the Echation Act permitting public funds to go to support any edtcational institution that offered free education to children of the poorer classes.' (13) Protestant leaders objected to such a change and conducted a campaign among political candidates asking them to pledge not to support any change to the existing secular school system. It should be noticed how the Catholic and Protestant positions here are the reverse of what they were in the late 1850's. In any case, the Conservatives with some Liberals, led by James C. Pope captured eighteen of the thirty seats in the legislature; results for Lot 27 were: Liberals — 130, and the Corservative—Liberal coalition — 263; in the Fourth District of Prince, Liberals — 831, and the coalition — 1257. (1}) The editor of the pro-Liberal newspaper, the Patriot,saw the power of the Catholic Bishop and priests in the defeat of the Liberals:

The Catholic vote in all parts of the Island

has been polled against the government

candidates .... The Catholic Bishop and

his priests were determined to punish the

government for not conceding to their demands

on the school question, and they therefore

threw the whole weight of their influence,

which is very great, in favor of the opposition. (15)

Thofe The )hange in government resulted in/changes in bomerset;

John B. Strong was appointed post—master, and Peter Duffy

and John, O‘Ronaghan became Commissioners of the Peace. (18)

By now 1 definite swing to support for the Conservatives had takan place in Lot 27, and especially at Somerset.

That chinge started in 1870, and during the election campaig1 of that year the editor of the Catholic newspaper,

the Herxld,wrote that while Catholics had supported the

53.