the canadian dominion-第31章

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crifices；　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　then　carried　its　propaganda　to　Great　Britain。　Newspapers；　schools；　exhibitions　were　used　in　ways　which　startled　the　stolid　Englishman　into　attention。　Circumstances　played　into　the　hands　of　the　propagandists；　who　took　advantage　of　the　flow　of　United　States　settlers　into　the　West；　the　Klondike　gold　fields　rush；　the　presence　of　Laurier　at　the　Jubilee　festivities　at　London　in　1897；　Canada's　share　in　the　Boer　War。　British　immigrants　rose　to　50；000　in　1903…04；　to　120；000　in　1907…08；　and　to　150；000　in　1912…13。　From　1897　to　the　outbreak　of　the　war　over　1；100；000　Britishers　came　to　Canada。　Three　out　of　four　were　English；　the　rest　mainly　Scotch；　the　Irish；　who　once　had　come　in　tens　of　thousands　and　whose　descendants　still　formed　the　largest　element　in　the　English…speaking　peoples　of　Canada；　now　sent　only　one　man　for　every　twelve　from　England。　The　gates　of　Canadian　immigration；　however；　were　not　thrown　open　to　all　comers。　The　criminal；　the　insane　and　feeble…minded；　the　diseased；　and　others　likely　to　become　public　charges；　were　barred　altogether　or　allowed　to　remain　provisionally；　subject　to　deportation　within　three　years。　Immigrants　sent　out　by　British　charitable　societies　were　subjected；　after　1908；　to　rigid　inspection　before　leaving　England。　No　immigrant　was　admitted　without　sufficient　money　in　his　purse　to　tide　over　the　first　few　weeks；　unless　he　were　going　to　farm　work　or　responsible　relatives。　Asiatics　were　restricted　by　special　regulations。　Steadily　the　bars　were　raised　higher。

Not　all　the　3；000；000　who　came　to　Canada　between　1897　and　1914　remained。　Many　drifted　across　the　border；　many　returned　to　their　old　homes；　their　dreams　fulfilled　or　shattered；　yet　the　vast　majority　remained。　Never　had　any　country　so　great　a　task　of　assimilation　as　faced　Canada；　with　3；000；000　pouring　into　a　country　of　5；000；000　in　a　dozen　years。　Fortunately　the　great　bulk　of　the　newcomers　were　of　the　old　stocks。

Closely　linked　with　immigration　in　promoting　the　prosperity　of　the　country　were　the　land　policy　and　the　railway　policy　of　the　Administration。　The　system　of　granting　free　homesteads　to　settlers　was　continued　on　an　even　more　generous　scale。　The　1800　entries　for　homesteads　in　1896　had　become　40；000　ten　years　later。　In　1906　land　equal　in　area　to　Massachusetts　and　Delaware　was　given　away；　in　1908　a　Wales；　in　1909　five　Prince　Edward　Islands；　and　in　1910　and　1911　a　Belgium；　a　Netherlands；　and　two　Montenegros　passed　from　the　state　to　the　settler。　Unfortunately　not　every　homesteader　became　an　active　farmer；　and　production；　though　mounting　fast；　could　not　keep　pace　with　speculation。

Railway　building　had　almost　ceased　after　the　completion　of　the　Canadian　Pacific　system。　Now　it　revived　on　a　greater　scale　than　ever　before。　In　the　twenty　years　after　1896　the　miles　in　operation　grew　from　16；000　to　nearly　40；000。　Two　new　transcontinentals　were　added；　and　the　older　roads　took　on　a　new　lease　of　life。　At　the　end　of　this　period　of　expansion；　only　the　United　States；　Germany；　and　Russia　had　railroad　mileage　exceeding　that　of　Canada。　Much　of　the　building　w