The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-03-30
THE MANITOBA TROUBLE.

The trouble over the school question
ii Manitoba Is growing more intense day
! by: day, and unless the provincial gov
eminent Of Manitoba yields, or ct least
4 shows itself disposed to compromise
(. there is likely TO be serious trouble.
Prior to 1890 both Catholic and Prot.
u eetant schools received part OF the pub
lie money. In that year the government,
in order to draw the attention away from
certain land and railroad scandals, passed
+ bill which prohibited the use OF public
money for the support Of denominations
schools. This bill was, Of course, aimed
against the Catholics, as their schools
were greatly crippled, while the public
schools remained in fact, il not in name,
Protestant schools. It was claimed on
the part Of the Catholic party that the
Manitoba government had exceeded lite
authority by interfering with vested
rights and impairiDg existing obligations.
The matter was taken up in the provin
cial courts and the government was kus-
tanned. The Catholics appealed to the
Supreme Court OF the Dominion, and
obtained favorable verdict, to the effect
that the Manitoba government had ex-
ceeded its authority. The question was
then taken to the courts of England
where the contention Of the Catholics
was sustained and an order signed by
Queen Victoria, sent to the Governor
General Ct Canada with directions to
take such remedial steps in the premises
as might seem best to the Dominion
government. The Ottawa government
then sent remedial order to the Man
itoba government requesting that gov
eminent to rem edy the injustice done to
the Catholics. The Dominion premier,
Bowel, himself q rabid anti Catholic,
taking the opinion of Sir Charles Upper,
that the Catholics of Manitoba had been
wronqed, and that as pure matter OF
Justice some remedy should be applied,
the Manitoba government has openly
-defied the Dominion government by re-
fusing to notice the order and as result
revolution is threatened. The support
ers of the provincial government openly
assert that the school law is dearer to
them than confederation, meaning by
that that they would sooner Withdraw
from the Canadian confederation than
ranonl tho school law.
Il is difficult for the people of this
country to comprehend the trouble. In
this country we are thoroughly commit
ted to secular schools, and consequently
cannot understand the contention of the
Catholic party. 1t is only necessary to
cav. however, that the Catholic schools
were established under contracts which
the government was bound to respect,
and that property rights were thereby
acquired which in justice should be
respected. An appeal to the courts OF
England sustained the claims against
the Manitoba government, and under
the circumstances that fact alone should
convince all that injustice had been done.
About fifty per cent of the inhabitants Of
Manitoba are Catholics, and no doubt
they mean to stand up for their rights.
The whole trouble is explained by the
fact that all Canada is infested with
soul. poisoned Orange bigots, who are
continually tomenting discord among the
Canadian people by setting creed against
creed and race against race.