THE CHURCH AND LABOR IN VICTORIA

New Zealand Tablet, 20 May 1915, Page 15

THE CHURCH AND LABOR IN VICTORIA

MAGNIFICENT DEMONSTRATION IN MELBOURNE.

;• Never in the history of public meetings in Melbourne had so largo and enthusiastic a meeting been witnessed—(with the exception of the Home Rule demonstration in the -Exhibition Building)—as that which, thronged the Town Hall on Wednesday. night, April 28 (writes the Melbourne correspondent of the Freeman's. Journal). It was a thrilling scene, and that outside the civic hall was no less striking, between 6000 "and 7000 people clamoring to get in to unite in the protest against the Political Labor Conference's 'eviction resolution.' Says the Aryan: —The Catholic demonstration against the recent decision of the Political Labor Conference excluding from the Labor body members of other associations took place in the Town Hall last night. By five o'clock some of those who wished to be present at the meeting began to gather at the Town Hall, and by a. quarter past six, when the doors were opened, a large crowd was waiting. Before seven o'clock the hall was crowded in every part, and, the doors being closed, hundreds (indeed, there were thousands) of those who were disappointed at not being able to attend gathered in the street. When his Grace Archbishop Carr and his Grace Archbishop MannTx stepped on to the platform, the whole of the audience rose and cheered, a demonstration which was repeated when Archbishop Carr rose to address the meeting. His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne, in the course of his address, said:—Anyone who has come to this meeting expecting to hear a sweeping denunciation of the Labor party, or personal abuse of any member of that party, will return home much disappointed. We are too strong in the strength of our cause to descend to unworthy methods in its defence. Whether education should be purely secular, or secular and religious combined, is a question outside the sphere of the legitimate aims and ideals of the Labor party. With the Labor parjty as an industrial organisation we have no quarrel—nay, we have much sympathy. Catholics whose parents came to this country in adverse circumstances —the victims of bad land and labor laws—naturally incline towards the Labor party. Neither have we any general cause of complaint with the Labor party as a political power in the land. Amongst other things, it has helped us to keep out of the State schools that emasculated, injurious, sectarian system of religious instruction advocated by Bible Leaguers. I have asked representatives of the Political Labor Conference to tell me what is the connection between Labor and secularism in education. What is the essential difference between the secular instruction given in the State schools and that given in registered schools ? How is the claim of registered schools to receive remuneration for the secular instruction given in these schools inconsistent with the fundamental principles of labor democracy, or an obstacle to the amelioration of the conditions of the working man ? Does a parent who sends his child to a registered school lose all claim on the State in regard to the education of that child—and, if so, how*? Again, how is it that the Political Labor Councils of other lands have either never taken up this plank or have dropped it from their platform ? Two things followed from that, either that these Labor Councils have been false to the principles of Labor, or the Political Labor Council has strayed from the obligations which it owes to labor. The three great purposes of this meeting are First, to protest against this action of the Political Labor Conference in attempting to debar its members or representatives from advocating the remuneration of registered schools on account of the secular work they efficiently do second, and perhaps more important, to protest solemnly against the decree of excommunication formulated on a recent occasion against every conscientious Catholic from the Political

Labor Council; and, third, to endorse the policy of the Catholic Federation. -His Grace Archbishop, Mannix said they had met to let all men know—whether friends or foes— the Catholics of Victoria had taken for their motto, 'No Surrender!' and that they were prepared, no matter what party crossed their path, to exercise every legitimate means in their power to redress their educational grievances. He trusted that the news would go out from that great meeting that the Catholics of Victoria were not to be cajoled by any pblitical catch cries, and that they were . not going to be harrowed or dismayed by any political party. Catholics did not want war either in State politics or in Federal politics, but they had met that night to tell all whom it might concern that if any State party made war upon them, they would leave no stone unturned to defeat that party everywhere it showed itself. The Catholic Church was not a political organisation, nor tied to any political party as long as the politicians did not infringe the rights of conscience, and did not threaten the conscientious convictions of the Catholic Church, but the moments the interests of religion were involved, the Catholic Church claimed, and would exercise, the right to put up and support candidates to defend her children. These people of the Labor Conference could now see that they had raised a quarrel with the Catholic Church, and every loyal Catholic in Victoria with their Archbishop at their head. They did not quarrel with the conference while it confined itself to its own domain. This was not a meeting of the Catholic Federation, or of Liberals, but of men and women who had been identified with Labor for years. It was overwhelmingly Labor in sympathies, but with no sympathy towards the Political Labor Council's educational platform. They only asked what was given in all other parts of the Empire freely. The Catholic body would have peace with no political party as long as these laws disfigured the Statute Book. Several other speeches were delivered, principally by the proposers and seconders of the following resolutions, which were carried with acclamation: 'That in view of the action taken by the recent Political Labor Conference, we, the Catholics of Victoria, renew our protest against that plank of the Labor platform which attempts to debar members of the party and their representatives in Parliament from advocating payment for secular instruction given in registered schools.' ' That the Catholics of Victoria protest against the attempt of the Labor Conference to exclude all conscientious Catholics from the Labor Council.' ' That the Catholics of Victoria endorse the policy of the Australian Catholic Federation, and pledge themselves to promote bv every legitimate means the work of that organisation.'