The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-29
WITH The "CANUCK'
What He Has Done and Is Doing
for Canada.
OF THE FRENCH
Farm Wealth and Hard Work
Winter a Valuable
Asset. S&-sa =
Herman Whitaker in Ains1ee's

q.
The French Canadian forms most
Interesting study for the sociolopist hin.
self and his manners. customs and ;de,Is
HIS country was fairly conquered in 1859
ana ever since he mas made the hest Of il
ne might now have many grievance
against the government, but he has
learned trick worth two of that r.
Canada could be left to herself with her
present population and with no influx of
settlers, in fifty years the French Cana
olan would have reconquered Canada
Not by the musket but by his big family
aid by his quiet persistence in atau;rine
and clearing land.
His natural gift for politics has led
him to improve the original position that
gave him almost the balance of power.
until now he holds the fate of political
parties in his hands. At one time the
counties in Quebec south of the St. Law
renee between tie river ard the United
states boundary were filled with English
farmers; 1t was the exception to pass
farm owned by lhabitant Now the no.
sltlon is in process of reversal. A thrifty
| naDltant can obtain all the moneu he
wants on a first mortgage at low rate
OF interest. often 2 per cent, and wher
ever on English farm is for sale he
| buys It,
| This habit has come to be a nolicv. II
has carried the French Canadian beyond
the bounds of his own province into the
bordering counties of Ontario ard New
Brunswick, and wherever he comes the
will of the English voters is strangled by
the French, who stand solid as rock
when their own interests are thereby de-
| tended or conserved. Throughout the
province OF Quebec for every union jack
that floats there are ten tricolors. This
|
| JOY in descent. English Canadians are
told: itzhas no political significance. they
are assumed And though the ultraroy-
alist may growl at the display of for
! eign flag, the flag flies. There is no rea
son why it should not fly SO long as
French Canada is sufficiently loyal; and
at present it is just loyal enough.
Canada's Growth.
The vast extent of Canada ar,i its
houndless possibilities is. perhaps, not
fully realized by the Canadian himself.
"A man must needs travel the land
from north to south and from east to
west TO obtain. a correct idea of it's ca
pacity or its immensely. 1t contains
/ within its boundaries 3,456,9S square
miles, one and a quarter million of which
| are covered with forest grcwths Fol
three thousand miles. from ST Johns te
1 Queen Charlotte's Island stretches an I'm
broken BLUR Of British rcd: two thou.
sand miles Of the same warm color from
! Windsor to the north shore of Baftin's
Land; sixteen hundred miles of British
i territory between Fort Macleod ant
! Banks Land, and for three hundred miles
North of these northern boundaries thu
Arctic Sea is blotched with crimson
/ splashes-Prince Patrick's Island, BATH,
urst, Grinnell's Land, North Devon, ant
further still, stretching away fourteen
/ hundred and eighty seven miles TOWARD
4 the nole--Nort'h Lincoln Truly, this
z young giant of the north has ample room
for growth.
l up TO the present time. however, hi
4 growth has been comparatively slow. Tel
4 years ago the census showed the popula
tion to be only 4.S33, 239, and the enumera
tion of last March q9D1) increases tn,
figures to 5,338,S83; the differerGe is sos,
E6i4, an increase of ABOUT $4,000 for eac]
year within the decennial period TIL,
increase of 1G per cent is discouragin
only as compared with the great augmen
tation of 81 per cent in the population Q
the United States. Canada has man
Il drawbacks and difficulties to overcome Il
Z the matter of emigration, but one of tn
chief causes of the present dearth of mum
hers is the constant loss that the coun
try has sustained for very many years. il
the alienation of the young men. TIL
limited States is a most powerful magnet
drawing the ambitious and the restles
from all quarters CT the globe, and tn
secession from Canada has assumed til
8 portions Of a nationals ira gedy. Their