Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-19
OMNIBUS DANGER
FACING CANADA
Civil Struggle Threatens Be.
tween French and English
Speaking Peoples.
FEELING AT HIGH PITCH
Already There Have Been Seri
GUS Riots and Refusals to
Pay Taxes
FEELING AT HIGH PITCH
fsnacial 70 Tho Times.p;sn,..,

I tory in tho great European war Can
ada is to-day threatened with &; second
| ominous danger. a civil struggle be
tween The 1000 600 French -spea,,ip.
inhabitants and the 100000 Englisl
speaking persons within her bou,
darics.
Already there are serious riots. r..
! fusals to pay taxes, bitter debates
! Parliament. steps to form n war tund
! a we'll organized movement to prcve;
recruiting for Canada's army abroad
/ and threats OF secession"
1 The fight centers over the famous
! Regulation a." and the principle q,
| stake is the right OF tho French tongue
not only to he taught in all publi.
F.; schools of tho Province OF Ontario but
to have equal prominence in the cur.
| ricuium with English.
| The Province OF Quebec is over,
whclminEly French. OF the 100000
! French speaking Canadians. IS per cent
live there. Adjoining Quebec is tho
most southcriy and the most importan,
province in Canada, Ontario. which
has 100000 French speaking inhabi-
tants out of population of 2,5oo, 90"
most OF, them in the city OF Ottawa,
| ca pitai OF the Dominion.
FRENCH RIGHTS DATE: RACK
/ TO TREATY OF PARi.;
! The French Canadians rights date
/ back 10 the treaty OF Paris. bv
which France recognized EnSland's
sovereignty In Canada. and the French
Canadians were explicitly allowed "a
retain their language. customs and y,
ligion. To-day a member in the c.;
madam Parliament may deliver n specch,
either in English or French. and III,
public documents are printed in both
languages
Tho trouble first began several de-
cades ago, when English speaking
Catholics Of Ontario complained that
their children were not being taught
in English, that French in the Catholic
public schools had become the soil.
language between teachers and chill
dren
About 1855 an agitation was begun
! IN Ontario to restrict the use of French
IN the schools, and after many year.
OF fierce controversy. the provincial;
government In 1911 held an inquir
and found the French English schoo. $
were inefficient and irregular
. The measure known as "Regulatior
! II" was passed. This enacts that Enc
iish must be taught in all bilingu;,i
! schools. II must be the language Of
! communication and instruction after
| the hrst two years. unless the nspec-
tors in specific cases deem 1t best thai
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 French and, Isl
| fact. specifically protected it, the Ian.
| guage was clearly made subordinate tn
English.
F, French speaking Quebec was ell
| ragged by this action of it's sister
province. An agitation. with Henri
! Bourassa 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
| prohtinE by the distraction OF the war
| to press their claims. Riots occurred
III this city when the inspectors ar.
! tempted to carry out the new law
! Women barricaded themselves inside
some Of the schools. and the police
! were attacked with fists. finger nails
F! clubs and red pepper.
! CHILDREN STAY AT HOME
AND PARADE STREETS
J Children stay home from school and
( parade the streets 1000 or 6, 600 strong,
with banners and war cries. Tho
| parents direct and encourage the
! demonstrations.
Several sorts OF court action have
been started The most omnous side
! Of the situation is seen. not at Ontario,
! the seat OF the trouble. but in Quebec.
/ The Legislature OF Quebec has
passed. by vote OF 46 to 3. an act
/ TO allow the municipalities Of that
province TO appropriate 5 per cent of
their taxes for war fund" to fight
! the Ontario Legislature.
Although numerically inferior most
Of the wealth of Quebec is in the hands
OF the English speaking citizens II
is they who will have TO pay the war
! fund" and they are not protesting
/ Members OF Parliament say the French
canadianS of Quebec will start rovo-
! luton rather than yield
! In Ottawa the French Canadians
have refused to pay any more taxes
until they gain their point. The Eng
! lish speaking majority is equally firm
| In insisting that Regulation II" be
| carried out
/ The agitation is led by men OF ia
! teiligence. church leaders, school trus-
| tees, city Aldermen and members Of
, Parliament. The Speaker OF the Cana
/ dian Senate and the former Speaker OF
/ the Canadian Commons are in sympa>
/ thy with the French movement, and
! have sat silent and apparently APPROX.
| ing when hearing the Canadian courts
of justice abused for opposing the BIZ
! lingualists.
| III RniliHE Liberal M bar ~ pa
ment for Rimouski, on the foor OF
| Parliament said there would be no
| more contributions 10 tho Canadian
! patriotic fund and no more eniist-
ments from his constituency unless
| French were restored to its former
| place. II this were granted. ne said,
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