St. Malachy’s remains the only church in the five com— munities. Protestant residents attended churches in nearby communities such as Searletown and Bedeque. Both Catholic and Protestant people interviewed for this study agreed that religious differences were not a source of con— flict in this, area. Protestants and Catholics attended the same schoo1; used the same saw and grist mills; and work- ed on community projects, such as building the first ., Catholic church in Kinkora.21 But during the 1850s and 1860s in P.E.I. conflict erupted over the use of the Bible If in school, especially the request by some Protestants that it not only be read, but be interpreted. Despite the bitter exchanges between both sides reported in the daily newspapers, the conflict appears not to have disrupted harmonious relationships in the five communities. An in— cident involving cooperation between the Catholic priest at St. Malachy’s and the Methodist minister in a neighbouring community, to be discussed in the follow— ing chapter, lends support to the conclusion that har— monious relationships were maintained in this area, despite what was occurring elsewhere. Catholics in all British colonies first obtained the right to vote and hold public office in 1830. In P. E. I. ownership of property still remained a qualification to vote until the . Liberal government of George Coles removed that restric- 12 tion in 1853. His party was also 1n favor of the escheat policy by which the government would purchase the lands l; of the proprietors and resell them to the tenants. Catholics i and tenants therefore tended to support the Liberal Par- ity In 1850 a number of men from the Kinkora— Shamrock : area signed a petition requesting, a liberal reformer, L William W. Lord of Tryon, to be their political candidate " in the Third Electoral District of Prince County (which } included the five communities) in the upcoming election.22 ? Both Mr. Lord and a second Liberal in that riding, Joseph aawnmmmmwxmwm .Mm zuArziys—u 1.: a. a; w r amvwwmcxawmmm.cmwz‘mawagAWN ; .. 19 Pope, won the two seats. It is not surprising then to find the appointment of the first Catholic Constable from the area soon after that election; Michael Mulligan was named Constable for Township 27,23 and in the following year, 1851, the first post office was opened in the area, at Mid— dleton, in the home of Patrick Murphy.24 However, the tenants were less successful in getting ownership of their farms. In 185 5 a group of them, led by Peter Duffy, (remembered as a “great talker”, and one who liked to recite the poetry of Robert Burns), petitioned the government to help them obtain title to their farms.25 But all hopes of getting that request were dashed the next year when they read the following notice in their newspapers. Notice to Tenants on Mrs. Mann’s Estate in Township No. 27: On Jan uary 26 in the office of the Registrar of Deeds for the Island, all righ ts, titles and interests of Mrs. Isabella Mann in Township 27 were conveyed to J. C., Pope of Summerside. 2" Their new landlord was James C. Pope, the son of Joseph Pope, former agent for Mr. and Mrs. Mann. The following year, 1857, James C. Pope entered politics in a by—election in the Third Electoral District of Prince County. Though he ran as an independent candidate, he was portrayed in the newspaper as critical of the Liberal Government’s plan to force landlords to sell their estates; and he was perceived as not opposing, and perhaps even supporting, those Protestants calling for an ex— tended use of the Bible as a school text book. The other can— didate, William W. Lord, a Liberal, held the opposite views. In a highly, emotionally charged letter the editor of the Ex- aminer, in Charlottetown, appealed to the Catholic voters in Townships 26 and 27 to reject Mr. Pope.