The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-03-20
FOR THE UNITED STATES
French Canadian Farmers DESERVING
Their Holdings.
THE GOVERNMENT is ALARMED.
The Exodus Is This Year Assuming I'm
mense rroportions-Th Poverty Of
Their own surroundings the Cause of
the Emigration.

QUEBEC, Que, March 20-The exodus
from this province to the United States is
this year assuming immense proportions,
ana the newspapers and politicians that
nave hitherto supported the Conservative
government at ottawa are becoming tho;-
oughly alarmed at the signs Of the times.
All the railways running into the New
England states are doing large business
In carrying emigrants from Quebec pro-
vince, and quite "A competition for this busi-
ness Is going on between the Grand Trunk,
the Quebec Central and the Canadian Pa
cine. The Quebec Central has IA travelling
passenger agent down along the line of the
lntercolonial railway, which traverses the
agricultural country east of Quebec, TO
catch the exodus, and the Maine Central
= about to establish the permanent resi-
dence here Of one of its agents for the
same purpose.
On one Canadian Pacific railroad train
between Quebec and Montreal few days
ago newspaper man counted no less than
l2 families from different counties on the
north shore who had sold out all their live
stock, utensils and furniture, and leaving
their farms behind them were
Preparing to Start Life Anew
IN the United States. In the county of
Temiscouata 100 miles east of Quebec
farms are being auctioned off this spring
at the rate Of one day, and from this To-
cality alone IL is calculated that 40 families,
representing some $50 people, will, between
this date and the lst of May next, bid adieu
to their homes and country and seek new
ones in the domain Of Uncle Sam
This last set of figures refers To only one
atwr.a a,.e % a l.
Quebec. The emigration fever has almost
reached the proportions of an epidemic
french Canadian farmers, in particular,
though, generally speaking, exceedingly
slow and conservative In manner, appear
TO make up their minds 20 migrate to the
states with very little difficulty.
This is mainly due TO the fact that they
nave heard such fourishing reports of the
country from relatives and friends who
have gone on before them. They mentally
take in the poverty of their own sur
roundings and see their own neighbors
coming back to Canada to visit friends,
with what seems TO them like fabulous
wealth. The visitors paint the land OF
their adoption in the most glowing colors.
Their hearers are captivated by the re-
cital, and by their contrast in the condi-
don of themselves and of their neighbors,
and speedily make up their minds
to follow their example. The wealth.
YER farmer remains for time
but as the country becomes further de-
populated, his sources Of income decrease
or entirely disappear, he can no longer
collect interest on the money be has ad-
vanced on mortgage, and soon he, too, is
compelled 10 follow his former friends and
aeighbors across the lines
Signs OF the Times.
The Times OF Canada, as Goldwin Smith
once called the Toronto Mail, formerly the
personal organ of Sir John A. Macdonald,
is now an out and out advocate Of closer
srade relations with the United States.
The hitherto government organ of Quebec,
The Chronicle, has just followed suit with
an article in its issue of Saturday that Is
the exact reflex of one by it's editor, DIR.
Stewart, in the current number of the
North American Review. 1t complains
that the burdens Of the people-the great
class-have been increased
without rhyme or reason, and simply piled
up to make the rich richer, while the poor
have grown perceptibly poorer. 1t insists
that the people who do not own factories
have rights which no government must ig-
more, and points out to the ministers the
exodus OF the population.
These are all signs of the times that no.
body here can afford to overlook, and there
Is widespread feeling of anxiety as TO the
nature of the political-and il may be the |
that are destined to |
make rapid pages of history for Canada
within the next few years.