Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-05-16
THE CANADIAN CENSUS.
So Many Hypheoated Canadians
That the Statistics will Be
Hard to Get.

Montreal special: 1t would seem that
ing the taking of the Canadian census
will be to find out how many Canad-
ians there are in the dominion. There
are hyphenated Canadians of every
variety of origin, but those of French
descent are about the only ones who
squarely call themselves Canadians.
The Canadian Of Scotch or English
origin as rule agressively describes
himself as British Canadian, while
the Irish, with that curious tendency
they display to form separate COM
munity wherever they are, call them
selves Irish Canadians. The newcom-
ers retain for years the names of the
nationalities to which they belong but
excepting in the case of those from
the British Islands, the next and fol-
lowing generations generally drop in
to their places as children of the soil
and become Canadians both in senti-
ment and name. 1t may be said that
the ture Canadian, true in the sense
that he has only the interest of Canada
at heart, will be found to be of other
than British origin. He also recognizes
that he is a citizen of the American
continent, and that his best interests
lie on this side of the world. There is,
however, Il section Of the Canadian peo-
pie, more noisy than numerous, as they
have been before described, who would
like to dig a ditch wide and deep
enough, or to build a wall high enough
to separate Canada from the rest of the
continent. This section 1t is that
wants prohibitive duties against Am-
n 1,pp, f,-t
duties on Canadian products of the for
est and mine crossing the border. They
are fighting for a closed door against
America, while all the world wants
an open door in China. But they may
safely be left to be dealt with by the
real Canadian without a prefix.
To sift Languages.
For statistical and other purposes,
however, the Canadian government
wants to find out the exact origin and
language of each inhabitant of the
Dominion, and with this end in view
the enumerators have to put down
both against the name of each person.
This will give rise to some curious
contradictions, for in consequence of
intermarriagcs in the past there will be
found numbers with English, Scotch
and Irish names. like Warren, Ross,
McLaren. Carroll, and many others
who speak only French, while many
with French names speak only English.
The result Will be that the totals Civ
ing origin and language will not neces-
sarily coincide. Another cause of
confusion is that many French have
translated their names when they
have settled in an English speaking
district, I3oisvert becoming Green
wood Blanc White, and so on.
The object Of this minute inquisition
into the origin and language of each
individual is of course political. and Is
intended to give the French the OPP
portunity to redress the inequalities
and disadvantage they believe them
selves to labor under in some of the
provinces outside of Quebec. 1t is ex-
Lectcd that the French speaking popu-
lation of Ontario will show a larger in
crease, and if so, demands will be made
for more even distribution of the
higher political offices than now pre-
wallis AS the English speaking peo-
Pile of ontario are likely to resist this
for educational reasons, as we'll as
others. there may be trouble. AS 1t is.
the speaker of the Ontario legislature
is French from Quebec. The French of
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are
also getting ready to formulate polit-
ical claims on the score of nationality
and religion; and in Manitoba and the
northwest the same question is to the
front, another phase of the education
dispute that made so much noise in
1896 In this conflict between the dom
inant sections the Gallician- Canadian,
the Doulhobor- Canadian, the Hebrew
Canadian, getting numerous. the Ice
landers and others are lost sight of or,
for the present. with the exception of
the Hebrew who understands his in
,erests, serve only as voting machines
at the disposal of the agents of the
political party in power.