El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-18
Fight Centers around Right
To Haze the Language
Taught In Schools.
DEMONSTRATIONS
MADE BY CHILDREN
Dispute Is an Old One Start
ing Years Ago in Ontario,
And Now Renewed.

NTTAWA, Canada. March H.
y While making th. greatest .f-
fort Of her history in the great
European war, Canada is today threat
ened with 3 second ominous danger. a
civil struggle between the two million
french speaking inhabitants and the
six million English SPEAKING nerzo5s
within her boundaries.
Already there are serious riots re-
1usals to pay taxes. bitter debates in
parliament, steps to form a war fund"
a vel organized movement to prevent
recruiting for Canada's army abroad,
and threats Of Secession"
n fight centers over the famous
IL" and the principle at
stake is the right Of the French tongue
not only to be taught in all public
schools or the province of Ontario. bur
70 have equal prominence in the curri-
culum with English
The rQV1n OF Quebec Is over
~whelmingly French. OF the two mil
lion French speaking Canadians. rs per
cent live there Adjoining Quebec is
the most southerly and the most i'm
portant province in Canada ontario
which has 200, 900 French speaking in
habitants out Of a population OF $500
600, most of them in the city OF OF
tawa. capital Of the dominion.
The French Canadians rights date
back to the treaty Of Paris" by which
France recognized England's sover-
eighty in Canada and the French Cs-
adam were explicitly Allowed to re-
tain their language, customs and re-
ligiOn- Today a member in the Cana
dian parliament may deliver q speech
either in English or French and all
public documents are printed in o
languages.
The trouble first began several de-
cades ago when English speaking CATH
olics Of Ontario complained that their
children were not being taught in Eng
lish, that French IN the Catholic pub
lie schools had become the sole Ian
guage between teachers and children
About 1856 an agitation was begun
in Ontario to restrict the usa Of French
in the schools and after many years
OF fierce controversy the provincial
government in 1911 held an inquiry
and found the French-English schools
were inefficient and irregular.
@ReEulatiOn 1z' Pissed.
The measure known as Regulation
IT. was passed. This enacts that Eng
lish must be taught in all biligual
schools 1t must be the language OF
communication and instruction after
the first two years. unless the inspec-
tors in specific cases deem II best that
longer than two years for teaching in
French be allowed. After the first two
years one hour each day must be de-
voted TO the teaching of French. Thus.
while the regulation went a long Way
from abOlishing rench and in fact
specifically protected it. the language
was clearly made subordinate to Eng
fish.
French speaking Quebec was en-
ragged by this action OF its sister prov
ince. IN agitation with Henri BOur-
ASA at its head began against the
regulation. Two hundred schools in
Ontario forfeited the provincial school
grant rather than observe the regula-
ton and the government inspectors
were threatened with violence
The leaders OF the movement are
prOfiting by the Obstruction of the war
to press their claims. Riots occurred
in this city when the inspectors at
tempted to carry out the new law.
Women barricaded themselves inside
some Of the schools and the police
were attacked with fists, finger nails,
clubs and red pepper.
children Take Part in Campaign
Children stay home from school and
parade the streets four or five thOus-
and strong, with banners and war cries
The parents direct and encourage the
demonstrations.
Several sorts OF court action have
! Continued on Page 21.)