From deep in the archives

Mr. Smith, a representative of the Government of Canada, spend several months in Newfoundland in the early 1920s while he was gathering information on the Labrador boundary dispute. While Smith was in St. John's he met with a number of prominent public figures on a relatively regular basis, providing him with some sense of the political climate of the day. It should be noted that Smith had been in Newfoundland 20 years earlier and seemed familiar with the individuals involved in public life at that time as well.

The following are a few sections of a relatively long and detailed letter Mr. Smith wrote on March 1, 1922 to W.S. Fielding, the Canadian Minister of Finance, about the situation he observed in Newfoundland. (For the real keeners among our readership, the letter in its entirety can be found in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia/NSARM at MG 2 vol. 528, folder 112, item 7370)

When describing the poor quality of parliamentary proceedings Smith notes that

the galleries having been packed by the Opposition, with idlers who had orders to interrupt the proceedings of the Government by heckling and otherwise annoying the ministers and their supporters. The disturbance reached a height that compelled the interposition of the long enduring Speaker, who ordered the Galleries to be cleared. Sir Michael Cashin, the leader of the Opposition, then got up and addressing the Galleries, said “Boys, this is your house, are you going to be ordered out of it”? With one voice the galleries should “No”, and the House itself adjourned.

That the use of the Gallery for the purposes of annoyance, was not a monopoly of the Opposition, I learned a night or two later. At the house of a friend where I was to meet Sir Richard Squires at dinner, Sir Richard came late, and announced exultantly that a Ministerial gallery, had effectually silenced the Opposition that afternoon.

I myself was a witness of a scene of the Government being overawed and overborne by a mob. Some thousand or more strikers gathered in front of the Legislative building, and when the house opened, as many as could find room crowded into the galleries. Three of their leaders addressed the Premier in the chamber, denouncing him for his conduct towards them, and demanding that their requests should be conceded. The Premier, after an attempt to parley, surrendered, and was flayed by the Opposition for the way he had treated the men, amidst applause and hooting of horns from the Gallery. The whole town was in a state of disorder. Many men were out of work, with the usual suffering, and in May, a general strike broke out among the longshore [sic] men. This was regarded as serious, and, to prevent an outbreak, themen [sic] on two British war vessels which were in the harbour, paraded Water Street, the principal business street of the town.

Indeed, the avowed object of these war vessels, was to impose a check on possible riots.

The unemployed continue to besiege the Government Offices, but with an empty treasury, little could be done. The Government endeavored to procure a loan of $150,000. for the City Council from the Royal Bank, and when the Bank intimated that the guarantee, by which the Government proposed to cover the loan should include a large sum already owing the Bank by the City, the Premier, in the House, denounced the management of the Bank as “a bunch of Shylocks”.

I found this description of Richard Squires rather amusing.

Sir Richard Squires, the premier, is perhaps 45 years of age, a lawyer without standing in his profession, and, his enemies say, very unscrupulous. Even his friends do not claim for him any excess of candour. He is said to be, not perhaps anti-British, but pro-American in his tastes, a rather rare thing down there. But he is so given to gasconnade that it is difficult to get at his real sentiments.

If all goes well I will be heading back to the archives tomorrow.