The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-06-17
LES cANAOIENs ERRANTs.
Agents in the United States Induce The m
10 Return to Canada.

| Les Canadiens Grants are beginning to
find out that there are worse places in the
world than their native land, and putting
their conclusions into practice, are return
ing to the Dominion to once again settle
down under the shade of the maple tree
| and the folds of the Union Jack, says the
| Montreal Star.
| Canadian Government agents are at
work in all the centres of French Cana.
dian life in the United States, especially
in New England, Michigan, Illinois, In
diana and other Western States. AS a
rule, those who have located in the West
and are induced to return to Canada go
to the Northwest, but Montreal last night
saw an exception to this rule, when
twenty-five families, repatriated from
Michigan, principally from the neighbor-
hood of Detroit, passed through en- route
to the Lake ST. John region.
They had had enough of the glare and
hustle OF city life, and yearned for the
peace and contentment of country life in
Canada. And so when Mr. Rene Dupont
went amongst them and told them of the
free farms which the Canadian Govern
| ment would give them in the Lake St.
John district, there was such a rush that,
| instead of two carloads, ten could have
been brought But Mr.. Dupont, who
| 10 oli Oil HdNluP SCEvGQ IOT
years under Mr.. L. o. Armstrong, was
very strict in his selections. Only people
| OF good moral and physical character
were accepted, and even then only on
condition that the older members of the
party should be possessed of sufficient
money to provide for themselves.
The Oldest man in the party was Sc;
the youngest babe was barely four months
old; the remainder of the 1O8 people
ranged between these ages. The parents,
| who originally came from the Quebec and
Three Rivers Districts, retained their
knowledge of French, but the young PEG.
pie spoke only English ''as she is spoke
in Detroit.
The homecomers, who are bound for
the Irapplst settlement at Mistassini, in
| the Lake ST. John District, left the City
of the Straits on Sunday night, and,
travelling by the Canadian Pacific, were
detached from the western express last
night at Montreal Junction, whence they
were shunted round the loop to Mile End
to await connection with the night train
| for Quebec. The Ancient Capital was
proceed to their destination at once by
the Quebec and Lake ST. John railway.
There was crowd of 1000 people at the
Detroit station to bid the party God
speed, but there was one too many, for a
young girl, the daughter of two of the
OluoSU Iue1uDeTS OF Un6 party, gave them
| the slip and went off with her lover in
the crowd
Perhaps, the chief point of interest
| about the party was that they are all w I'll
provided financially. Mr.. Dupont esti-
| mated their joint possessions at no less a
sum than 1922, 900. Five cars of effects
| are following them, including six horses,
eight cows, between 500 and 800 fowls,
as well as an ample supply of household
furniture.
Although the younger folk spoke only
English or French with Yankee accent,
their names showed of what good Cana
dian stock they came. There were Pig
cons and Rouleaus, Laforests and La
votes, Tremblays and Lapointes, Carbon
neaus and Lesperances, and others bear
ing good French Canadian names
Later in the season, some dozen French
Canadian families will return from Chi
cago, while Mr.. Dupont is simply in
undated with applications from expa.
triated Canadians in Ohio and Michigan
anxious to get back to Canada
The party under Mr.. Dupont's care
were in the happiest of spirits They had
improvised an orchestra with a violin,
mandolin, concertina and flute, and
by their aid made the air re-echo with the
strains of the good old Canadian songs
transmitted from their grandsires. ZEN
Roulant, Ma Boule,' and 80 Canada,
Mon Pays, Mes Amours,' sounded
strangely Alnericanized, but the true
Canadian spirit was there and that be-
ing so, what matters the Detroit accent? =