The New York herald., 1875-09-15
GUIBORD.
AND coN.-NTERvIEw WITH THE CURE
ROUssELoT


ROUssELoT.
MONTREAL Canada Sept. IA, 1875
Public opinion here has formed somewhat upon the
pastoral letter Of the Bishop of Montreal There has as
yet been no expression of sentiment which may be
easily understood when state that the NEW YORK
HERALD contained the pastoral letter than half
day in advance of the evening journals here and that
many readers learned for the rs time night Of the
utterances Of the preate OF this diocese the most
momentous question that has occupied the public
mind The appearance Of the HERALD last evening with
the pastoral letter excited the greatest wonderment
The friends of the institute look upon with less dis
may than they did on Sunday for they see their way
to further action against the Fabrique
Of the damage done, the of which they the
executors.
Mr. Danire, president of the institute is stn very
reticent He has the burden upon his shoulders
and besides this has to bear the daily weight Of the
politicoreligous French press The general opinion is
that the pastoral is supremely insoent 1agranty un
true and thoroughly hypocrtica, and the reasons
alleged by those with whom have conversed are that
the orders of the highest tribunal of the Empire
ignored completely in their bearings upon allegiance
and the duty Of the subject All authority but that of
the Church unrccognized and law itself regarded as
Of no moment when mob, actuated by generous
sentiment in favor OF religion, as the Bishop
violence to constituted authority. They regard it
as a manifest directly affecting all civil liberty The
allegations in the pastoras they aege be false are
that the demonstration peaceable one when it
known to all the world that the was Of and that
those engaged il belonged to- the very lowest order
of French Canadians The hypocrisy they find In the
whole body of the document while they declare that
the act of cursng the grave but the expression of
weak bgot instead of the deliberate determination of
prclate OF large views and deep thought.
TONED CATHOLIC OPINION.
| The educated Roman Catholics, the professional
men whom have met, do not say much. They bow TO
the decision OF the Church, but they cannot be
sidered as regarding it as pohtc under the crcum-
stances They believed at iirshose of them who are
opposed TO the nstitutethat the order of the Privy
Council would have been quietly obeyed and all COM
picaton be thus avoided They were prepared TO SUBJ
nit but they accept the decree of the Bishop pas
svely They fear, however, that the business, far
as Catholicism is concerned viii not end here; that on
the other hand grave constitutional difficulties may
arise and soon affect the standing of their iath not
alone in this province, but IN the Dominion.
The situation is thus
In 1867, when the Dominion was inaugurated under
the British North America act the claims of the French
and Catholic people of the Province of Quebec then
Lower Canada, duly considered
LEGISLATIVE UNION
Sir John A. Mcdonald was himself in favor of what
known legislative union, centralized govern
ment; but Sir George Cartier stood out for the Catho
hes Of Quebec He held that they would be crushed
under the Protestant aorty and that the privileges
they enjoyed would be repudated and their claims
distinct race and nationality ignored | need not
count the great struggle winch was Waged between
1864 ana 1868 Suffice it to that the Catholics now
member 1t and fear that the result of the present trouble
may be to bring the question of legislative union
prominently forward again, and with unpleasant
emphasis. If l am correctly informed, time
and time again has the question Of legislative
union been prominently before the Legislature.
New Brunswick Ontario, Nova Scotia and Prince
Edwards Island favor it, and should their voices be
called for in pebscte the Province of Quebec
surely go under and then where would the clergy and
clerical influence be, with the vast Protestant majority
of the Dominion opposed to any union of CHURCH and
any immunity of any particular order Of fergy from
mlnorityY II
This is the question asked by rejecting Catholics,
who believe that such action the Bshdrhas taken
is surely fastening the decadence OF Catholic power in
Canada Such briefly, is the state of opinion, and
are waiting for the issue.
A CURE INTERVIEWED
had an interview this afternoon with the Cure Rous
seot, the real defendant in the case and he informed
me that he had heard nothing in the affair and did
not corroborate the statement of his lay agent (Mr
Clemen that the Sheriff had orders TO bury the body
OF Gubord; in fact he stated he knew nothing fresh
the subject and indeed asked for the latest nforna-
ton. He said there be doubt but that the burial
will now take place in peace and quieness and that
after the pastoral letter already published further
opposition Will be offered. The Catholics claim that the
Ircestants defeated matter in what part of
the cemetery the remains of Gubord be buried that
part longer be considered consecrated ground
Despite this pacific idea ind that in Visitation street.
at the end Of Montreal where all the French work
men reside, the most bitter feeling exists.