 The famously anti-Catholic and nativist Whig Party was largely declining in Erie County, with the rise of the more tolerant Democratic and Republican Parties.Even Whig-Catholic relations were somewhat improved, with one faction of the party promising state funding for Catholic schools and institutions.Buffalo's Protestants no longer openly protested Sisters of Charity Hospital's state funding, and Bishop Timon began strengthening his ties to Protestants, to the point where he was able to construct a Catholic cathedral right near the Episcopal cathedral with no significant fanfare.