The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-03-26
TO FORCIBLY RESIST
Canadian Government Likely
to Strike a Snag In the Nam
itoba School Case.
GOVERNOR GENERALS MANDATE
Which the Provincial Legisla-
ture is Waiting to Reject.
Excitement High.


WINNIPEG, March ::26. -Manitoba and
the Canadian Northwest has reached .
crisis in it's history. The Catholics are
fighting for their parochial schools with
grim determination, while the Protest
ant majority, with equal resoluteness,
declare that the parochial schools re-
Gently abolished by the act of the Mani
toba Legislature, shall never be re-estab-
lished. The circumstances that have
led to this strife and bitterness and
stirred up revolutionary fires are briefly
these:
History Of the Trouble.
Twenty-Five years ago Manitoba en-
tered the confederation Of Canadian
provinces, the population of Manitoba
at that time consisting almost entiraly
of French Catholics. Sir John A. Mac
donald brought about the union Of
Manitoba with Canada, Sir Donald A.
Smith conducting the negotiations. 1t
was not brought about without diff
Guilty, however, the half breed agitator
heading a rebellion which was finally
suppressed by the Canadian forces un-
der Sir Garnet Wolsely, the French
and Catholics finally consenting to the
union after Sir Donald A. Smith had
given the pledge Of the government
that their schools and language, would
not he interfered with.
After Twenty Years
Twenty years rolled by. the stream
of immigration from England and the
older Canadian provices turned towards
Manitoba, and the Roman Catholics at
last found themselves in the minority,
indeed very largely outnumbered by the
English and Protestants. In 1888 there
CANT: u deadlock in the Manitoba legis-
lature between Conservatives and Lib
erals. The Conservatives were in power
as they had been from the formation of
the province.
By q deal with the Catholics the Lib
erals came into power and the Green
way government was born. 1t was the
understanding that Catholic schools
should not be interfered with.
The schools Abolished.
In 1890, or about two years later,
Martin introduced in the legislature a
measure abolishing Catholic parochial
schools, and establishing what is called
q national school system, but which,
Catholics contend, is q Protestant school
system. The supreme court Of Canada,
s;stins at Ottawa declared that Rnsssan
Catholics had constitutional rights 70
their schools which could not be taken
away. The Manitoba government car
ried an appeal to the privy council of
England, and this, the highest tribunal
in the realm, decided that, whatever
may have been the understanding, the
Catholics
Did Not Have Constitutional Rights.
Then the Catholics appealed to the
Dominion government to grant them
redress. The Dominion government
avoided the dangerous question by
stating that under the constitution they
had not the power to interfere. Back the
Catholics went to the privy council
which declared that the Catholics Of
Manitoba had a real grievance, and that
it was within the power Of the Domin-
ion government to grant them remedial
legislation. Armed with these the
Catholics appealed to the Dominion
government for redress. There was
bitter dissension in the cabinet, but
finally, a few days ago. the governor
general in council, on the advice Of the
Dominion ministers, issued . remedial
order calling upon the government OF
Manitoba to
Restore Catholic P.rochial schools.
The crisis is therefore reached at last.
The Manitoba Legislature is in session
awaiting the receipt Of the order. The
legislature, by IN overwhelming major
ity, will refuse to obey the mandate,
and then will come open conflict be-
tween Provincial and Dominion author
tiles. There will be revolution If the
order of the governor general il en-
forced. Men do not hesitate to declare
so. Premier Greenway and all his min.
listers defiantly declare in and ont of
the legislature, that they will
Resist to the Bitter End
the restoration Of Catholic schools. Ths.
excitement is intense. In the churches
preachers confined their remarks to the
impending struggle, the Protestant
preachers urging Professionals to stand
firm against the order. the Catholic
clergy appealing to their focks to never
give up the fight. y
A few men who foresee the awful
Consequences are urging moderation.
but the spirit Of the factions is o SO
fiery and bitter that their counsels ara
unheeded. The fires OF race and rslig-
ion are built and should the revolution
airy torch be applied, no n can tell how
tar the flame will spread.