The menace., 1917-12-29
PApAL OPPOSITION
IN CANADA FUTILE
ROmish Obstructionists Defeated in
Recent Election Despite the Solid
Vote Of Romanized Quebec

There may be places where re-
ligion plays no part in politics but
that place is not the Dominion of
Canada. The recent election there
has resulted in an upholding of the
governments policy in opposition to
the policy of the Roman Catholic
church, a thing made possible by the
Protestant vote of the dominion.
Would you call that religion in poll
tics?
In Quebec the pope rules supreme.
1t is Roman Catholic province as
truly as Bavaria is Roman Cath
olic German state. Here Rome has
offered no end Of resistance to the
Union Government policy which has
been ultra-favorable to a vigorous
prosecution Of the war. Such prose
cution entailed the necessity of con-
scription, and strange to say, Quebec
where there had been a negligible
number Of volunteers was likewise
opposed to the selective draft system.
She made it an issue because Roman
Catholic prelates and the papalized
press made it an issue.
The recent election was, in its
way, a determining factor in the set
tlement Of the issue, for though con-
scription had become part of the
law, the enforcement of the war pro
gram rested with the representation
to be sent to administer the law and
here was where Quebec hoped to be
able to defeat the aims of the Union
lists, but in spite of Quebec's activities,
or rather Rome's activities, incomplete
returns show the Unionists won 110
seats and the opposition 83, which
means Canada has upheld conscrip-
tion. This insures the vigorous
prosecution of the war while had the
results been different there is little
question that Canada would have pro-
crastinated in a manner very pleas.
ing to Germany.
Roman Catholic threats at Quebec's
secession if the conscription policy
of the Unionists should become law
were an early feature of papal op-
position to that policy and it now re-
mains to be seen how much further
the zealots will dare to 90.
1t is a strange and binding allie
glance to Rome that makes a people
forget all that Catholic Quebec has
forgotten in its opposition to the
Canadian program of prosecuting
the war against Germany.
The people of Quebec are largely
French, yet these French Romanists,
still speaking the mother tongue, and
who might be expected to exemplify
the spirit France has displayed in
the war, have forgotten France, have
forgotten the ties a common Ian
guage might be expected to hold firm
have forgotten their allegiance to
Canada and like the papal Irish Of
Southern Ireland have gone down the
line in a vigorous opposition to the
best interests of their country; an
opposition that has proved advan-
tageous and encouraging to Ger
many and has been so pronounced
by her so far as Ireland is concerned
What is this great power of the
pope over French Canadians? What
is this great power over Irish pa.
pists? And why should they choose
this roundabout way of helping the
vatican's favorites? Is it because
the pope fears to encourage revolu.
tion and would rather indulge in
petty obstruction policies that only
prolong the struggled This religious
casts position in politics is begin.
ming to be understood for what it is
and crafty Rome is treading on dan.
gerous ground.
There aSe countries that want nc
such experiences as that through
which Canada and England have
passed, as the exposures of Cohalan
0Leary and others, and the arrests
of Sim Feiners show; but perhaps
America is better prepared if Rome
attempts any obstruction here. Hel
efforts in behalf of the pope's peace
note, though they have probably just
begun to enter the program of ac.
tion, had better stop where they are
so the patriotic jubilations of thu
papal press will not need to be called
further into question.
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