A Politico-Religious Incident in the Career of Thomas D’Arcy McGee

An account of the editorial dispute in 1859 between the Montreal Irish Catholic newspaper, The True Witness and Catholic Chronicle, and the Toronto Irish Catholic newspaper, The Canadian Freeman, over the Montreal politician, Thomas D'Arcy McGee (1825-1868). George Edward Clerk (1815-1875), the editor of the True Witness, was an outspoken critic of McGee and his policies, while James Moylan, the editor of the Canadian Freeman, was a supporter of McGee. Clerk's opposition to McGee was over the politician's alliance with the Toronto politician and editor of the Toronto Globe, George Brown. Brown's newspaper was seldom complementary or conciliatory towards Catholics in general and Irish Catholics in particular. Brown was especially opposed to the question of separate Catholic schools in Canada West (Ontario).

Canadian Catholic Historical Association, Report

Vol. 24

39-51

1957

en