Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-10-07
The I'rcnch-Canadians.
why 50 Many of Them Emigr"tc 10 the
United states


Mr.. Tetrcaut, NJ p. r., one of the MEM
bers Of the commission appointed few
days before the close of last session at
Quebec to inquire into the causes of the
emigration of farmers to the United States,
has made known the conclusions at which
he has arrived Ranged under seven heads,
they are briefly as follows:
/, Poverty of the French Canadians 2,
large families; ,, the difficulty of cstab-
fishing homes; !, defective cultivation Of
the land ,, the taste for luNury: Is. seizure
of household effects and wages for debt;
:, the plague of peddlers.
Under the first heading he shows how
these people must depend on the labor of
their hands ON the soil for all they have,
butt being too poor to supply themselves
with modern implements and unable to
adopt modern methods of cultivation, the
returns they obtain are inadequate to their
wants Discouraged 10y the hard struggle
and its poor results, and depressed 10y hard
ship, they leave for the United States,
where their numerous families, not only of
young men and women. but even the little
children, can obtain remuucIatiyc and com
paratively easy employment i'm the factories.
with large families, but as the number of
mouths increase the means of feeding them
decrease. Where it is possible for three or
four to live, it is impossible with all their
efforts. to maintain II or -. The only
remedy is the unhappy one Of having to
take the road into exile and find in a new
country the opportunities not to be- had at
home
Under the third heading it is pointed
out that when young people grow up they
are unable to establish homes for them
selves. The patcrnal acres will not sup
port them and the cities have an invinciblc
attraction. They consequently drift away,
and form habits which render a return TO
farm life impossible.
The unwilingncss or inability Of the
farmers to follow the instruction given by
the agricultural instructors who have been
sent to all the the parishes is dwelt upon
under the fourth healing. They persist,
in spite OF everything, in the ancient meth
DDS of cultivation There are today in
the Province of Quebec over eight hundred
diaries which export To- Europe butter and
cheese to the value OF II 100000 annually.
bat il is of a poor quality. In this also the
farmers cling to the old ways, and the re-
suits. as matter of course, are Indifferent
BY not keeping cattle and selling their hay.
the soil of the farm is impoverished. and
the silu is almost unknown among them
To those who have observed the live, lcd
by French Canadian farmers the imputa-
ton of INDUCING i'm luxurious tastes will
sound cNtravagaut. We, Mr. Tclreault AS
surcs Il, that the French Canadian farmer
loves luxury too well, and. in order to salts
fly his desires. will mortgage his property
for debts contracted in this way. As a
general thing he is too hospltable and i, too
ready to share what he has with all the
world. We cannot but regard this as a
SANDER craftily disguised under the impu-
tation of an amiablc weakness. These pcO-
pie must have their "distrdctions.' but
what are they? The fiddle and the dance.
the homely supper, when neighbors gather
together occasionally in the long winter
evenings. 1t would be nearer the truth to
say that the cNactionS of the church tthcs
and taxes to build those splendid and i'm
posing churches, presbyteries, and con
vents, which form So glarng a contrast to
their surroundings, leave the people so
little from their scanty earnings that they
conceive that reckeSsncss which people
similarly situated have always done.
Hence they enjoy themselves As well as
they can till they find a way of escape
The seizure of household effects and
wages. treated under the sixth heading. un-
doubtcdly has the effect attributed to il.
The law is SO oppressive in its operation
and its charges so excessive that lis evils
are everywhere apparent in the discomfort
and poverty Of the people and the enrich
ment of lawyers. hallittS, and the horde OF
court officials. II is grave error, says Mr..
IptTpAlllt say AS some ppr-pus do that