Page 143 - Transcriptions d'actes notariés - Tome 20 - 1682-1686

thirdly, in a struggle for power and independence between the eccle-
siastical and political authorities.
It is unfortunate for a Roman Catholic historian to have to record
tbat bishops became the tools of poljtjejans. For years the Lieral party
cowered uiider ihreats of extinction, excommunication and sinful alliance.
The hishops were condemning a moral evil when they condemned
Catholic Liberaljsm, but their refusal to see a differcncc between thc
liberalism of Laurier and ihe liberalism thcy werc condemning leit thcm
vulnerable to chargea of "jriégalité de trajtcment" and of deliherate
attemps et "confusion" in tliejr repeeted determinetion to equate the
French Canadian Liberal perty wiih rhe destructive liberalism of
Enrope.(') Foreed to overlook the Conservetive's strategy of using
doctrinal prononncemen ts for politiral purposes. the episcopacy slowly
bccamc identified with the Consrrvetiw party and ihus lost much of
the moral and spiritual leadership it was merint to exercise.t2)
The second reason stared &ove ivould also aceount for the division
in the epiecopacy itself. Archhishop Taschereau of Quebec and Bishop
Emard of Valleyfield realizcd the peculiar position of the Church and
refused to pertieipete in the r:onflict and upheaval which a definite and
uncompromising episcopal position would cause. This, the liberal
positiori, if one may cal1 it ihat, was basically the position assumed by
rbe majority of the Enplish-speaking hishops who attributcd the rise
of anti-Cetholie scniiment among Protestants to the "devious policy" of
the Ultramontene bishops.i3i
As for the struggle for powcr and independence, it will he seen to
have arjaen out of the deterniination of French Canadian polit-icians and
journaljsts to be masters in the few fields of intellectual endeavonr leit
to them. Few politicians ivere willing to be dietated to, especially when
the entire Protestant population liad their eyes riveted upon them and
when the dangcrs and iear of a religious war and a 106s of Frcncb
Canadian influence in al1 parts of the Dominion appeared to be the only
outcome of episeopal dictation.
This paper will attcmpt to denionstrate these thrcc recnrriiig thenies
in the politico-religious conflict, the first IWO in relaiion to Tene's
ultramontaiiism and the last in tlie light of his later liberalism. Tarte
is iii many ways a typical French Caiiadian politician secking jndepeti-
denee of action. Since he was aii Ultramontane in the first years of his
pnblic career and became a Liberal iii the later oiies, he repreeents
both sides of the conflict. As ail Ultramontane he accepted the poliey
of episcopal arid clerieal intervention in politics which he Iatcr challenged,
combatted and finally renouiiced.

(1 1 Episcopal Archives of Montreal, Eugène Lafontaine io Archliishop Bruchhi,
June 24, 18%. (Episcopal Archives of Moiitreal heresfier cited as WM).
(21 A~chiyeg a1 the Bawassa Family, Bourassa io Bishop Emard, Aprü 1, 1912.
(3) E.4h7., The Archbiahop of Taran~o to the Archbishop of hioutreal, Novpmbpr
10, 1915.
(4) Le Candien, April 5, 1877.