Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-29
CANADA'S TROUBLES
Religion Coming Into Politics
Just Now.
SEP ARATE SCHOOLS
THAT is THE IMMEDIATE CUES
TON.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Statement on the
Subject Issued to His
Colleagues.
SEP PARATE SCHOOLS
Special From a STAFF Correspondent.

Special From STAFF Correspondent.
OTTAWA, June 27-Canada has her po-
1tical troubles. and at present they are in
very acute stage. 1t Is a question of re-
ligion in politics. and every one knows
what ugly and dangerous combination
that is Reduced to the last analysis, 1t is
contest between Catholicism and Protest
antism for division of the public school
moneys.
The contest which has been waged in
Canada for fifty years with varying fer
vor comes to crisis again through the pro-
posed admission of two new provinces into
the Canadian union. 1t is rather difficult to
explain to uitlanders the attitude of the two
parties. AS l see it, the liberal party, be-
ing the party in power, is required to deal
with the problem in practical way. and
the conservative party Is simply trying to
make all the capital it can out of its op
ponents' embarrassments.
The British North American Act,
The British North American act of 1867
which is the Canadian constitution, gives
to the provinces exclusive jurisdiction IN
matters of education, except when minori-
ties had separate schools established by law
at the time of the union of the provinces.
Two bills are now before the parliament at
Ottawa providing for the admission Of two
new provinces carved out of the great
northwest territory. These bills provide
that separate schools now existing In the
territories shall be continued and become
part of the constitution of the new prov
inces on the ground that they are now es-
tablished by law and their continuance
would therefore be in line with the spirit
of the constitution.
The conservatives claim that the word
union in the British North American act.
as applied to those territories, means when
they were brought into the union by pur-
chase from the Hudson Bay Company, in
1869, when there were no separate schools.
and that therefore the new provinces
should have exclusive Jurisdiction with re-
spect to education. 1t is the old American
question of states rights as against fed
eral control.
These new provinces are overwhelmingly
Protestant in population, especially since
the american tide of population has set
in, and If the provinces should be al
lowed exclusive jurisdiction the Catholics
could not have their separate schools The
pending bills permit the minority to have
separate schools and share in the public
moneys raised for educational purposes.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Statement.
No clearer exposition of the general ques-
ton could be made than in the following
statement by Mr.. Wilfrid Laurier. the
premier himself. which is official, having
been addressed to his colleagues in par
Lament. He said:
"You find in this legislation the terms con-
stantly recurring of Protestant or Catholic.
I need not say that the Christian religion
is not only a religion founded on moral
laws, prescribing moral duties. but 1t Is
also a religion of dogmas. Dogmas from
the earliest times have occupied just as
strong and commanding position in the
faith of all Christians as morals them
selves The reformation created a cleav-
age between Christians. The old. section
remained Roman Catholics; the new called
themselves Protestants. Between the Ro-
man Catholics and Protestants there is a
deep divergence in dogmas. Between the
various Protestant denominat tions there are
but smaller differences in dogmas; the diff
ferences are more matters of discipline
than of dogma.
Therefore the old legislature of Canada,
finding a population of Catholics and differ
ent denominations of Protestants all mixed
together, finding only one cause Of cleav-
age between them in Christian faith, that
Is dogma, allowing religious teaching to be
had in all the schools of our country, 50
that every man could give to his own child
the religious tenets which he held some
times dearer than life. That is the whole
meaning of separate schools.
At have just stated that in 1868 law
was passed on this subject. At that time,
in 1859. there were two men In Canada who,