MY TRIP TO CANADA

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1012, 30 December 1910, Page 6

MY TRIP TO CANADA

' 4 ■ THE GROWTH OF AMERICAN INFLUENCE. BRITISHER LAGS BEHIND. (By Frank T. Bulif.jj, in tho "Daily Mail.") I have returned from my journey. It extended from Quebec to Victoria; it included Princo Albert in tho north and Niagara ill the south. The dominant impression of my journey I give here: it was. the increase of American influence. I must offer a preliminary definition'in discussing the. question, becauso wo are. all such purists now that, although the majority of us have grown to regard tho term America as synonymous with the United States, a large and important minority, are annoyed at what they consider tho arrogant assumption of tho namo of a continent by what is only about one-eighth of it. But tho terms United States and Citizen of tho United States are so cumbrous in use that I must beg the privilego of using the expressions . America and American as synonyms for them. To the majority of ardent Imperialists, of whom -I am proud to call .myself a humble unit, the idea embodied in tho Americanisation of Canada is entirely distasteful, but it surely cannot >be wise on that account to blink the most obvious facts. Only those who dp not know either country "or only know one. can bo. really blind to what is. a perfectly natural consequence or set of consequences resulting from, a variety of causes. This I fool ma; —nay, ought to— be said .without in the least lessening our affection for Canada or our admiration for America.

BACKWARD PROVINCES. But in order to . consider tho 'matter thoroughly, it is necessary to take Canada province by province, beginning at her magnificent' natural gateway, the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On the, left hand as the traveller from Homo enters Cabot Strait lie has the truly well-named Maritime Provinces, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and little Prince Edward Island. I hope the sturdy dwellers .in theso most picturesque portions of Canada will forgive me for saying' that for many years—in fact, until quits recently as time gpes— their rato.ot' progress was so slow as to be. hardly, noticeable, and- if they., could hardly be justly termed a Sleepy Hollow, there was' very little "git up and git" about, them. That characteristic is undergoing an, immense change, which change 'is entirely - due to the enormous influx, of Americans' with much - .wealth seeking a summer . playground. And wherever the American goes, on whatever errand, it is a-truism to say that he-has "his eyes' peeled" for the main chance, and there are . very> few. opportunities for the profitable employment,of wealth' which-escape him. .'Moreover, wherever ho goes in'force and in proportion to his sympathetic reception ho loaves as. a. side issue, costing him no unnatural effort, ..the indelible impression of his vivid'personality.' In such wise he is--* changing the sedate old 1 Maritime Provinces so very rapidly that , you can hardly find; any' difference between them and* Maine or .Massachusetts. This is in obedience..'to a natural law .which must bring about sueli results. His manners, his speech, his .coinage, his' means of communication,'whether by land or sea, are entirely,, reciprocal with Canada,, but as he . is- niighty." arid Canada is, feeble numerically tlio greater, as usual includes tlui less.

On the right-hand shore, however, there is the. valuable but isolated -Colony of Newfoundland, which, so; far, one can-., not' say :has been iri, the least American-ised,-nor seems likely, to be.' The reasons for this . are so obvious that, even if space wpr,e. : riot pressing it would be almost an insult to' the reader's intelligence to dwell upon . them. . ■. ' THE FRENCH IN QUEBEC; . -' So we'will' pass on to the mighty Pro-' 1 race of Quebec,-where' a totally different set' of conditions exists,,, conditions in complete contrast' to anything obtaining elsewhere in- tho, Dominion. - Quebec ,1s old French,.. Komari Catliclic, and Conservative to an almost incredible degree.. No greater .contrast' coulcl be imagined than that between. : an American and French Canadian. -One is all "go" and the other is all "stay as you are." Living in one of tho most wealthy parts of tho country naturally the habitant is content to remain even as his ancestors, and dreads,-the- advent of-.the -pushing American, who would .fain, shako him out of his lethargy and vivify" hinr with some of his own electrical energy. . The city of Quebec is a porfect example, of , what I mean, though the city \of Montreal .would seem a contradiction, in dew of its wonderful life 'and.growth... There, however, one sees the French' Canadian at his-best commercially; j there, too, , tho typically up-to-date Canadian'' is, I think, at his best also,'while the Briton is very much to the fore • also, and thd" American is not nearly so much -in evidence as he is elsewhere"anil.will increasingly become as we trdvel west. ■_ In the liext province," Ontario, we have some extremely interesting complications. In its'northern portion, of the. small portion of it which,lias been explored, tho Americanised Canadian and" the pufe American are .running the country. 'In the .south, whero so many of tho old sturdy loyalist's settled at the time of . tho devolution, and still; cultivate the beautiful fruit farms ..that.' their., grandfathers began',- where the 'great "manufacturing- centres of Hamilton Guelph and London have by their : wise '. protective tariff' 1 coinpelled.tho American manufacturer to establish liis works in order .that he may not lose tho lucrative Canadian market, the American spirit is dividedit 'is ineffective in the farms, rampant in the! large towns, and, since the two countries are. contiguous, .-arid, their interests in'so many directions,are identical, this again-should give no cause .for wonder. - THE GREAT 1 iTIMING PROVINCES. When, however,.'.we get vos.t into the great farming -provinces, we find that the union of . the two peoples is all but complete.' In most respects they, are; divided in iiame,onlj% Remember that the influx of American farmers -is almost double that of all .otlier"' coriiitrijs, put together, that tlioy do .not come froni a. pauperised country,.but. are men of capital, keenly alert for the main chance, ;brainy, and inured to Canadian conditions. American capital comes, too, picks iip all the ptums, and leaves the doubtful fruit for.others. American. and Canadian business and scientific men divide the oversight of industries of. tlio ..country between them, and both of them have something most perilously approaching contempt for tho Britisher. One particularly galling sentence which J. heard many times was the climax to the encomium on some prominent citizen, "And he's an Englishman!" It was not tho words, but the accent of surprise that hurt. I. have little space for British Columbia, that, queen among tho provinces. But there is another complication which is sinister, indeed.. Tho labour is mainly Northern Indian, and Chinese, with Japr anese in slightly superior positions. But here, too, the American business man is in strong'evidence, active in his own interests, and. slightly, almost indifferently, contemptuous of the occasional popular outbursts of loyalty. I have left my ono greit an'd splendid exception to tho last. The Canadian makes laws which he obeys, not perforce but With reason. I need say-nothing about the - attitude of the American towards law. He keeps tho world well informed about that.