Page 154 - Transcriptions d'actes notariés - Tome 20 - 1682-1686

of bad feith and the .4rchbishop and indirectly, uther influential mernbers
01 the elergy, of haviug betrayd Freneh Canadian and Catholic interestfi
in the West by alIowing thmselves ta hc duped by the hlacdonald
t
governnient. Tarte attaeked ihe ~overnnien but evcuwd the Archbishop
on aceount of his old age and long sullerings.
However, the Archbishop refused to be 60 easily excused. In a leiter
to Tarte made public on July 5, 189.3 he denied that auy inember of the
cabinet had pIedged the government "formally" to any course of aetion.
Yet he tlid not deny having seeu Chapleau in Montreal aud haviug
discussed the Manitoba Schools protlem. As for his old age and gieat
suff ering, Taehé thauked Tarte for his ecinsideratiou, agreejng that "un
demi-si2cle de vie ile niissionnnire a sans doute amoindri ines facultés
sans pourtant les éteindre: refroidi mou cœur sans le glacer. . . ."(5u)
But the hard Iife "laisse à ma volonté assez d'énergie pour proelamer
hautement que jz ri'ai jarnais cori5enti et ne conseritirai je:iiais à un
compromis qiii se~ait une faiblesse."'"'
Tarte received the letter as he \\.as abciut to address a public mcetjng
in Waterlno. He iead the Archliiahop's letter and euplained to his
audience ihat it did not denv ibliat he har3 snid arid tvriiien. Never, he
told his Iisiener~, had hc deelared that "oftïeial" promises had been given
by the povernment. Yet the Ai clibishop rnust haie knorvn tliat Chapleau
was a niernber of the lederal government eveu i1 he spoke "cn son noin
pel.souuel."(")
Tarte did niit engare in this operi rlebate H itli churchmen for iht:
sake of argumen L ur because he had lost ail ihe neceeaary respeet whicli.
as a mernber oi the Church, he orirecl to its laitiul prelaies. What lie was
jntcrested iii was in pointin: out ~o the people, ~he electors, that in 11,e
firial ana15sis ~he ehurclimen couhl ririt be tlie riatural judges and artii-
trators of thc question. The hlauitciha Scliools prubleni rvas no doulit
a religious probleni. silice jt iuvolved rrlipion and morality: hut the
solution could onlg te poliiicai. arriver] nt yriliticians in a spirit of
coniproniisc. As a Libcral plifician he had LU rountzract ~he political
efferts oi the bishops,who snw that tlieir only hupe resided in the Consei-
vative governrnznt. Archbishop Langevin: ivho succceded Taché in
hlai~itolia, ivas also aceuszd of deplorahle diplvniaey and of betra!inF
the Cathoiic popuIation of his province, since he was willing to be (lulied
hy a Rernedial Bill which meatit nuthing hecausc it was nnworkable.
Shoirly Leiore the elcction~ of 1896 the bishops iiI the provincc
met in 31oritrcal tu issuc direcliles to tlicir people on the fortlicoming
elections. In Lhe :$fandement Episr.ripnl niade public on hlay
16 the bishops declared tliernszlves tbe iialural judgrs of tbe question,
evcii ~huugh tbey did riot H-ish "de s'inkoder à aneun des partis qui
eomtattent dans I'arènc." Tliey cclrictuded by rtaling :
C'es1 pourquoi, NOS Tris Chers Frhrt, LOU- les Catholirlue, ne
devront accorder leur ;uUrage qu'eiu canditlalv qui .'engaEenl Iormell~.

Letter priiilrd in L'Electeur, Juiy 5, 1893.
1 .;: 1 ]r!p,~!,
423 IILid., JuIy 5, 1893.