The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-30
BISHOPS ORDER a BOYCOTT.
Excitement Caused in Canada by an
Edict Against "a Paper.

ASRtASt ~ fNneFs
Montreal, Dec. 2s.--The mandament is
sued by the Roman Catholic bishops of
Quebec, forbidding faithful Catholics to
subscribe for, read. circulate, or other
wise encourage the newspaper LElecteur,
published in Quebec City, under pain of
being deprived of the benefits of the
church," has created intense excitement
throughout the province, and is denounced
in strong terms by the Liberal, French and
English papers. Mr.. Pacaud, publisher of
the condemned paper, will it is under
stood, take an action for 5000 damages
against each of the bishops, who signed
the mandament. and a number of promi-
nent men here have expressed their will
ingness to subscribe toward carrying the
case to the privy council if necessary.
La Patrie a liberal French paper, pub
lished in this city, says 1T is Mr.. Pac-
aud, who was struck, but Mr. Laurier,
who was aimed at. 1t is l. 'Electeur which
is assassinated. but in the hope that the
point of the dagger after having killed
Pacaud, will strike the first minister of
Canada in a. vital spot. The execution of
l. Electeur at Quebec is and can be only
the beginning of struggle to the death
with the government at Ottawa"
Mr.. Pacaud says he will cease the publ
cation Of his paper and appeal from the
condemnation of the bishops to the Roman
court.
The Toronto Globe, in a leading editorial.
to-day, says: 1.-The matter is not one
which concerns French Canadians and
Catholics alone; the maintenance of the
rights and liberties is a matter which
interests us all and which demands the
gravest consideration of every citizen of
Canada"
The offense of LElecteur consisted in
publishing pamphlet written by Mr.. Dav-
id upholding the doctripe of the supremacy
of the state, in state affairs and denying
the right of the church to dictate to elect
ors how they shall vote upon such ques-
tion as that of the restoration of separate
schools in Manitoba.
Mayor H. B. Beaugrand, editor of La
Patrie, announces over his signature that
he has taken up the challenge thrown
down by his hierarchy of Quebec and that
he will run for the st. Louis division of
Montreal as an anti-clerical candidate. MIR.
Beaugrand ran for this seat in 1890 and was
defeated by only few votes. In his let
ter, which occupies over two columns, Mr..
Beaugrand calls upon all the liberal Cath
olics 20 revolt against the domination of
the bishops. He describes the ex-com-
munication of the Quebec LElecteur as
the beginning of a war to the DEATH and
intellectual resources to aid in the war.
Quebec Dec. pa dispatch from Ste
Anne de la Perado is to the effect that
at the court proceedings for the invalida-
ton of the Champlain county election,
owing to undue clerical influence, Chan
cellor Beland and Bishop Lafeche, who
were summoned witnesses, peremptor-
lily refused to answer any questions. say
ing they were Independent of civil tri-
bunals Eight or ten witnesses have been
heard so far. and no proof of corruption
was given. Three or four witnesses
swore they voted for the conservative
candidate on account of influence brought
to bear on them by Bishop Laheche.
Nearly all the priests of the county will
be called to give evidence in the case.
At the last general election, DR.. Il. A.
Narcotic, conservative, was declared elect
ed for the county Of Champlain. defeat
ing Philippe Trudel, liberal, by a small
majority.
The action is brought to unseat the
present member, and the bill of particu-
lars, contains sixty-five clauses, the
first twenty-one of which are indirect
charges of corruption against the sitting
member and his agents. The other clauses
refer to undue clerical influence on the
part of Bishop Lafeche and his clergy.
1t especially alleges that during the cam
paign Bishop LaAeche delivered a sermon
in the Cathedral at Three Rivers, in which
he declared that the leader of the liberal
party-Mr. Laurier-had fallen into an err
ror, condemned by the church, and that
the Catholics could not vote for him or
for his candidates without committing a
sin.
The case is exciting much interest in
political and clerical circles, as 1t is the
first in this Catholic province in which
the action of a bishop and his clergy have
been challenged.