Part 10 (2/2)

Three main questions arose Were separate schools desirable in theal or moral, to establish or maintain the the bills, Sir Wilfrid stated that he 'never could understand what objection there could be to a system of schools wherein, after secular ion of Christ, even with the divisions which exist aht' He went on to contrast the schools of Canada, wherein Christian doght, with those of the United States, where they were not taught, and to point out the resulting difference in , reat majority of Catholics and a {241} minority of Protestants, or their ecclesiastical spokesion as well as secular subjects, and wished secular subjects, where possible, to be taught froious point of view A small minority were in favour of complete secularization of all schools The majority of Protestants would probably have favoured soion in the schools, and would judge deno by the test of how far this would involve herding the children apart and putting obstacles in the path of educational efficiency and of national unity

But was parliarant the provinces the liberty to decide the question solely in accord hat the ht now or hereafter think expedient? On the one hand, it was vigorously contended that it was free, and that any attempt to limit the power of the province was uncalled for, was an attempt to petrify its laws, and to revive the coercion which Sir Wilfrid Laurier hinition of separate schools in the British North America Act, the critics continued, applied only to the four original provinces, and there was probably no power, and {242} certainly no legal obligation, to extend the principle to the West On the other hand, it was argued that Section 93 of the British North America Act--introduced at the instance of the Protestant ned to protect the interest of all ally bound the whole Dominion; that the Manitoba Act of 1870 confirive a new province only such powers as the constitution provided, which meant control over education _subject to the e_; and that parlia separate schools in the North-West Territories in 1875, had still further bound its successors, or at least had sho the Fathers of Confederation interpreted the constitution

To many, however, the abstract questions of separate schools and the constitution were less important than the practical question, What kind of schools were to be guaranteed by these bills? Sir Wilfrid Laurier declared that the school system to be continued was that actually in force in the North-West, which had been established under the clause respecting schools of the Dominion Act of 1875, which the present bills repeated word for word {243} This systeave Catholic and Protestant ht to establish separate schools, and to pay taxes only for such schools In all other respects the school system was uniform; there was only one department of education, one course of study, one set of books, one staff of inspectors No religious teaching or religious e school hours; only in the half-hour after the close of schoolbe provided The separate schools were really national schools with the minimum of ecclesiastical control

It soon beca in the North-West, though based on the Act of 1875, were much less ecclesiastical in character than the act permitted, and less ecclesiastical in fact than the schools which had formerly existed in the territories In 1884 the Quebec syste for two boards of education, two courses of study, two staffs of inspectors, and separate administrations But in 1892 this dual systeislature, and in 1901 the existing system had been definitely established by a series of ordinances To ed, the new bills were amended to make it clear that it was the limited separate school system established in 1901 that was to be continued, and not a complete separate systeinally drafted virtually gave the Church complete control over separate schools, but, as now aious education only

The measure was hotly debated, inside and outside parliainal bills were denounced by many Liberals as well as Conservatives as oppressive, reactionary, and a concession to the hierarchy The West itself was not disturbed, and the Protestants of Quebec acquiesced in the recognition of separate schools Mr Siftonfroreat surprise to Sir Wilfrid, who had considered that he was sireement reached unanimously in 1875 The amendment satisfied all the malcontents of his party in parliament, but the controversy continued outside The more extreme opponents of separate schools would see no difference between the new clause and the old Archbishop Langevin strongly denounced the {245} amendment; but the fire soon cooled Today fewer than one school in a hundred in the two provinces is a separate school

Throughout this period of rapid growth the Liberal party maintained its place in power The country was prosperous and content and the party chieftain invincible The general elections of 1904 turned chiefly on railway issues The criticisrounded, proved unavailing The contest ended in a victory for the Government with a majority of sixty seats in the House and of fifty thousand votes in the country The results presented the usual discrepancies between electoral votes and parliah the Liberals had only 54,000 votes in Nova Scotia, as against 46,000 for the Conservatives, they captured all the eighteen seats

