Would Muzzle the Press in New Zealand
By J. M. Cole
Efforts in That Distant Island to Suppress Anti-Catholic Publications
An Active Organization for the Purpose The accompanying article by Elder Cole shows that New Zealand is having some of the same experiences we are having in this country, in meeting the papal program to suppress publications that do not harmonize with Rome. Freedom of speech and of the press should be alike dear to every one, and should be defended by all. But these foundation principles of liberty are very obnoxious to despots of the church; and it matters not whether this religious despotism be under the guise of Catholicism or Protestantism, it is alike tyrannical. But the union of the church and the state is coming back again all over the world. The Bible prophecies call for it, and we can see the activities that herald its rapid approach. Editor. FOR about two years, Roman Catholics have been aggressive in the dominion of New Zealand in pushing a campaign to exclude from our mails all publications that they consider “scurrilous.” A little more than a year ago, the Catholic Federation of New Zealand succeeded in stopping an American paper called the Menace from coming into the dominion. Later a book was noticed in the window of one of the leading book shops in Auckland. The novel had in it something about a priest. A representative of the Federation waited on the manager of the book shop and asked that the book be not sold to the public. It was taken out of the shop window, and to-day very few copies of that book can be found on sale in the city. Imprisoned the Faith Healer
In the month of November, 1914, Pastor Wilhide, a faith healer, distributed a tract of his in Petone, a small town near Wellington. From a Wellington paper we quote: “The police had many complaints from mothers and fathers and from the secretary of the Catholic Federation, and the police had the greatest difficulty in preventing the enraged parents from executing their own punishment.” — Truth, December 23, 1914. In Truth of January 2 appeared a full report of the trial and conviction of Elder Wilhide, faith healer, poet-preacher, who had been charged with delivering a document of immoral and mischievous nature into the hands of several persons at Petone. The document or pamphlet in question was headed and entitled, “The Restorationist, Gospel Message.” In summing up, Magistrate Cooper admitted he was convinced “that the pamphlet had been written and circulated from high motives,” and then by some astounding process of reasoning concluded that he must convict and penalize the accused. He thereupon inflicted a fine of £5 on each of the three counts; but in order to allow of an appeal being lodged, the fine in one instance was fixed at £5 1s. As the sum required to lodge an appeal amounted to twenty golden sovereigns, this hurdle proved too stiff for Mr. Wilhide to clear, and so the first penalty held good, and the strong elder was asked to pay up £15, with some 30s in addition as expenses. This the faith healer couldn’t do. He seldom has two coppers to rattle on the proverbial tombstone. He and his wife live from week to week, not knowing whence the next meal is to come, and any surplus wealth they have they dispense in charity. So last Wednesday morning he was collected by the unsympathetic John Hops and placed in the cold stone jug, there to work out his atonement to the satisfaction of the law. The Pamphlet That Imprisoned Him
“Who is Elder Wilhide, and what is this crime of which he has been convicted? Mr. Wilhide is known in Wellington, and much further afield, as a person of most exemplary character. He is known as one who has given of himself unstintingly to the service of man, spending and being spent in order to help or lessen the load of poverty and pain which is the lot of so many ‘bottom dogs’ to-day. He is a man who has seen the evil ravages made by the scarlet scourge upon the manhood and womanhood of our large cities, and set himself the task of arousing the community to the danger that threatens its very existence. For this purpose, he wrote the pamphlet complained of, and for the publishing of which he now lies languishing in durance vile. Truth cannot admit the Indecent Publications Act was meant to apply to such men or such cases. The purpose of the act is to prevent or punish for the publication or sale of any indecent document for carnal gratification or for personal profit. In fact, clause 5 especially provides for the exemption of such a case as that of Elder Wilhide. The clause reads: “In determining whether any document or other matter is indecent within the meaning of the act, the magistrate shall take into consideration not merely the nature of that document or matter itself, but also the nature and circumstances of the act done by the defendant with respect thereto, and the purpose with which the act was done.” “This clause surely covers the whole of the ground so far as the act of Elder Wilhide was concerned. In delivering his judgment, Magistrate Cooper said the fact that the pamphlet had been written and circulated only from high motives, would influence him in imposing a penalty. “Truth’s scribe is merely a layman, and makes no pretensions to an intimate knowledge of law. Nevertheless, he makes bold to say that the magistrate misread the above clause, in accordance with the terms of which, he admitted, he inflicted a modified penalty. Truth contends that the clause has nothing whatever to do with determining the terms of punishment, but that it distinctly determines ‘whether any document or other matter is indecent within the meaning of the act.’ “As Magistrate Cooper admitted that he was convinced that the pamphlet on which the prosecution was based was published in good faith, in the public interest and not for personal profit, such an admission was tantamount to a verdict of not guilty.” The Catholic Federation Behind It
