Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 111, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 May 1915 — "LIFE, LIBERTY AND PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS” [ARTICLE]

"LIFE, LIBERTY AND PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS”

A Western Canada Farmer Writes as to Conditions. A. G. Hansen is a farmer living near Clavet, Sask., and as an old resident of Minnesota, takes strong exception to some of the articles appearing in American papers disparaging the true conditions in Western Canada. The “Cottonwood Current” of Cottonwood, Minn., an Important weekly paper in the southwestern part of the state, recently published a letter from Mr. Hansen, which is interesting reading. In his letter Mr. Hansen makes a splendid case for Western Canada against those who seek to deter farmers in Abe States from settling in Canada. He says: “The district in which we live is a fair comparison to any other district in the country, made up mostly of settlers from the States. The majority here consists of Americans from Minnesota, lowa and the Dakotas, with a few Canadians and an odd Englishman. We have been here eleven years, ever since this part of the country wsb settled, and the majority have done well. If they have not, It Is certainly not the fault of the country. “There has not been a crop failure in this district since settled. This year was the poorest, caused by lack of rain, although * fair estimate of wheat Is about twelve bushels per acre, average, and oats about ten. Some farmers got as much as twentyfive bushels of wheat per acre, and we all got good prices.

I “The laws of Canada are nearly the same as those of Minnesota, and we enjoy the same privileges. “So far as the European war Is concerned, we suffer to a certain extent as all the world does. Canada is giving a helping hand to her Mother Country, and we American-Canadians firmly believe It Is Canada’s duty to do so. I have not heard one Ameri-can-Canadlan who has expressed a different opinion. Canada is not compelled to send her soldiers. The service rendered Is all voluntary service. “The accusation that old settlers are considered undesirable citizens and are forced out of business, even In danger of being ‘mobbed at their own fireside,’ is all false, a mere fabrication in the mind of badly Informed correspondents. There are a few who have been discovered carrying letters, others papers and plans to prove them spies, and whose object Is to conspire against the government. These have Justly been arrested. Such a class of people cannot be considered good citizens, whether living in Canada or in the United States.

“Some people are failures wherever they are, and as an excuse for failure in their country it may seem easy to put the blame on the Canadian people and the Canadian government Fact Is, thousands of people from the United States are emigrating to Canada at the present time, which shows they are not afraid of the Canadian government

“The government is giving away, free of charge, provision through the winter to farmers in certain districts affected by the drought, and is also sending seed grain to those in need of help. This is very different from driving settlers away from their own homes.

“I have always observed that the people who love their Mother Country most are those who make the best citizens of their adopted country. The glorious 'Stars and Stripes’ will always stand for what is good and noble to us, though we live in a neighbor Oountir where we also enjoy “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ Advertisement