Prince Edward Island, giving the Liberals a popular majority, returned three Conservatives to one Liberal Ontario cast 217,000 Conservative and 213,000 Liberal votes and returned forty-eight Conservatives and thirty-eight Liberals An untoward incident of the elections was the defeat of Mr R L Borden in Halifax The leader of the Opposition had won universal respect, {246} and it was to the satisfaction of opponents as well as followers that another seat was shortly found for hieneral elections of four years later (1908) no single issue was doraft' and corruption, and charged hbouring couilty of extravagance and fraud Tiured in still further scandals Thein soations, and in others that they themselves had intervened to put a stop to the practices inherited from previous administrations They carried the war into Africa by counter-charges against leading members of the Opposition The air was full of scandals and personalities; but none of the charges were of sufficient ainst the prosperity of the country and the personality of the prime minister The parliamentary majority, however, fell from sixty-two to forty-seven, and the popular majority from fifty to twenty thousand

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The years had brought es in the Ministry Mr Sifton had retired, Mr Tarte's resignation had been accepted, and Mr Fitzpatrick had gone to the Supreme Court Mr Oliver had succeeded Mr Sifton, Mr Aylesworth had couished place at the bar to the portfolio of Justice, Mr Pugsley was in charge of Public Works, Mr Graham had left the leadershi+p of the Ontario Opposition for the portfolio of Railways, Mr Mackenzie King had jumped from the civil service to the Cabinet, and Mr Leues froes Of the forart only remained in active service, while Mr Doherty, Mr A the more notable accessions Soainst Mr Borden's leadershi+p, but the party as a whole rallied strongly to hirew increasingly firrew in strength and prestige Each year that passed gave proofs of his masterful leadershi+p {248} The old cry that he was too weak to rule now gave way to the cry that he was too strong There was no question that for all his suavity he insisted upon being first minister in fact as well as in forination which had been equalled only by Sir John Macdonald, while abroad he was the one Canadian, or in fact the one colonial statesure of Greater Britain

[1] It is estilish, 19 per cent of the Irish, 27 per cent of the Continental, and 30 per cent of the United States irants made entry for hoht land was in still greater degree est

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CHAPTER XII

CANADA AND FOREIGN POWERS

Europe and Asia--The United States--Reciprocity

The early years of the Laurier regie of the outside world During the middle years the business of the country's internal develop else Then in the later years the relations of Canada with other countries caly ie

At last, Canada's rising star con countries beyond the seas Some of these countries sent capital, and no Canadian objected Sooods, and manufacturers and producers raised the questions of protection and reciprocal tariff privileges

Others, as we have seen, sent rants Canada welcoainst others she erected high barriers, with half a her

First, as to trade and tariffs, which were the {250} chief subjects of discussion with European govern tariff of 1897 had adopted the minimum and maximum principle, with the intention that a fe-tariff countries should share with Great Britain the advantages of the lower rates Treaty complications made this impossible, and the lower rates were confined to the Empire Then in 1907 ca The Govern and Mr Brodeur, associated with the British a France the inter advantages in return The treaty, thoughBritish treaties with most-favoured-nation clauses which bound the colonies, the concessions given France had to be extended to Austria, Denium and Holland, both low-tariff countries, received many of the same concessions, and in the same year (1910) a special convention was otiations were carried on direct between the Canadian Governeneral in Canada In the {251} agreement with Italy the parties were teroverndom of Italy, and the Minister of Finance of Canada, representing His Excellency the Governor-General acting in conjunction with the King's Privy Council for Canada'

Meanwhile less friendly relations had arisen with Geroods a preference, Germany in 1899 withdrew her eneral rates The Laurier Government protested that the British preference was a faiven the san countries she had no excuse for retaliation But this soft answer did not turn away Teutonic wrath; so in 1903 Canada retorted in kind, by levying a surtax of one-third on Geroods The war of tariffs lasted seven years While it hampered the trade of both countries, German exports werea truce, and in 1910 an agreeeneral Gerave the Dominion the {252} minimum rates on the most important dutiable exports in return for, not the intereneral tariff rates So ended one of the few instances of successful retaliation in all the chequered annals of tariff history

Secondly, as to men This was the issue with Asiatic powers The opposition to Asiatic i in Australia and South Africa as well as in the United States, prevailed in Western Canada

Working ainst the too cheap--and too efficient--labour of the Asiatic as validly as manufacturers objected to the importation of the products of European 'pauper labour'

Stronger, perhaps, was the cry for a White Canada based on the difficulty of assie colonies of Asiatics in the thinly peopled province beyond the mountains