The Vote

Canadians this week voted on the hotly argued proposition that would allow the Government to conscript men for overseas service (TIME, April 27). In this critical test of Canada's wartime unity, incomplete returns indicated a 7-to-3 victory for the Government--chiefly over the vote of French Canadians in Quebec, where rural balloting went heavily No.

French Canadians' objections to being drafted are variously based on racial and religious antagonisms, a sense of economic underprivilege and an ingrained isolationism. The attitude of many, however, is expressed by a story that was going the rounds in Montreal last week:

A French-Canadian taxicab driver questioned a visitor from Ottawa about conscription.

"Don't worry," said the visitor. "There won't be any."

"Good," said the taxi driver. "Then my two sons will enlist tomorrow."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.