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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1981-09-02, Page 7Page 6—tuf)know Sentinel, 'Wednesday, September 2, 1981 The "The Sepay Town" T1NEL Establishedn'73 SHARON J. DIETZ ANTHONY N. JOHNSTONE • Advertising and Genera; Manager PAT LIVINGSTON , Office Manager MERLE ELLIO1T , Typesetter JOAN HELM • Composition Business and Editorial Office Telephone 528.2822 Mailing Address P.O. Box 400, Luc:know, NOG 2H0 Second Class Mail Registration Number .0847 ' Saba:1100n rate. $13.50 purist, In advincip Sinden Mimi rids, $11.50 poi yin In advents mad Foridlio $23.00 per you In advance Sr. clt. U.S.A. and Fordo, .001821it you In ndvitento oid the law redtrees The report of the McDonald commission , into alleged wrongdoing by the Royal Canadian Mountefi Police• has been made public and 'our worst suspicions confirmed. , The Mounties have been involved in illegal activities Don Campbell which include arson, burglary, theft, forgery, illegal mail opening, obstruction of justice and coercion of potential informers. in addition the force has misled federal ministers and deliberately concealed information about clandestine operations. The , report's recommendations are clear. Remove the intelligence gathering and national security operations from the RCMP's jurisdiction. This will clarify the role of the RCMP as a police force bound to uphold the law. It will also prevent the force from becoming involved in questionable • activities, because it believes it is protecting the national security. Unless the government is quick to consider charges against individual RCMP officers in cases where evidence suggests the law has been flouted, however, there will be a growing realization that the Mounties "got away with it". The government can do two things. Police have been detected breaking the law and if some are successfully prosecuted and effective measures are taken to preclude future occurrences, a respect for the law will be preserved and civil liberties safeguarded. Should Ottawa choose to ignore the matter or only a few positions and lines of authority are reshuffled, police abuses will keep growing. If police crime and vigilante activities are blatantly condoned, it expands sometimes to the point ` where it overwhelms or merely ignores' the legal system. •As Richard L. Henshel, associate professor of sociology at the University of Western Ontario, has cominented: The principal result of the scandal to date seems to lie in the emergence. ... of new barriers and mechanisms to insure that embarrassing exposures of covert 'practices do not happen again. If Canada is to continue as meaningful democratic society with respect for civil liberty, police crimes cannot be tolerated •and the federal government must ' make 'this message clear in .the action they choose. A PLACE • FOR KIDS Make a Parachute By Make a parachute that will gently float small objects to the ground. Experiment with different sizes of para- chutes; bigger ones will float heavier objects, such as small rocks. To make a parachute you need: a piece of cloth — the back of an old shirt will do something round — d pie plate or large paint can pencil scissors •• 8 feet of string ruler something small — a toy man or car Directions: ttrace a circle with a pencil on a piece of cloth 2.cut the circle out 3.cut some string into 8 foot long pieces 4.tie eaeh piece of string to the cloth the same distance apart 5.fie the string ends together, but leave some string leftover &attach whatever you want to 7.hold on to the middle of the cloth and then throw your parachute into the air • (c) Canada Wide Feature Services Limited • by MacKay Fairfield Tate 1 , cil. eadl, 5/role, tt9;e:' 6 / t • )t P Oeve et,-,:eyyz it was towards the end of April, 1842, before the Reverend Duncan MacLeod was able to return toIBIalte's Folly. Along Yonge Street, there were large areas of soft mud and in several places, the spring thaw had created new water courses that crossed and washed out the road. At these places the minister dismounted and leading his horse, picked his way through the marshy areas, having in some instan- ces to go into the bush which flanked the road .in order to find the best way through the obstructions. When he had first arrAced in Upper Canada, it was said that as far as a horse was concerned, MacLeod didn't • ,know the front end from the back end. •'His journeys as a travelling i minister had changed all that and now he could • be regarded • as an accomplished horseman. Anybody who saw the minister would never have guessed he was a man of God: His clothes were similar to any man who: was used to battling with the rigours of.a Canadian winter and his •face was weather beaten and ruddied from the chill of • the wind. His saddlebags, were empty • and he hoped that after his many stops • to preach the • gospel, they would slowly fill up with collections donated by his scattered flock. His "stipend" was indeed a collection; a variety of • oddments given in lieu of money. •Money was not plentiful amongst the new Scottish pioneers and barter was • still an accepted method of trading. In a carefully arranged pack behind •his saddle, the minister carried his . .., • . . • . .I • . . ' . • .. \ I black suit and the vestments of his calling. At each meeting he always appeared before, his audience neat and clothed in a •manner befitting his • profession. He carried something else in a leather case on the side of his • horse., It was a military "Brown Bess" musket that the minister hoped he would only have to use if forced to hunt for his food. , • There was still snow in the denser areas of bush and in the hollows of the valleys which were shadowed from the sun. MacLeod saw very few people on his journey northwards since the road was not in a fit condition for the passage of wheeled vehicles. He had • passed through the small community of Lansing and was riding down a gentle incline.. His mind was far away from the scene and he was not prepared for the •incident which followed. • A