Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-12-24
WAIERVILI.E LAUGHS AT IT.
Her French Citizens Have No Idea OF Desert
ing Their American Homes.
Yours very truly.
j. w. BASSETT.

The dispatch to the morning papers.
Saturday. stating that about 100000 Of
the 200 600 Canadian Frenchmen in the
State of Maine would return to Canada
within a few months. is causing no end
Of amusement here in the city. which
has a large French population. DO
YOU suppose" said a prominent and
we'll educated Frenchman to the writ
er. Saturday, that the Frenchmen
who have become established in q
good business here in Maine and who
are doing well are going back to farm
ing in Canada?" and the way he said
it gave no doubt as to the answer he
expected Waterviile laughs at the idea
that her Water street with its many
large prosperous stores and cosy resi-
dences is going to be vacated in one
grand rush in the spring. Yet if there
is 10000 to go this Will have to be
done. as it is estimated that there are
only about $1,000 French Canadians in
the State anyway. OF these the great
majority are content with their lot as
is shown by their evident desire to own
property as soon as possible. and to OBJ
tain the right to vote and the other
prerogatives of American citizens.
Cases are frequently occurring where
n man falls heir to a small farm or
little money in his old home in Canada
and goes back to take advantage of
it. Even in such cases the lucky person
usually prefers to sell his property or
turn his legacy into good American
money rather than so back after it. In
stances Of return without some induce
ment Of this sort are very rare. OF
course on the border of the State there
is q considerable amount of passing
back and forth. Men come over to work
in haying or some other busy period
of farm work on account of the larger
wages on this side. Many of these even
remain after securing a good berth.
Father Charland, pastor of the st.
Francis dc Sales church of this city,
who is in as close touch with the
French people Of New England as any
man, laughs al the story of the exodus
and declares it to be only the scheme
Of n coIoniZing agent. He predicts that
there will not be more than 10 people
who will listen to the scheme or be in
fiuenced by it.
The matter has been brewing for
been made to induce numbers of
Frenchmen 10 return to Canada by
agents of the land companies. Men
have been sent through New England
to deliver lectures, but none of them
have ever come to Waterville. One
Frenchman said that they didn't dare
send them here. The people would
have nothing whatever to do with TIM
and would only laugh at them.
The plans by which government land
can be taken up in Quebec are not par
ticu.arly favorable. The crown reservs
the right to all merchantable lumber
and the minerals that may be found
on the land taken up by the settler.
He is allowed to cut only wood for his
own use The license to cut the lum
Der off any tract which is to be oper-
ed to settlers is auctioned off and sold
to the highest bidder which is usually
some numbering firm. The firm in adj
dition pays the government stumpage.
II any minerals are found on the land
the right to work the mines can only
be obtained from the government.
What timber remains after the lum-
Der firm completes it's operations be-
longs to the farmer. but it is natural
" very small. If, however. the settler
can clear 10 acres out of every 100 and
build a house able for occupation
he can have the lumber. This as rule
is no easy task. and the settlers get
but a comparatively small part of the
lumber. while the government has all
the minerals which may be found.
In short. the settler is given the
right to farm the land he takes up and
little else The proceedings by which
he can get more complete rights are
tedious and costly. so that his lot is not
n particularly easy one. 1t is rather
doubtful if the colonizing companies
bava heen able TO mitigate the laws to