The Portland daily press., 1865-09-20
Wednesday Morning, Sept, 90, 1865.
TIE snoRnr o1RcurAR.

@@A@1 H4OI11L O1ACO1lAd.
The following, which we cut from the Mon
treal Witness, may afford our readers a glimpse
of some interesting points in Canadian poll
tics
The Legislature has been in session but !
few days, and already the position of the Prot
estant members of Lower Canada who have
joined the coalition is no longer the same.-ii
is very essentially altered it has become false
one, and untenable for men Of power and prin.
ciple When the scheme of Confederation
was proposed to them, they felt, and the Prot.
estant community felt with them, that it would
be suicidal for the Lower Canada minority tc
support scheme that placed them at the mer.
cy OF Roman Catholic and French majority
Yet the votes of these were Indispensable to
carry the scheme, since nearly the half of the
French members have refused to join the coal
1tlon. IN this emergency the support of seven
Protestant members from Lower Canada was
secured by secret written pledge, given to
them in behalf of the Ministry by Mr.. Galt.-
By a very timely indiscretion, this written
pledge has been placed in thu hands of Mr..
Dorion, and by him publicly exposed.
The secret agreement refers to four guaran-
tees rendered to the Protestant minority of
Canada, and which are summed up as fol-
lows:-"1st No change in the constituencies
OF fEnglish-speating members unless on vote
OF Jwo-thirds of the latter. End The limits
OF several municipalities within the counties
will be changed By executive interference, but
only according to law. 3rd. These munich
palities wills be permitted to acquire the
crown lands within their limits at a nomi-
nal price, provided they resell them without
distinction to every purchaser. 4th. The
school system of Lower Canada win be remod-
elled, so as TO give Protestants the control over
their own schools, and system Of edrication-
The government does not pledge themselves,
however, to any particular means of reaching
this end, which may be by a change in the
council Tor public instruction, by the appoint
ment of a Protestant Superintendent, or other
wise. The dissentients ofdifferent municipal
tiles viii be allowed to unite their taxes for the
support ostheir schools. insulated dissentients.
however, viii not be allowed to send their tax
es to support school far removed from
them"
We take the above statement from the or
gan OF Mr. Dorion, lie Pdys, because the in
correct version has been published in the Eng
H5h papers emitting some of the checks with
which the guarantees were provided, thus Civ
ing too much scope to the latter. For instance,
1t win be seen that a Protestant Superinten-
dent Of education was not positively promised,
bat only mentioned as possible, and that the
right of the townships to monopolize public
lands, for the benefit Of a certain class was not
only granted, but expressly excepted.
1t was on the strength of these secret pled-
ges, Of this written guarantee, under the sigma
ture OF Mr., Galt, that seven Protestant MEM
bers from Lower Canada agreed to support the
Ministry and their Confederation scheme. BY
exacting such pledges, these gentlemen fully
acknowledge that without them the Confeder-
alton scheme was not acceptable to the Prot
estant minority; and their interest and dutv
Wa7ld no fn if 7'bte ic fho ,,o.,,
which the Protestant independent press of
Lower Canada has taken from the beginning.
and it Is very refreshing to find that there were
Protestant members from Lower Canada who
secretly thought precisely the same, although
openly giving their support to the government
and to their pet scheme. But they had guar
antees Oh which their constituents knew no.
thing, and that made their conscience easy.-
Their apparently inconsistent excuse was af-
forwards to be explained at the polls, when
they could triuInphanty point to the success
of their secret negotiations.
But now this subtle arrangement is destroy
ed. The secret letter has been made public.
and its effect has been crushing reaction
against the rights and the claims of the Protes-
tallt minority. The French Canadians of all
parties are unanimous in protesting against
these guarantees, and pledge themselves not
to observe single one OF them. Mr.. Cauchon
has Indignantly committed himself to vote
against every one of these concessions Le
Canadian looks at them as only a successfnl
trick played on some Protestant in order to Sc
cure their cooperation, and without which the
scheme, not commanding amajority from Low
er Canada, would have fallen through. The
CogrTier and other French papers protest more
vigorously still. The MiaeTge alone keeps ST.
lent, because that organ of Mr. Cartier regrets
to see the trick prematurely exploded, and
deems it inprudent TO awake the Protestant
spirit of Lower Canada by saying that none of
the secret guarantees viii ever be allowed to
pass in the constitution. As to the French op-
position press, they are more violent still in
deDouncing every one Of these concessions to
Protestants. They do not see in it only trick
of the Ministry, but treason. They clamor
that their nationality and their religion are
ruined if any OF these pledges are granted, and
they agree to vote down every one of them.--
Even the provision of Mr.. Gait that the lands
would be sold Unfortunately TO all corners
fails TO satisfy the PGyS, because if the settlers
are Protestant corporation they can adhere
to the letter Of the law, but eyade the spirit
by telling all sorts of lies to turn off Catholic
applicants for LOT Of land, ~.
Inc next result OF this secret diplomacy be-
comes very apparent, and it is that the protes-
tants OF Lower Canada are placed now.
through the indicrest action of their ministe-s
rial representatives, in a lar more nraoariouc
position than at any previous time. IF the
Confederation scheme carry, they win he sac.
rificed and put In much tighter nlace thasn
if no attempt had been made ia secnre Fe;r
rights privately and by double dealing H.
abortiYe attempt leaves behind two mosf ,,,far
tunate results; viz, the mistrust Of the Gath
olic majority, which willsuspect everything n
connection with Lower Canada Protestants
and the determined hostility caused by irrita,,
tion, which viii prevent all generous dealing
with the minority, and lead to cutting down
their just demands.
But what viii the members who have lost
their pledges do? Can they possibly be infat-
uated with the notion that there IS still some
virtue lingering in the written guarantee Of
MT Gait? The Catholics of Lower Canada
are unit in protesting that they will not al
low W one OF them to pass into the local constltu-
uGn. Inc Protestant members find them
serves where they before the pledge was given,
VI I.sner SUI iarther off from the security they
gSSliisd indispensable to their constituents
@ ollues lncse circumstances only, honourable
eouiSo 70 o1eil 10 them -sither to exact from
Ine eodAlVoh new pledge, not secret, but
pie,., pIig,u5, MilSosn ana we'll defined; or else to
m4Du1fa~ e4cas aieoSetler from the condition The
n4:i. Iaoe ~ o1o OoIie1sTatlon scheme rests now
entirely with the Protestant roeTnhars ~ Il,r
er Canada, for the Catholics of that sootin,,
are almost equally divided. Thev command
the situation there is yet time for them n
break down the obnoxious scheme and snbs
stituts for 1t that Of Representation bv Ponn-
lation. which alone offers to their Constituents
suflele mt guarantee. Whatever course they
adopt, heavy responsibility rests upon them
NAV they prove themselves equal tO IT,