Page 156 - Transcriptions d'actes notariés - Tome 20 - 1682-1686

Iiis cathedra1 I-ie aftacked 1il;eralisili and the Liberaia. He referied to n
spcecti of Laurier's in the Houec of Commons in ïutiicti the LiIieral
learlcr tiiiti rlcrlartid ttia;, as long as hc tield public office, lie \i-:iuli! never
judpe a pnrticulnr question irom eitfier ttie Catholic or Picilestant point
of view but ratlier would base his judment ciil iriotires wliicti ctiuld appeal
to al1 meri regnrdless of their religion.[:'" 'This ttie Bisl~op declared to be
"l'affirniatiori du Libéralisme condamné Dar 1'EcIisc la ulus eetbzciriaue
L, - 1
qui ait jamais encore été iaite à ma connnissa~re rlaris une acueln1ii;e
législative de notre pays. . . . L'hoirime qui ria1.1.e ainsi est cri iIbi.ral
ra~itinaliste." Ariyorie fouud votine for a part? leader ~ii~tio professed
such a doetririe, ttie Bistiop declared, ivoiild be guiliy of a moital siri.
Even ~Iiose ~lio were folloii.ers of this leader and ivorked for tiis cause
were also rjrii! ty rii sin unlcss lhey liublicly disavowed Iiiiri. '"" The
sernion ïi7ns pul~Ii~he(1 nitist Freiieh Caiiarliari iievispapers acd pririteri
liy
iri a pamplilet diieh was wirlelv distriliuted and used Li: tlie Conserva-
[ives -to hrtber their politicril -cause.
The Libeials were nghast. They fearerl - and witli reasoii - the
conclusious of this drastic sermon and persona1 attack ori Laurier.
La Patrie and L'Elecrer~r aiid oiher Liiieral neikspapers aseailed the
Bistiop releiitlessly aiid at tinies even crilellj . ILlitiy rluestiriiied his nood
faith arid sirieerity, as if it ivere possible for tliis narroiv-iriinded, yet
devoled c1iurcliinau to be anytliiug but hoii~et nnrl sincere iii his con-
victions. TIic attacks tif theçc ne~usp2,pers ouly accentuated episcopal
uiiity, Irir ntliers kiaslcnr:d ~kie defcrise of their veueiated brother and
doyen. 1i Lailèche Iiarl seririuslu ihreatenerl tlieir cause, tlie eJiturs of
the Libeia! iieivspapers alinost cles1 roj-et1 it.
Tarte in Lc C~ltivn~eur"'~~ alter~ipted to quel1 t1ie eîfect o t' T.riTlèche7s
seririoii and )eL nt the same tiine LO rcinairi x:ithin the bounds of ciecen:.!
and respect wIiic1i LYElec/er~r in ils iury Iiad nerlected. IIe ncccpted the
Liheral theoiy that the eernion 1uas a political tirade, but "toiis les
citoiens sont libres, eii ce pal s, d~ faire la politique - les érêque~ coinine
les autres.:' Yet. "il est irai qu'il ri'y a pas loiigtemps encciie. In Cour
de Knnir: a cru Jevtiir crii~i;eil!er. eri terineç tiés clairs, an c1er;é catIioli-
c~uede s'ah~tenir rl'irigcrcnce tiaiia le? lutte, politiques." Kïit!i xeat
deierence he declared that ii wns not tiis (lutv or Iiis intentioii to rlictate
a line oi coiidiict to such a reneiabIe Hislio~. At tlie snr?;e tinie
he asked the Bisliop to realize ~hnt his sermon L'au~menie considérnble-
ment les dificultés déji énormes qui entoilreiit la question des écoles.""")

The battle, the controversy. tlie ayi~ieals to race and crrer! ciin~iiined
iintil elrction rlay. Tti~n on Jun? 23, 11M thi: Pro\ iriec of C)uc!>ec e!ss:ed
iorty-nirie Lilierals ariJ sixteeri Conser~ntives. Jean-Baptiste hnd finally

" Ca~ixda, HOUFZ (11 C~III~I~IOI~S~ Dc~(I~cs, 1896, 27'59.
'xi) Serriiuri priri~eti i11 Ru~i~iil>, L(!j/khc, pp. 306 fi.
Le C'ulticntc~ur W~F wrrk!? rieri-qiaprr ïntt.nt1t.d for rLrral conpiir-iption.
a
1"')
lt hatl a circulatiun of ahou1 furly ~liriri+ntl ar?rl pla-ed an important roie
in I!:e Lil~cial bictory ia 1396. It wns rnnll~niiird in cerLairi dicc~crs but
rciri:taied tluririg ~he inic~ioii GI Y"' 11prry L)ril '<al in 1851.
4"' Le (~iiltii~nieiir, Iunc 3, 1HC6.