rough looking bearded man stepped •out from the trees and levelled a musket at the minister. "Get down off the horse mister," thestrainger said. "Quickly now, if you value your life." MacLeod felt his heart hammering within his chest. This was the first time his life had been threatened. He dismounted and confronted the stran- • ger. "If it is money you want, I can assure you 1 don't carry even one farthing. I have no food and my pack • only contains clerical dress. I am a minister of God and not a man of • substance. With your permission 1 will be on my way." The minister turned back to his • • one toot in the furrow horse and placed one foot in the stirrup. As he did so he felt the point of the stranger's firearm in the small of his back. "Then if you've nothing else to give • me, I shall be obliged to take your horse," the stranger said in a quiet • menacing tone. A weaker and, perhaps more fearful • person would have meekly acquiesced •by not MacLeod. His horse was his • only means of carrying oii his liveli- hook and besides, the intended robber • made a grave error by placing his • weapon firmly against the minister's back. MacLeod withdrew his foot •the •stirrup and wheeled quk y • around so that the stranger's firearm • went passed his side. Just as quickly, • he wrenched the musket from the man's grasp and drove the butt into his face. The robber slipped on the soft earth and MacLeod gave him no • chance to recover. He drove the butt once more into the stomach of his • would-be assailant. The man writhed in agony and when at last he could • speak, he shouted bitterly to Mac- Leod, between breaths. • "Ilyou are a minister of God - then 1 pray - that I shall never meet the • devil!" The sheriff's officer at Richmond ° Hill was well-known to MacLeod. He had often listened to the miiiister's • sermons and saw Duncan as a quiet peaceful man, gentle and compassion- • age. Imagine the law man's surprise when he saw MacLeod riding down the main street, holding a musket and • making a tired and exhausted robber • walk in front of his horse! • It's sad to see a once active and militant organization such at the farmers union disappearing into lim- bo. Farmers have precious few organ- izations willing to speak for them at all times. As an observer of the farm scene for more than 30 years, I regret the coming demise of the National Farmers Union. I stress the fact, too, that 1 am an observer and not a, full-time, active participant in agricul- ture. 1 can remember when the Ontario Farmers Union was a strong, clear • voice. When men such as Frank Gamble of Chatsworth, Frank Mills of Fivershatn, George Sutherland of Chatsworth, Albert Cormack of Arth- ur, John Dolmer of Corbetton, Mel Tebbutt of • Markdale and Walter Miller of Tara were at the helm of the union', it was fun to listen to them. And yes, even Gordon pill of Virna who was president from about 1957 to 1960. He was young and outspoken even then, a man not afraid to voice his opinion and take his lumps when they came. His experience with the union, no doubt, gave him plenty of training for his later years as president of the federation of agriculture. Back 111 the late '60s, the union was a voice to reckon With. "4 The farmers union demonstrated a militant attitude in carrying out the wishes of its members. In April of 1965, more than 2,000 members marched on Ottawa demanding better farm prices. A year later, more than 1,500 union members paraded to Queen's Park. That same year, the farmers union organized tractor ar- ades to emphasize fanners' demallds. A mammoth march on Ottawa was organized in 1967 and tractors clogged roads all across Ontario and even into Quebec as farmers took to the high- ways to bring their plight forcibly in front of the public. What gave the union a great clout in those days was the women's branch with such stalwarts as president as Mrs. Arnold Bain of Grand Valley, Mrs. George Prosser of Blackstock, Mrs. Harold Hopkins of Fenelon Falls, Mrs. George Williams of Stirling and Mrs. Michael Opsitnik of Pontypool. The Ontario chapter of what is now known as the National Farmers Union seems to be in its death throes. A few attempts to revive it are being made but few - people believe it will be resurrected. Blame is being cast in the direction of Roy "Big Red" Atkinson, the portly westerner who was national president for half a decade. Those who -should know are saying that Atkinson used the farmers union - and the membership's money - as a means to further his own political power and prestige. They acuse him of bankrupting the union by using his power and prestige. l'm not sure it is all that simple. The *mien would not have allowed it had the membership been on its toes. When the federation of apiculture went from a loose organization of federated farm interests to individual memberships, the union began losing • members. At no. time did the union ever divulge actual membership but 1 • can recall being unable to refute Walter Miller when he said the union had 16,000 paid-up members in Ont- ario. Delmar Bennett was another exceptionally strong union leader that 1, as a farm writer, could not argue with. They were both just too good as leaders to get pinned down by A journalist. I suggested the union will scion die in Ontario and across Canada except, perhaps, in Saskatchewan. I have nothing to base this assumption on except its ineffectiveness. Precious little is heard even from the diehards. Membership has dwindled to fewer than 300 in any province but Saskat- chewan. Such a minority voice simply will not be listened to by politicians at the provincial level, !et alone at the national level. And that's where farmers must be heard - by the senior levels of government - if they are going to be effective. When the federation of agriculture swung to the left in the early '70s, it took the steam from the farmers union, a head of steam that has never •been regenerated. It appears that power, that steam, has dissipated for good. Too bad, too. \ I used to like to argue with those guys and gals. a