At a diocesan council in Wellington held January 21, 1915, in St. Patrick’s Hall, Boulcott Street, it was admitted by the Catholic Federation organizer, Mr. Girling-Butcher, that back of this arrest and imprisonment of Mr. Wilhide was the Catholic Federation. From the report of this meeting published in the Tablet, the leading Catholic paper in New Zealand, we quote: “The question of preventing the sale and distribution of objectionable literature has received much attention during the period. It was found that booksellers were in all cases quite willing to withdraw from circulation any works which Catholics might deem offensive, and in many cases asked to be informed from time to time of the names of such books. A case occurred recently at Petone, where a person was found distributing a pamphlet of a highly indecent [?] nature to children leaving the Catholic school grounds. The matter was instantly reported to your executive by the secretary of the Petone committee. The case was referred to the head office, with a recommendation that it be placed in the hands of the police. This was done, and the offender was convicted in the Magistrate’s Court, the total amount of the fines and costs being over seventeen pounds. The executive commends the action328of the Petone committee to the notice of all parish committees.”—New Zealand Tablet, January 28, 1915. In the Tablet of the same date we have the official report of a Federation Council meeting held in Christchurch, January 18, 1915: “After the roll call of delegates, the chairman welcomed the general secretary and organizer, Mr. G. Girling-Butcher, to the meeting. Mr. Girling-Butcher suitably replied, and explained that his chief object in coming, at the request of his executive, was to meet and become acquainted with the delegates, so that when he commenced his organizing tour, he would know some one in each of the various districts he had to visit, who would be helpful to him, and he would thus not be a total stranger. Another reason why he had come south just then was to meet the Westland clergy when coming out of retreat.” “The chairman moved that the question of public libraries be thoroughly discussed in so far as anti-Catholic literature is catalogued, permitted on the shelves, and thence distributed, having special reference to the local and general government subsidies. An interesting discussion ensued.” “Mr. Hayward spoke of recent activity on the part of the Diocesan Council executive. Mr. M. Corrigan followed. Mr. W. Angland laid stress on the advisability of having a representative selection committee on libraries. Mr. J. P. Leigh pointed out the futility of spasmodic action, and spoke of the laxity observable in a large center he had visited where a certain book, so much condemned, was displayed for sale in the shop windows. Mr. Angland desired to add that the forthcoming local elections would present a favorable opportunity for the Catholic voice being heard on this subject. The secretary stated that the worst offending publishing firm had a depot in Melbourne. All the most offensive anti-Catholic literature was catalogued by this firm, and it should be a recommendation to the dominion executive to ask the Victorian Catholic Federation to bring pressure to bear upon it. The Very Rev. Dean Tubman urged all branches to take practical steps to minimize, if not entirely suppress, this class of literature by reporting to the diocesan secretary any such coming under notice. An index of bad books could then be compiled, and lists furnished to every branch. It was decided to adopt this course.” A few days after this council to “entirely suppress” “anti-Catholic literature,” Mr. Girling-Butcher called on the manager of a café in Wellington, and said that complaints had reached him of magazines from America making scurrilous remarks about the pope and the holy Catholic faith. “Signs Magazine” Condemned
One of the café customers had found on the free reading rack a copy of the Signs of the Times Magazine No. 12 of last year. This customer felt very much abused because of an article in this paper on “God’s Eternal Purpose in Christ,” by T. E. Bowen. He at once reported it to the organizer, Mr. Girling-Butcher. We will quote the paragraph in the article so hurtful to the Catholic faith: “Here are some quotations direct from Roman Catholic authority, which bear positive testimony upon this very important question as to whether, in very fact, Catholics themselves attribute to the pope’s titles which belong only to the Father or His divine Son: “Blasphemous Titles of the Pope
“Christ intrusted His office to the chief pontiff; . . . but all power in heaven and in earth had been given to Christ; . . . therefore the chief pontiff, who is His vicar, will have this power.”—‘Gloss on the Extravagantes Communes,’ book 1, chapter 1. See the body of the canon law, published in 1556, volume 3, Extravagantes Communes, column 29. “All names which in the Scriptures are applied to Christ, by virtue of which it is established that He is above the church, all the same names are applied to the pope.”—Bellarmin, ‘On the Authority of Councils,’ book 2, chapter 17, in the edition of his works published in 1628, volume 1, page 266. “For thou art the shepherd, thou art the physician, thou art the husbandman: finally, thou art another God on earth.”—The oration of Christopher Marcellus in the fourth session of the Fifth Lateran Council. See Labbe and Cossart’s edition of the Councils, published in 1672, volume 14, column 109.” The manager of the café was told that if this kind of reading matter was given out any more, his café would have few customers.