Catholic Laymen’s Federation, but strange to say the chairman of every branch was a Catholic priest—the laymen were guided and governed by the clergy. They held that the movement had nothing to do with politics except as they interfered with their church. lie challenged them to deny that the church was out for temporal power, and that the Pope’was recognised as the supreme head of everything, and princes and kings were subject to his control, and tho true servant of that church must give allegiance in all relationship of his life. The church’s dominance was slipping, hence the organisation. He paid a tribute to the organising power of the Roman Catholic Church, for their organisation! numbered nearly every man, woman and child of the church. If the Catholics, representing one-seventh of the population,.had a right to organise, surely the six-sevenths had a. similar right. He challenged Catholics to prove that they had been interfered with either through the press or on the platform by Protestants for organising. The white waistcoat of their organise*; had never ’ been besmirched by a Protestant, or his body kicked by a Protestant boot. They had been allowed to carry on without molestation (applause). He then referred to what had occurred at Feilding, and stated that the Protestants now demanded the right to organise. If anything happened to Elliott while organising for the Protestants it would be the worst day’s work ever done by the Roman Catholic Church —it would ring the death knell of the Catholic Church in New Zealand (applause). Such tactics should drop right now, as Protestants intended to go right through to a successful issue with their organisation. He paid a tribute to loyal Catholics serving their country, and to the police force. It was the inner circle of tho heirarchy where the damage was done and the scheming created. He referred to the preponderance of Catholics in the civil service, where they oecu-' pied the best places. He referred to recent appointments , # where 20 Catholics were appointed and only two Protestants. The Clerk to the Civil Service Commissioner was a Catholic, and had a good deal of influence. Appointments should bo by merit, and merit alone,.and religion should not cuter into the question (applause). The attack on Howard Elliott was made to wreck the National Government, and the support accorded to the Social Democrats by the Catholics was for a similar, purpose. He referred to tho disloyal utterances of the Social Democrats. He referred to Conscription and the exemption of Marist Brothers. The only exemption asked for when -the Act was being formed was on behalf of the Quakers. The Protestant Churches never asked for exemption of their ministers. He referred to the Tablet’s threat that if the Marist Brothers were conscripted they would “raise trouble in this dominion.” The Roman Catholic Federation defied our legislature and military Boards, What’had the six-sevents to say about it ? Referring to Education, he held that a mistake had been made when our present system was iuaugaurated providing for free education from the kindergarten to the University. Denominational schools should not have been permitted. He referred to the objection made against starting the Protestant Political Association while the war was op. The Catholics had said that this was the time to claim their rights, and to organise. If any division was brought about it was not of the Protestants’ seeking. It was a vicious thing to bring sect an*. Tmism into politics, but it wag the Catholics who had introduced it. Protestants claimed loyalty to King and Empire, and equal rights for all, and special privileges for none, and were going to sec that this was carried out in every department of public life (applause). They were going to see that no disloyal candidate got into the House at next el-

ection (applause). Protestants were able to dictate their own terms for God, Liberty, the open Bible, and equal rights fur all.

The Hon. Mr. Earn.shaw said the Catholic Federation was organised about 30 years ago, and was resuscitated three years ago. He traced the cause anq objects of its commencement. There was great danger that their liberty was to be menaced and undone. The situation in New Zealand was most grave at the present time. While their boys were away" in Europe fighting Tor liberty, the people of New Zealand had as greali a fight to fight. They had to be prepared to face the Catholic Federation, the Social Democrat, and the Red Fed., who were trying to bring about in this country a state of chaos. He criticised the disloyal utterances of so-called Labour leaders, and referred to their conduct in the recent Wellington North by-election. Holland, their leader, refuses to subscribe to the National Anthem, and refers to the King as “a very decent sort of- fellow.” Webb was shirking behind the miners.

An intcrjector asked what about) Laidlaw Leeds? Mr Earnshaw said there was a great difference between the two cases. One was managing a big commercial concern, and if Webb died to-moi-row there were others who could easily fill his place. He referred to the exemption of Marist Brothers. He dealt with other matters concerning the necessity for united action to oppose disloyalty and to prevent industrial turmoil. Much could be done by the country people. There was trouble looming ahead when Parliament met, and disturbing factors should not he allowed to enter in at such a time, but all differences should be held over for settlement until after the war. But we were menaced by a belligerent element as evidenced recently in Wellington. They should combine to prevent a deliberate attempt to capture the body politic by the Catholic Federation and RjCd, Feds., and not submit to terrorism, but let it be known that testant Political Associaion intended to plough their furrow to the end, and if-v/'mssary to give others a lick of their own stick, until it was made clear that the desire was to live together as one common family. The Rev. Mr Bredin moved a motion that a branch of the Protestant Political Association be formed in Foxton, and spoke in support of th(| motion, which was seconded by Mr Kennedy, and carried unanimously. The usual votes of thanks to the speakers and chairman were carried amidst applause. It was stated during the evening that the Rev; Mr Elliott would visit Foxton at an early date to deliver a public address.