Page 109 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

Irom their former custor~iers to snch an exient ihat the islanders wonld
be foreed to purehase irom Canada to whom they conld sel1 noihing in
II
relutn. Ihey felt, nioreover, thai their former eustomers would 1.r9rnt
sueh arrangement and as a result ihe Island's trade position would be
ruined. si rie^ the Island, hy reasun of the eomplete absenee of niinerals,
could never hope tri beeonie a manufae~uring provinee. the people eon-
cluded that Confederation ~rurild be eompleiely deotruetive to their
eeoriorny. Anrl to complete the dreary eeonomie outlririk, the Ifilanderd
elaimrd that ihey would be subjecied to an oppressive federal taxation
Irom which there would be no sulistantial return since lirtle was needed
by way of public ~rorks on the Island. In fine, the people maintained
i hat Con ïederation w ould decrease revenue and increase taxaiion, and
as a result prove fin~nciall~ disastrous tii their econornie interesta.
The exelusiveneso of Prinee Edward Island aleo resulted from a
deep-sealrd proviricialism and insulority. Situatad in the Cull of St.
Lawrenct and praciically isolated from ihe mainland for five months
01 ~he !car. Prinee Mivard Island's smsll area supported a population
of approxima~ely 90,000 people. 1to attitude iii Confederation was rle-
termined by the vcry nature of its geographie positirin and by the
peculiar problrms attendani upon a small population in sueh a position.
This geographie isolation in itsell might have been enuugh to account
for an extreme insuladty and lack of interest in broader movements
snch as Confederation. However, provineialiam wa* even more exagger-
aiecl by preotcupation with tivo problems thrit demanded almost constant
attrntiun to the exclusion of prae~ically el1 others.
For nearly a centnrv Prince Edward Island's politieians attrmpted
10 settle a land quesiiori which ior~unately was unique in Brjiish North
Ameriea. The people oi the Idand inheriied an iniqnitous land tenure
system wheieby nearly the whule Island was owned by absentec proprie-
tors who wonld not sel1 ihe land to the occupants. Naturally enough
the Island tenants were avertie to the rent system and desired to become
freeholders. The land system was an nnsolved problern entering jnto
the daily lives of the people so as to embitrer even soeial relationa.
Moreover, the people 01 the Island had an educaiicinal and relipioua
problem to iaee. Religinus aiiirnosi~ies were little lerrs than .wandaliiuu.
The questions ri$ ~eparate schriols, Bible reading in the schools, and the
incorporation of the Orange Lodges were dieputed by Cntholics and
Protestants with bitiertiess and ill-feelirip; and arnong a people essentially
reliFious ihese qucstiriris assumed a plaee of aupreme importanee. Thus
the exelnsiver~ess of Prince Edward leland also flowed {rom a provin-
cialistn based on ~eogrnphir: isulatioii atid intensified b y a preoerupation
with two problems in timarely involving the niaterial and spiritual life
of every individual on the Island.
For these reasons the people as a whole were derermined that Prinee
Edward Island should rernain a separaie eolony. The scheme of Con-
iederation bmed npon the Queber: Resolntions was viewed with hostility
on the Island. The people diapIayed a eoneerted opposition to the
scheme; and the Legislatnre siated the union with Canada "wonld prove