Broomstick Politicians.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 51, 20 December 1900, Page 19

Broomstick Politicians.

A similar course of action was adopted l>y broomstick politicians in Parliament. A disgraceful wrangle over the Stoke Orphanage nagged and jarred in the House at intervals for several months. A nondescript p.irty, cemented by the feelmg of the hour, sedulously fomented the public passion. Intrigue was rampant. They set the public the bad example of commenting, under cover of pri\ ilege of the House, on cases still si/l/ juUue. A project of pauic legislation was tabled. 'A section of Parliament,' says the XZ. Times, wanted ' (1) to have the blackness [of the Brothers] declared without waiting for the verdict of the law courts, and (2) to have the color extended to every institute of a kindred nature, and that indiscriminately, so that every sheep of all these flocks should be punished as black.' In plain terms, an attempt was pushed to its farthest verge to place upon the Statute fsook a form of legislation the obvious effect and evident chief purpose of which would be the closing of Catholic orphanages or the serious impairment of their usefulness throughout the Colony. * * * The ring-leaders of the wild pursuit of the Marist Brothers in the House of Representatives were Messrs. Atkinson, Hutcheson, Pirani, Meredith, T.Mackenzie, Millar, and G. W. Russell. They were supported in their happily unsuccessful attempts at panic legislation by Messrs. Arnold, Barclay, Buddo, Collins, FA\, Fowlds, W. Fraser, Graham, Guinness, Hardy, Herries, Hoger, llornsby, Lang, Laurenson, M'Nab, Rhodes, Tanner, R Thompson, and J. W. Thomson. One of the Members on this Black List wenb so far as to have alleged facsimiles made of chains which were falsely stated to have been used for confining boys in the Stoke institute. ' These gentlemen ' — to give a fresh application to a now well-known expression of Judge Edwards' — may count on hearing from us again.