St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-28
THE DOMINION DEFIED.
Demand Declared Too Pre-
poSterous to Be Silently
Submitted To.
SOL ONS ARE MUCH EXCITED.
Battle Over the Remedial Or
der to Be Fought Out
Tonight.

does not come up IN the legislature
until tomorrow night, but it is, never
theless, the one topic of the day
here. Both the government and
opposition are holding frequent eau
cuses, and what the outcome will
be is difficult to predict. One thing
is certain, viz: That the Manitoba
government will resent interference
by Ottawa on educational matters.
There is every indication that the
policy of the opposition in the legis-
lature will be to advocate some mod
ificationS to the school law. In other
words, some sort of compromise.
The position of Premier Greenway
and the government is clearly out
lined.
The newspaper organ of the gov
eminent has this official statement
under the heading "Manitoba's An
Swer:"
1.-THE remedial order has been read
in the legislature. We are asked to
restore the school system that was
in operation Previc as to 1890. Let
Quebec and Ottawa rest assured
that the restoration will never be
made. Manitoba has too keen
a sense Of justice, too much regard
for truth and equity to recognize
as a religious aristocracy an element
of its population by no means the
most worthy. AS a civilized peo-
pie, attempting to realize in a meas
ure the ideals of the nineteenth CEN
fury, Manitobans
WILL NOT SILENTLY SUBMIT
to the preposterouS demand that
they should turn back the wheels of
progress 300 years. They will stub
bornfy refuse to supplant modern
civilization by mediaevalism. This
whole question is not a quarrel be-
tween Manitoba and the dominion.
lit is not even quarrel between
traces and creeds. 1t is a struggle
las to whether the ideals of the nine
Hteenth century or ideals of the dark
ages shall prevail. The act of 1890
was designed to give every child in
the. land. the benefits of common
school education. 1t recognized
neither class nor creed, but placed all
on the same level of common citizen
ship. 1t aimed at the development
in this noble country of a unity of
sentiment; a strong feeling of broth
-ierhaod; and it sought to sink all
: preJudices and class distinctions
through making all equal in the sight
OF the law. Could anything be more
wise2 Gould anything be more just :?
Yet! what was the attitude of the
Roman Catholic church, standing,
as 1T is, wrapped up in it's black
mantle of arrogance? 1t demanded
that it should be considered a
RELIGIOUS ARISTOCRACY.
1t refused to have the children Of
it's members receive instruction side
by side with the children of those
who are their SuperiorS in intelli-
gence and wisdom. And on what
grounds? 1t said Catholics were
promised different treatment from
others by the act that called the
province into existence. Then, when
shown that even if this were true,
which it is not, no just citizen would
claim fulfillment of the promise,
since it would violate one of the
foundation principles of state reor-
ganization-equal rights to all-it
gave as a second reason that the pub
lie schools are Protestant. If the re-
fusal of a Roman Catholic to act as
member Of a department of educa-
ton, and of the archbishop to act
as a member of the advisory board.
could make the schools Protestant.
then they are so; otherwise, not a
shadow of proof has been advanced
not the Roman Catholic church
come out with the truth at once?
Why not advance the real reason
for discomfort? Rome is not in ac-
cord with the spirit of the age. 1t is
welded to dead past. MediaeyaI
ism cannot, or will not, coalesce
with modern thought. In place of the
act of 1890, what a substitute is Of
fered! We are asked to set
CREED AGAINST CREED.
and race against race; to break I'M
the unity that should exist. to mn
tually support each other in wrong
doing; to make the state the teacher
OF religious truth. How can any Ro-
manist, believing that Protestant
schools are teaching errors. con-
scientiously support them, and how
can any Protestant, believing that
the religious teachings of the Roman
catholic church are false, agree thar
a. portion of his taxes should be de-
voted towards the support of such
teachings? No, any one who has the
least sense of justice, any one who
is patriotic in the slightest degree
any one who believes that all Cit.
zens are equal in the sight of the
law and that what is good enough
Tor one is good enough for all. must
stand by the act of $780, And this ia
our answer to Quebec: We shall not
allow the state to support religion.
We shall not allow the church TO con,
ffoi the state; we shall not return
to the civilization of the dark aeas.
we Shall not recognize Rome as bat,
ter, or in any way different from,
others. we shall hold to the prin.
clple' of equal rights for all. and
that principle shall be dearer TO nc
than confederat ton ITSELF
VIEW OF THE LIBERALS.