From 1900 to 1920, there passed over into Canada from the United States some 1,318,834 citizens of the latter country, some of whom have been Negroes, how many mulattoes, not designated. It is true that, as Negroes, not more than 383 so classified entered Canada up to 1911, and only 13 during the fiscal year 1910-1911;[299] but many more under the classification “citizens of the United States;” must have entered in the light of the following newspaper comments: “Winnipeg, Man. February 24, 1911. The Dominion Government today decided to stop the immigration of Negroes from the United States, and stopped at the boundary a party which intended to go to Western Canada.” By subsequent and fuller accounts it appeared this party numbering 200 were finally permitted to go on and settle, the correspondent of the London Times, writing to this paper as follows, from Toronto: “There has been some discussion in Parliament and in the Press over the arrival in Western Canada of 200 Negroes, who will settle in the free homestead lands in the Athabasca Landing district, north of Edmonton. It is said the movement threatens to become formidable and within the year 5,000 Negroes may seek homes in the Peace River Country. This, however, is probably an exaggeration, arising out of the alarm which the invasion has excited. The 200 Negroes who have just arrived entered the country of Emmerson in the Province of Manitoba, and were subjected to rigorous examination by the Immigration officials, but, under the law, none of them could be refused admission. All had money, all were in good health and apparently of good moral standing. The least that any head of a family possessed in money was $300, and they brought also household effects and farm implements. A similar party of 200 came from Oklahoma to Canada over a year ago, and settled in the neighborhood of Athabasca Landing, where they seem to have prospered, and to have proved acceptable to the country.”[300] The correspondent went on to observe that refusal of homesteads might arouse “feeling in Washington” and also fail to meet “the approbation of the Canadian people.” But he thought, if it was the beginning of a formidable movement from the Southern States, there would certainly be a demand for as vigorous regulations as could safely be devised to prevent or limit Negro immigration. From Washington came the news item that “if it appeared that the Canadian Government had decided to bar American citizens because of their color, the State Department would protest”, and later it was asserted that by representations to American railways interested in the movement, it had been stopped.[301]