River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-08-06

murder case. Riel will likely swing before
his counsel have an opportunity of bring
ing the case before the appeal courts.
TALK AT OTTAWA.
OTTAWA, Aug. 2.-There is an intense
feeling among French Canadians over
RieTs conviction, while English people are
generally satisfied with the result. The
French contend that the trial has not been
fairly conducted, aud that what the au-
thorities sought was not justice but ven
geance. There is a strong feeling against
the government among the French, because,
they say, the minister sought to parade the
Orangemen of Ontario, who hate Riel for
causing the death of Scott i'll 1870. A petit
ton to the governor general asking for
Rielis pardon will at once be put into cir
culation, and will be signed by about the
entire French population 1t is possible
that counter petitions may be sent in from
Ontario. The question viii prove a most
efnbarrass- ng one for the government but
what the ministry and their friends hope
for is that the British government may in
| terfere, or the governor general may I'M
dertake to exercise his prerogative of elem
ency without any advice from his ministry
and thus enable the latter to evade the re-
sponsibllity. This evening a number of
French Canadians waited on Levesque,
who tore down the Riel efiigy few DAYS
ago, and presented him with gold watch
and chain. For over ten years the Con-
servatives have been holding Riel up be
fore the French Canadians as great pat
riot and hero, who was prevented and
banished from the country by the Liberal
government in 1915 and now the men who
have been lauding Riel find their hero sen
fenced to death as a rebel and a murderer
They cannot now persuade the people that
all they have been saying in praise of Riel
was wrong, and must make an effort to
save him. French Canadian members of
the cabinet are in an extremely awkward
position They got into power in 1878
| largely on the strength of the cry that the
! Liberal government of that day had UNI
| Justly treated Riel by turning him out of
parliament and sentencing him into exile.
| Unless they do better for him now when he
is danger of being hanged, Quebecprovince
will be aroused against the Conservative
party. Chapleau, the secretary of state,
who wrote letter denouncing
Riel and denying that the half
breeds had petitioned for redress of their
| grievances is now strongly condemned,
even by supporters of his own party, some
| If whom declare that he is a renegade.
The statement that the half-breeds never
made complaint TO the government has
been shown to be untrue. The conduct of
of the crown prosecutors i'll refusing TO pro
duce the papers captured at the taking of
Batoche also produces much bad feeling, as
| French Canadians are persuaded that II
everything were made known Riel could
not be convicted, as according TO the most
reliable statement he had very little to do
with melting the halfbreeds to take up
arms The general conviction among dis
| interested persons is that Riel will not be
! executed. An appeal will be taken to the
supreme court Of Manitoba on a question
| of the constitutionality of the court that
tried Riel, and the case may be carried to
the privy council of England if a stay of
proceedings is obtained