HOW CATHOLICS ARE TREATED IN NOVA SCOTIA.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 99, 20 March 1875, Page 8

HOW CATHOLICS ARE TREATED IN NOVA SCOTIA.

It will be seen f rom the following statement, made by a Protestant writer, that the Catholics of Nova Scotia have to contend with an unusually violent bigotry. The Halifax correspondent to the ' Toronto Globe,' writing on the elections in that Province, says : — There is another question which will have some influence upon the elections, but probably not altogether a one-sided influence. It is the'education question. The Nova Scotia school system is secular. When the school law was passed by the Tupper Government, the support of the Catholics in Halifax was secured—or perhaps I should rather say their hostility prevented— by certain concessions which enabled them to have Catholic teachers in schools attended by Catholic children, and to use some books not prescribed by law. ln\reality this did no harm, as these schools were attended wholly by Catholic cJtildren, and there were numerous other schools for the JProtestants, or for Catholics, if they wished to attend them. These concessions were continued under the present Government. During the past year or two some of the Protestants have agitated for the enforcement of the law to its extreme point. These have condemned the Government, and in too many instances have made the matter an excuse to array themselves with the Opposition, though there was less to be hoped for on that side, so far as enforcing the law was concerned. The Presbyterian Synod, a number of the Wesleyan Ministers, and some others have issued addresses to the electors calling upon them to insist on candidates pledging themselves to the withdrawal of all concessions to the Catholics in Halifax. Meanwhile, the Catholics yielded up some of the advantages they had, though they say they were secured to them by a binding agreement. The Government papers say the law is not now violated in any respect. This does not meet the views of the extremists. In the country of Picton, where the Reform party is strong and chiefly Presbyterian, the difficulty has broken up the Government ticket. The Catholics declared they would not support a party whose members chiefly comprised Presbyterians, whose Synod had issued such an extreme address. The extremists on the Protestant side declared that they would not support the party unless the candidates pledged themselves against concessions to the Catholics. Between the two, moderate men who were desirous of seeing justice done and good will promoted, had to go to the wall, and the Opposition candidates, who do not appear to have been troubled about the matter, were elected by acclamation. looking over the whole Province I am led to think that the Government will be sustained by a small majority of pronounced men which will subsequently be increased by the aid j>f Independents.