The Jasper news., 1917-10-11

up of both condemnation and approval
of the Quebec reluctance to serve.
Willing as they have shown them
selves to help Uncle Sam make "the
world safe for democracy" in general
they do not condemn their Canadian
kin-folk, and commentary almost in
variably opens with condoning: "Oh,
well, in Canada, 1t isn't the same
thing"
Why? Not all of the "French boys"
who have gone gladly into the Amer
lean ranks can clarity their feeling
into so many words, but the secret Of
1t Is certainly this: as American clti-
Zens and soldiers of the United States,
| they feel part of a proud sovereign
nation making" war; Canada, on the
contrary, is only participating" in the
war, and the Quebec cousin, IL he
| fights, only flights for England"
In certain French Canadian minds
hostility to anything English in itself
Is natural. And this hostility Is pre-
cisely cOrollary to the attachment for
France, vanquished by England on
Canadian soil century and half
ago, and such as have 1t will not fight
for England at any price, even with
France involved In the quarrel as it Is
today. 1t Is sentiment, "reasons that
reason does not know" and an Irish
man understands just what 1t means.
| Add to this fundamental hostility to
Britain which Is of the blood, the bit
terness of the bilinguals war between
the French and English factions in
Canada, the multiplying grievances of
| Jean Baptiste in regard to the rele-
eating Of French to the rank of an
Accomplishment" In the Manitoba and
Ontario schools, the rumbles of that
"guerre de races" he hears of with
every visit Of relative from the
North, and the New England cousin
of Jean Baptiste is apt enough to eX-
claim: "They have reason In Quebec!
To hell with helping the English in the
warw
Besides the merely sentimental,
there are the thoughtful" spmpathiz-
ers for Quebec, keener students of the
question. In these same people there
Is no dream of resisting the draft here,
1t Is even approved Of as the wisest
war measure President Wilson could
take to have imposed 1t at once with
out asking the people to vote on it.
But with one voice they say that in
Canada ice nest pas la meme chose"
and that to impose conscription on n
little country of 100000 inhabitants
which has already volunteered 100000
soldiers Is tyranny. Note here the
subtle difference in the Sense of coun-
try" and the sense of colony" as it
were. French-Americans here feel
that they are fighting for their coun-
try" and the draft Is just. Canadians
in their eyes are colonials who are
"helping," who have first of all the
right to decide whether they will do
1t or not.
L'Etoile, the Lowell French paper,
has taken an emphatic stand against
transcription in Canada; also against
the recruiting of New England French
Canadians for Canada's forces. Cana
dian recruiting officers recently on tour
In New England have been the butt of
acerb asperslons from that quarter.
"Serve the great cause under the Stars
and Stripes" reiteratesf the editor
don't go to Canada to serve by the
side of English francophobes and fan
atics" This attitude has been char
acterlstic of the French-American
press of New England consisting of
some 10 or IL sheets distributed among
the larger textile centers, with but an
exception or two. 1t has periodically
rooted" for volunteer service under
the American cOlOrs on the part of
French-Americans, and In the same
breath defended the Quebec French
who refused to enlist under the British
colors.
In the billngual quarrel the French
American press naturally sided with
the French element, contending that
Its rights were trampled upon, and
the present hostility to English efforts
in Canada Is resultant.
BY these extremists the big word
annexation Is pronounced. would not
Canada be much better off If 1t were
Americana" they ask.
At the other end of the bridge are
found those who bitterly denounce the
Quebec cousins MS traitors, rebels, cow
ards, ETC., and have not enough words
to paint them black. "What!" eX-
claimed one fervid citizen, before the
war didn't that Nationalist crew and
other patriots sing La Marseillaise
with tears in their eyes? And didn't