the canadian dominion-第35部分

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een　many　who　doubted　whether　the　untried　Liberal　party　could　provide　capable　administrators。　There　had　also　been　many　who　doubted　the　expediency　of　making　Prime　Minister　a　French…Canadian　Catholic。　Such　doubters　were　reassured　by　the　presence　of　Mowat　and　Fielding；　until　the　Prime　Minister　himself　had　proved　the　wisdom　of　the　choice。　There　were　others　who　admitted　Laurier's　personal　charm　and　grace　but　doubted　whether　he　had　the　political　strength　to　control　a　party　of　conflicting　elements　and　to　govern　a　country　where　different　race　and　diverging　religious　and　sectional　interests　set　men　at　odds。　Here　again　time　proved　such　fears　to　be　groundless。　Long　before　Laurier's　long　term　of　office　had　ended；　any　distrust　was　transformed　into　the　charge　of　his　opponents　that　he　played　the　dictator。　His　courtly　manners　were　found　not　to　hide　weakness　but　to　cover　strength。

The　first　task　of　the　new　Government　was　to　settle　the　Manitoba　school　question。　Negotiations　which　were　at　once　begun　with　the　provincial　Government　were　doubtless　made　easier　by　the　fact　that　the　same　party　was　in　power　at　Ottawa　and　at　Winnipeg；　but　it　was　not　this　fact　alone　which　brought　agreement。　The　Laurier　Government；　unlike　its　predecessor；　did　not　insist　on　the　restoration　of　separate　schools。　It　accepted　a　compromise　which　retained　the　single　system　of　public　schools；　but　which　provided　religious　teaching　in　the　last　half　hour　of　school　and；　where　numbers　warranted；　a　teacher　of　the　same　faith　as　the　pupils。　The　compromise　was　violently　denounced　by　the　Roman　Catholic　hierarchy　but；　except　in　two　cities；　where　parochial　schools　were　set　up；　it　was　accepted　by　the　laity。

With　this　thorny　question　out　of　the　way；　the　Government　turned　to　what　it　recognized　as　its　greatest　task；　the　promotion　of　the　country's　material　prosperity。　For　years　industry　had　been　at　a　standstill。　Exports　and　imports　had　ceased　to　expand；　railway　building　had　halted；　emigrants　outnumbered　immigrants。　The　West；　the　center　of　so　many　hopes；　the　object　of　so　many　sacrifices；　had　not　proved　the　El　Dorado　so　eagerly　sought　by　fortune　hunters　and　home　builders。　There　were　little　over　two　hundred　thousand　white　men　west　of　the　Great　Lakes。　Homesteads　had　been　offered　freely；　but　in　1896　only　eighteen　hundred　were　taken　up；　and　less　than　a　third　of　these　by　Canadians　from　the　East。　The　stock　of　the　Canadian　Pacific　was　selling　at　fifty。　All　but　a　few　had　begun　to　lose　faith　in　the　promise　of　the　West。

Then　suddenly　a　change　came。　The　failure　of　the　West　to　lure　pioneers　was　not　due　to　poverty　of　soil　or　lack　of　natural　riches：　its　resources　were　greater　than　the　most　reckless　orator　had　dreamed。　It　was　merely　that　its　time　had　not　come　and　that　the　men　in　charge　of　the　country's　affairs　had　not　thrown　enough　energy　into　the　task　of　speeding　the　coming　of　that　time。　Now　fortune　worked　with　Canada；　not　against　it。　The　long　and　steady　fall　of　prices；　and　particularly　of　the　prices　of　farm　products；　ended；　and　a　rapid　rise　began　to　make　farming　pay　once　more。　The　good　free　lands　of　the　United　States　had　nearly　all　been　taken　up。　Canada's　West　was　now　the　last　great　reserve　of　free　and　fertile　land。　Improvements　in　farming　methods　made　it　possible　to　cope　with　the　peculiar　problems　of　prairie　husbandry。　British　capital；　moreover；　no　longer　found　so　ready　an　outlet　in　the　United　States；　which　was　now　financing　its　own　development；　and　it　had　suffered　severe　losses　in　Argentine　smashes　and　Australian　droughts。　Capital；　therefore；　was　free　to　turn　to　Canada。

