The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-06-27
REPLY TO THE DEMAND
Manitoba Refuses to Refs.
tablish Separate Schools.
THE ORDER A DIRECT REFUSAL
1t Is In the Form Of Memorial Ad-
dressed to the GOvernor-Gen-
eral Of Canada.

eral of Canada.
Winnipeg, June 15.-In the Mani
toba legislature today Attorney Gen
eral Sexton gave notice of an order
setting forth the Manitoba reply to the
government demand that separate
schools should be re-established in
Manitoba. 1t is direct refusal of the
demand. The reply is in the form of
a memorial addressed to his excellency,
the encouragement of Canada in
council. 1t recites the remedial order
and then submits the following:
"These privileges, which by said Or
der we are commanded to restore to
our Roman Catholic fellow-citizens,
are substantially the same privileges
which they enjoyed previous to the
year 1890. Compliance with the terms
of the order would restore Catholic
schools with no more satisfactory guar
antee for their efficiency than existed
prior to the same date.
''The educational policies embodied
in our present statutes were adopted
after an examination of the results of
the policy heretofore followed under
the separate Roman Catholic schools
(now sought to be restored) and which
had existed for upwards of nineteen
years. The said schools were found to
be inefficient. AS conducted under the
Roman Catholic section of the board of
education they did not possess the at
tributes of modern public schools.
Their conduct, management and regu-
lation were found to be defective.
GAS result of the leaving of
large section of the population with no
better means of education than was
thus supplied, many people grew up
in state of illiteracy. So far as we
are aware there has never been an at
tempt to defend these schools on their
merits, and we do not know of any
grounds upon which the expenditure of
public money in their support could be
justified. We are, therefore, compelled
to respectfully state to your excellency
in council that we cannot accept the
responsibility Of carrying into effect
the terms of the remedial order.
''The reforms effected in 1890 have
given an impetus to educational work,
but the difficulties which are inherent
in ourselves have constantly to be met.
1t would be obvious that the establish
ment of set of Catholic schools, fol-
lowed by set Of Anglican schools and
by Mennonite, Icelandic and other
schools would so impair our political
system that any approach to our pres
ent general standard of efficiency would
be quite impossible. We contemplate
the Inauguration of such state of
affairs with grave apprehension. We
have no hesitancy in saying there cam
not be suggested any measure which,
to our minds, would more seriously
imperil the development of our prov
ince.
1--WE believe that when the remedial
order was made there was then not
available to your excellency in council
full and accurate information as to the
working of our former system Of
schools. We also believe there was
lacking the means of forming correct
Judgment as to the effect upon the
province of the changes indicated in the
order. Holding this view we submit
that it is not too late to make full and
deliberate investigation of the whole
subject. Should such course be
adopted we shall cheerfully assist in
Offering the most complete information
available"