PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1894, 24 October 1918, Page 3

PROTESTANT POLITICAL ASSOCIATION.

ADDRESS BY THE REV. HOWARD ELLIOTT'. There was a large attendance at the Coronation Hall on Tuesday night to hear the address by the Rev. Howard Elliott, under the auspices of the Foxtou Branch of the Protestant Political Association. The Mayor (Mr John Chrystall) presided, and briefly introduced the speaker. The first to address the mooting was Mr Harford, of Feeding, who briefly gave his reasons for joining the P.P.A. Mr Harford said he had always been a Protestant, but until lately had not concerned himself about the political side of flic question —he had taken an interest only in the spiritual side. It was not until the Rev. Howard Elliott addressed a meeting in Feilding that he had taken any interest in the P.P.A., hut after hearing that address he decided to inquire fully into the question from I he political side. Ho had since done so, had joined the P.P.A., and was out ).) further the movement as far as he could. It was quite (dear that the Roman Catholics were attacking our Education system and our great Education Act was in danger. He found on making investigation that children were being carried past State schools to convent schools on our railways free of charge, and also that nuns had free passes. He was convinced there was need for political action on the part of the Protestants, and the P.P.A. filled the bill. He very much admired the Association motto; “Equal rights to all, special privileges to none.” He admitted that every person had a perfect right to worship as he or she liked, but he was out to do all in his power to see that the privileges the people enjoyed should not he filched away from them. Dealing with military service, Mr Harford said he could not sec why married men with children should be sent away to tight whilst single men, Marist Brothers and Priests, were excluded. There was not a single Catholic priest in the trenches as soldiers with the Now Zealand forces. The necessity of political action on the part of Protestants was very acute at the present time, and he believed that provided the Protestants were properly organised the time was not far distant when men would be elected to Parliament who would vote as their consciences dictated, and not as (bey were told by any particular party. He appealed to the business men to link up with the P.P.A., and gave the experiences of business men in Feilding to show that instead of membership of the P.P.A. detrimentally affecting their business it had the opposite effect. Mr Harford concluded by impressing on all Protestants the absolute necessity of handing together in order to protect their own interests and the interests of the country as a whole. Air Elliott, who was received with prolonged applause, first gave a brief outline of the growth of the P.P.A. He said the organisation was launched a little over a year ago, and none at that time anticipated that it would make the tremendous strides in so short a time as had already been made. He was not at liberty to disclose figures, but ho could say that the membership at. present greatly exceeded 100,000, and Ibere were branches all over New Zealand. At the present time there was an average of 52 meetings under the auspices of the Association held every week, and the ranks included the best and strongest men and women in New Zealand. The Dominion bad been divided into eleven divisions, and so far six organisers had been appointed, and the Association was on the look-out for Jive others, and by next election there would not be an electorate in the country in which the P.P.A. would not be able to cast a deciding vote. Some people objected that the present was not the time to organise, but be could not agree with them. In September, 1914, the Catholic Federation launched their movement, which has for its object the control of the Parliament of the country, and to gain concessions for the Roman Catholic Church. This was a direct challenge to all who wished to conserve the Education Act, and any Protestant who did not answer it was a traitor to the cause. Pope Leo XIII. had said that State schools wore an abomination, and that where the State system of Education was in force it must be destroyed. He also said the Church and State should be brought together so that the State should bo dominated by the Church. The Protestants of this country objected and didn’t believe in a dictator, and would not have it, said Mr Elliott, and they considered there should be an organisation to protect the interests of Protestants, and that was the reason the P.P.A. was formed. If they waited until after the war to commence organising it would be impossible to have the Association in anything like a strong position by the time a general election took place. He considered it would take another 12 months to have the Association in anything like a strong position by the time a general election eventuated. He considered it would take another 12 months to thoroughly organise their forces. Had the P.P.A. waited until after the war to start-organising, the Catholic Federation, which boasted a membership of 14,000, would have been able to obtain concessions from the politicians, as there would be no organisation to counterbalance their influence. Some objected to the P.P.A. on the ground that they were against sec-

tarian bigotry and sectarian strife. When the Catholic Federation started to organise four years ago the Protestants made no objection to it, and he claimed that the Protestants were also enitlcd to organise their forces if they so desired. The object of the P.P.A. was to bring the whole of the Protestants in New Zealand together in one great organisation so that the Parliament of the country may be purified, and see that the right class of men only are elected. Air Elliott dealt at some length with the secret influence of the Roman Catholics with our Parliament. The Jesuit in New Zealand politics, said Mr Elliott, was a very grave danger. One of the aims of the Roman Catholics was to destroy our national system of education. The Church of Rome characterised it as a Godless system, and claimed they must have their own schools to get the right religions atmosphere. The speaker said he knew of cases where Catholic parents had been refused the sacraments of the Church because they did not send their children to the Catholic schools. The Catholics claimed (hat in our national system of education the moral and spiritual education of the children was neglected, lint the speaker said that statistics proved (hat State school children had (wo chances to one of keeping out of gaol than if they went to the convent. Statistics showed that Roman Catholics provided double the proportion of juvenile criminals in the land, and he rejoiced in the fact that the State schools were able to produce a better class of citizen. The Roman Catholics claimed that the State should contribute, to the cost of (heir schools, and (hoy had told the Minister for Education that (hey were going to have State aid. Air Elliott dealt at some length with the question of concessions to the Roman Catholic Church, which, he said, amounted to thousands of pounds per annum. He severely criticised the action of Sir James Allen, who, whilst Minister for Education, amended the Act to allow scholarships at other than State schools at the option of the Minister in charge. The old Act left the (tower in the hands of the various Education Boards, which, with the exception of Grey, had absolutely refused scholarships to other than State schools. Sir James Allen had granted scholarships to denominational schools, and by his actions had (flayed the traitor to the Protestants in New Zealand. If we went on long enough giving scholarships to denominational schools it would eventually break down our Educational system. The speaker said when lie approached Sir James Allen on the subject he said he did it because the strong organisation of the Roman Catholics had asked for it; he also said the Protestants were unorganised, and therefore could do nothing. The speaker complained that Catholic children atlending Catholic schools were carried on the railways free. During the year ending March 31st, 1918, the Education Department had paid the railwlils £1,540 for carrying Roman Catholic children to school, £3O for carrying Anglicans, £0 for Lutherans, and £75 for Presbyterians. A thousand Roman Catholic children were being carried to school free on the railways every day. Why should llioy receive this confession? lie quoted a ease in the Thames district where a hoy and girl wore attending a one-teacher Stale school, and in their last year (heir parents decided to send them to larger schools. The hoy was sent to a State school, and the girl to a Catholic convent school. They, travelled by the same train, got out at the same station. The boy attending the State school had to pay his fare; the girl attending the Catholic school went free. In concluding his address, Mr Elliott criticised the action of the Hon. A. M. Myers in prohibiting certain literature. He made an earnest appeal to all Protestants to join the P.P.A. and thus assist to protect the interests of the Protestants in New Zealand. At.(he conclusion of (he address several members of the audience desired to ask questions. Some were answered, and then as the hour was late the chairman said no further questions would be allowed. On the motion of the Rev. J. TT. Bredin, seconded by the Mayor, a vote of thanks to the speakers was carried by acclamation. A vote-of thanks to the chair concluded the meeting.