The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-09
FRENCH CANADIANS
FAVOR ANNEXATION
They Fear Loss Of Their Identity and Special Privileges if Canada
Should Become IndependenTey Less Amenable Clerical
Fl Influence Than Formerly.

, church has, naturally. been in favor
Of the maintenance Of the status quo.
The church would, no doubt, to-day
be inclined to use its influence to per-
petuate the present condition of at
fairs, and oppose either Canadian IN
dependence or annexation. But the
church received in 1895 a lesson which
taught it that its sway Is not absolute
as of yore, and that, If it would con-
troll. it must follow, not drive. Tho, in
1895, the bishops lent all their force
to secure the return Of the Topper
government, which had introduced in
the federal parliament the remedial
bill for the restoration Of Roman Cath
olic separate schools in Manitoba, the
French-Canadians were more i'm
pressed with the idea of making one
of themselves premier of Canada than
with the idea Of restoring the priv
ileges of the French Roman Catholic
minority in the prairie province; and
the province of Quebec, despite the
mandaments of the bishops, over
whelmingly defeated the Topper gov
eminent and gave for Wilfrid Laurier,
| the. French-Canadian leader Of the OPP
position. an enormous majority, which
was still further increased at the cleo
| ton of 1901.
The "Habitant" Fears Militarism.
| Notre langue, notre religion ct nos
lois Is cry which still appeals with
irresistible force to the French-Cana-
dian. The question the French Cana
dian has to face is by what course his
language, his religion and his laws
can be best preserved. The ideal of a
French republic on the banks Of the
st. Lawrence, which for many years
was vaguely looked forward to, is now
recognized to be an impossible dream,
| as LIE Combat admits. To imperial
federation, the French-C Canadian has
shown strong version. This was
strikingly shown at the time Canada
sent troops to assist Britain in the
| South African war. This step was
vehemently opposed by the vast ma
jority Of the French-Canadians, re-
CARELESS of political divisions. The
French Canadians insisted on it's be-
ing specifically declared by the gov
eminent that this should afford no
| French Canadian "habitant'' has
dread Of war; and equally fears the
burden Of taxation for military expen-
diture. He objects to being drawn
into the vortex of European militar-
ism, and to the idea of having to shed
his children's blood and spend his
money in the foreign wars Of Great
Britain, the hereditary foe of his
| mother-land. This is what he con-
ceives imperial federation involves.
He also believes that, by imperial fed
Grafton, the identity Of his race would
be swallowed UP and lost in the vast
/, conglomerate of a consolidated en-
pire. These are his chief reasons for
opposing imperial federation.
Distrust of English Canadians.
To Canadian independence, also,
the FrenCh-Canadian sees many OBJ
jections. He mistrusts the English
Canadians: In the other provinces
| than Quebec, and especially in the
dominant province of Ontario, are
many who would gladly see the spe-
/. cial privileges Of the French Cana
! dtans wiped out. Racial and reli-
/ gious differences have been accentu-
! ated by long and hereditary antagon-
ism. The French Canadian now en-
! of British legislation. For diplomatic
reasons, the British government is
never likely to cancel them. But let
| Canada become independent; let her
be no longer bound by British trea-
ties, obligations and understandings,
let the British North America act be
torn UP and replaced by Canadian
i Canadian would be at the mercy Of
the English majority. AS immigra-
ton increased, the French-Canadian
minority would become relatively
smaller. The French-Canadian has
! already seen, on a small scale, what
would be likely to happen to him.
The province Of Manitoba was
founded originally as a French pro-
vince. Similar privileges to those Of
Quebec were conferred on the French
Of Manitoba. But they were con-
ferred by Canadian, and not by direct
British legislation. To-day the
French population Of Manitoba num-
bers only 16,021 out Of total pop
ulation of 255,211. Even the Ger
the French, being 1926; while the
population of English, Scotch and
Irish origin is more than ten-fold the
French population, being 64,239.
The official use of the French Ian
guage in that province has been abol-
ished; and the Roman Catholics have
been deprived Of their separate
been guaranteed to them by the act
creating the province. The French
representation in the legislature has
become almost a negligible quantity.
What has happened to the French In
Manitoba, the F'rench-Canadtan fears,
would happen to the French turnout
Canada were Canada independent and
the French-Canadian minority de-
, pendent solely on the good will of the
majority. The French-Canadian alsp
, foresees that, were Canada independ-
ent, she would have to increase large
, ly her expenditure and taxation for
defense Even If there were no great
, danger to be apprehended from Euro
: pean powers, there would always be
, the possibility Of complications with
the United States. And the French
: Canadians aversion to war makes
| him dread the possibility Of the
} homesteads Of Quebec being oyerrun
by an invading American army.
Annexation the Only Alternative.
The only alternative is annexation.
The French-Canadian does not look
upon annexation as a thing in itself en-
tirely desirable; it is a choice of evils.
But he reasons that, in joining the
American republic, he would, at least,
be Joining confederacy that his
mother-land, France, helped into ex-
istence. If it had to be a question of
absorption, this, at least, would be alb
! sorption into a neutral power. It
' would not be like being swallowed up
by the Canadian English, against
l whom he has so long STRUGGLED tn nra-