The Portland daily press., 1889-08-10
MAY Be BAD FOR SIR JOHN MACDONALD
For the Protestants OF Canada Are
Very much vexed.
The JesuIts Have Cot Back Their Es-
tates for Good.
But the Peace OF Canada May suf-
fer Very Seriously.

MONTREAL, Can, Aug. o.-The Dominion
government has nailed its colors to the mast,
and declared that 1t will not enforce the
rights of the Protestant minority Of the Pro-
vince Of Quebec The Sth Of August Is past
and with 1t the last opportunity Of disallow-
ing the act which has despoiled the revenues
Of Quebec to confer upon the Jesuit order
perpetual annuity. But their opponents,
with the opponents OF French Canadian ag-
gressiyeness, Of nationalism. Of ultramon-
tame ideas. and Of the Catholic church, are
not cast down, and the people Of Ontario
promise to make Aug. sth, date to be re
menSered by the Canadian government. IL
they ara as good as their word, and there Is
no reason to believe they are not In earnest,
they will make 1t turning point In Canadi-
an history. 1t marks the triumph OF the
French race in Canada, the llLcOncsaled sue
cess Of the Catholic church and their secret
order, and the power OF every element that
is making for the ruin Of the confederation,
One year ago the obnoxious measure was
declared law; the whole Of Protestant Can
ada called for disallowance, and, though
year remained, the call went unheeded, and
the act Is past recall. This latest feat Is
nothing new; 1t is merely the cumulative eff
fort Of years leading toward the .aggrandise.
ment Of the French race and Catholic church
1t received new impulse when, four years
ago, half-Dreed was hanged for the murder
OF Dominion officials. At that time Premier
Mercier went to the country with the nation
al cry. and captured nearly every constituent
cy. The Jesuirs had already been inc0rpo-
ratad and than tbpU SpQurQd their claim that
was held in allegiance for hundred years,
for a restoration OF the estates of which
they had been deprived at that time. Mr..
Mercier was in power. He had been pupil
upon the fund set apart for higher education
to reward his old masters. The Pope was
consulted, and he appointed Father Turgeou
TO treat with the government. The Jesuits
demanded s1.OO0,OOo. bat the country was
that amount. They got 1t.
The last page In the history Of the gift to
the Jesuits closed at IL O'Clock yesterday, so
far as the Dominion government Is concerned
for at noon the twelve months expired In
which the federal authorities at Ottawa
could exercise their preroeatiye by disallow-
ing the Jesuit estates bill. Now the war be-
gins in dead earnest, and when 1t will end
the most far-seeing dare not predict. No
tices have been sent out from the executive
of the Equal Rights Association to
the present government of Sir John Mac
donald, who, it is alleged, has played into
the hands of the Jesuit order. Sir John
now finds nine-tenths Of the Orange body ar
rayed against him, upon whom he always
counted as his strongest supporters. The
Jesuit bill was Liberal measure passed by
the Liberal Government of Quebec, so that
in that province he cannot expect TO capture
any additional support from the Catholic
element No one comes In for a greater
IL.
it in his power to disallow the bill without
reference to his Cabinet. He Is vested with
this prerogative, and could have exercised it
had he chosen to do so. A movement has
already been started with view to demand
ing his recall from Canada by the british
Qnvarnmant Fr ra q.