But　it　was　not　enough　merely　to　have　the　resources；　it　was　essential　to　display　them　and　to　disclose　their　value。　Canada　needed　millions　of　men　of　the　right　stock；　and　fortunately　there　were　millions　who　needed　Canada。　The　work　of　the　Government　was　to　put　the　facts　before　these　potential　settlers。　The　new　Minister　of　the　Interior；　Clifford　Sifton；　himself　a　western　man；　at　once　began　an　immigration　campaign　which　has　never　been　equaled　in　any　country　for　vigor　and　practical　efficiency。　Canada　had　hitherto　received　few　settlers　direct　from　the　Continent。　Western　Europe　was　now　prosperous；　and　emigrants　were　few。　But　eastern　Europe　was　in　a　ferment；　and　thousands　were　ready　to　swarm　to　new　homes　overseas。

The　activities　of　a　subsidized　immigration　agency；　the　North　Atlantic　Trading　Company；　brought　great　numbers　of　these　peoples。　Foremost　in　numbers　were　the　Ruthenians　from　Galicia。　Most　distinctive　were　the　Doukhobors　or　Spirit　Wrestlers　of　Southern　Russia；　about　ten　thousand　of　whom　were　brought　to　Canada　at　the　instance　of　Tolstoy　and　some　English　Quakers　to　escape　persecution　for　their　refusal　to　undertake　military　service。　The　religious　fanaticism　of　the　Doukhobors；　particularly　when　it　took　the　form　of　midwinter　pilgrimages　in　nature's　garb；　and　the　clannishness　of　the　Ruthenians；　who　settled　in　solid　blocks；　gave　rise　to　many　problems　of　government　and　assimilation　which　taught　Canadians　the　unwisdom　of　inviting　immigration　from　eastern　or　southern　Europe。　Ruthenians　and　Poles；　however；　continued　to　come　down　to　the　eve　of　the　Great　War；　and　nearly　all　settled　on　western　lands。　Jewish　Poland　sent　its　thousands　who　settled　in　the　larger　cities；　until　Montreal　had　more　Jews　than　Jerusalem　and　its　Protestant　schools　held　their　Easter　holidays　in　Passover。　Italian　navvies　came　also　by　the　thousands；　but　mainly　as　birds　of　passage；　and　Greeks　and　men　from　the　Balkan　States　were　limited　in　numbers。　Of　the　three　million　immigrants　who　came　to　Canada　from　the　beginning　of　the　century　to　the　outbreak　of　the　war；　some　eight　hundred　thousand　came　from　continental　Europe；　and　of　these　the　Ruthenians；　Jews；　Italians；　and　Scandinavians　were　the　most　numerous。

It　was　in　the　United　States　that　Canada　made　the　greatest　efforts　to　obtain　settlers　and　that　she　achieved　the　most　striking　success。　Beginning　in　1897　advertisements　were　placed　in　five　or　six　thousand　American　farm　and　weekly　newspapers。　Booklets　were　distributed　by　the　million。　Hundreds　of　farmer　delegates　were　given　free　trips　through　the　promised　land。　Agents　were　appointed　in　each　likely　State；　with　sub…agents　who　were　paid　a　bonus　on　every　actual　settler。　The　first　settlers　sent　back　word　of　limitless　land　to　be　had　for　a　song；　and　of　No。　1　Northern　Wheat　that　ran　thirty　or　forty　bushels　to　the　acre。　Soon　immigration　from　the　States　began；　the　trickle　became　a　trek；　the　trek；　a　stampede。　In　1896　the　immigrants　from　the　United　States　to　Canada　had　been　so　few　as　not　to　be　recorded；　in　1897　there　were　2000；　in　1899；　12；000；　in　the　fiscal　year　1902…03；　50；000；　and　in　1912…13；　139；000。　The　new　immigrants　proved　to　be　the　best　of　settlers；　nearly　all　were　progressive　farmers　experienced　in　western　methods　and　possessed　of　capital。　The　countermovement　from　Canada　to　the　United　States　never　wholly　ceased；　but　it　slackened　and　was　much　more　than　offset　by　this　northward　rush。　Nothing　so　helped　to　confirm　Canadian　confidence　in　their　own　land　and　to　make　the　outside　world　share　this　high　estimate　as　this　unimpeachable　evidence　from　over　a　million　American　newcomers　who　found　in　Canada；　between　1897　and　1914；　greater　opportunities　than　even　the　United　States　could　offer。　The　Ministry　th