The Lucknow Sentinel, 1962-06-13, Page 8f
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MOO ;PIGMY
WE.
LUCKNOW SENTINEL, L11CKNOW, ONTARIO`
In .trying to decide] 'w,ho. was
,going, vein this electkbn , I..
• was completely bamfoozled by
reading'the newspapers and the
political ,commentators.. Do you
know . something? • ,' Those birds
don't have a clue. After a lot
of hedging, a barrage of. "it's"
and "buts," they invariably con-
clude that the Government will"
be returned "with . a reduced'
majority."
• About eight times out of 10
they can't help but be right, be-
cause the Government is always
in the favored .position of ,the
. champion taking on the challe:n-
,ger.' And when they are wrong,
.,it's quickly forgotten in the gen-
eral • hullabaloo. •
These 'prognosticators are: .not
• something, •,new. They, have ' been
braying 'like jackasses ever since
• • Confederation: •Arid they are
just as 'insolent and just as of -
y
ten. wrong today; as 'the' :were
•then. ••
•
I, 'discovered this; when I . de-,'
tided . ' to .compare today's elec-
tion campaignswith' those of a
`half -century:' ago, .and ; dug', up.
conte old newspapers for `the put-
-pose. I learned .something else'
--
that. elections, • like •life in
general, have 'become' a lot more
^complicated and confusing. in the
:past 50 years. And, :like life, in
general, they've 'lost . , a lot of
their fUn.
Our ,fathers, ' knew. .perfectly
well: whom they were going to
vote for,. and all .. the ,Speeches
and slanted, newspaper stories`
wouldn't • have . 'budged them an
iota: But that didn't'; mean they
weren't going to enjoy , every.
'minute of the campaign, argue.
the issues :' hotly, and ' try , to'
squeeze a little patronage out of
the local• party boss, even if it
a -mounted to only a .couple of.
adrin'ks• • of free whisky.
Politics in' those days combined'
the noise, .: the' unptedicta'bility
and the ekcitement . of . an Indian
Potlatch; an .Irish'' wake, • and ''a
French shivaree.
• ,
• In ' e' V7kery small' town; there was
a ' 'Grit; newspaper on one side.
Of the' street, ; and' down the
' look, on the other side;. as Tory
newspaper. They vied in hurling
insult, slander .and •liber, at the
,opposing ,party •and each other,
Thee: contained ;-such sprightly
remarks as: ("The editor of our
esteemed contemporary, ; the Ree-
•
order, ' has . obviously been Slav,.
ering .at • the same .'trough " as
',sorne of the -' other hogs who
swa'llow' ,the slap thrownto them.
by the gang of thieves• ensconced,
at Ottawas His• • latest ` editorial
i f
is a masterpiece 'of misinforma-
tion,
tion,: plain falsehood, and down
right. 'depravity."' '
Around election time, in those
days, every male had a cigar, the
women were. :at home looking
afterthe: kids, where they be-
longed,
e
longed, and the bars were 'lined
three -deep withenthusiastic.. po-
litical experts. ••
:Nobody went, around asking
plaintively,, "Well, •is there any
Teal difference between the par-
ties?" • as they do ' today. Of
course there was a difference..
The • Tories (or the Grits) . were
ruining:the country and that was
ail there was to . it. Everybody
knew what the issues. were. ,You:
were either . for Reciprocity or
against it, even though you
.Weren't too. sure what it meant.
• Fifty years ,'ago, a, speech . was:
a' speech. When you'd driven
18: miles with ' a horse and bug-
gy to Near it, anything shorter
than. an ' hour anad a half was.
a: personal insult. .And there:
Was nothing namlby-gamby, about
the :sentim.ents, ' expressed.. The
apea'ker revealed personal. know-'.
ledge of •'Government .graft,
scandals and`.', corruption that
would ' curdle your blood, lie'
'didn't say. ',it right . out, but he
implied that' his. worthy Oppon-
ent ' Was an habitual drunk; a
known .woman -chaser, and had.,
insanity in the 'family.'
And the politicians' • promises'
in, those days', were a lot • more
interesting , than.' they are. today..
They. didn't, talk vaguely about
social' welfare, and. promise an
increase in this, a raise' in, that.
They gave,' you, sornething con-
crete; like . a new :dock; or.; a
'Post office—something you could
see.
• Remember ; what Sir .John
did when he was .trying to •induce..
-B.C: to join• the new confeder-
ation? ,They said they'd join if
the Government - would :guaran-
tee
guaran-tee 'a: wagon ',trail to ' the west
coast. Sir John ,said, in ' effect,
"Wagon trail, hell!. •I'll build you
a: railroad in• 10 years!" And
he ' :did.
I can't :,help 'Wondering what
the ` old-time politician. , would:
have : thought of today's cam
paign with its giggling coffee
parties, its, . colorless candidates,
its: scarcity of clean-cut : issues,
and 'its . complete .:,,lack • of those.
basic
elements of any election
cheap ' whisky, strong 'cigars,
and' a decent scandal.' - .••
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Kitcar
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Huron Reeve On
Ontario SAS Board
Chester Emrnerton, 'R°R. 1,•
Ripley, Reeve of Huron, Town-
ship, was appointed to' the
Board .of Directors of the Ontario:
Association of Children's Aid
Societies on Wednesday, May
Nth, it was announced during
the Annual 'Convention held "in
the Royal York Hotel last week,
. PNESDAY, JUNE 3'th, 1912
Auxiliary .Plan:
Summer Picnics ..
The Ladies •Auxiliary. to Legion
Branch no. 309 held. ,their June
Imeeting in their rooms with 12
members present. President Shir-
ley Cooke presided,
• Delegates to the convention in
September are Amanda Hamilton.
and .Mickey Inglis. A • letter of
thanks was read from Miss Ruth
Thompson, .Health Nurse, -for the
auxilary's help at the vaccine
clinic. A letter was, read from
CKNX to participate in contest
°
• in July on: the program Focus
on Lucknow with ' two members.
from • Ladies Auxiliary taking
part.. Joan England and • Anna
Johnstone were chosen, .The pic-
nic in' 'July was discussed; also
a bus trip to Fairyland'' garden
in London. Morse about this later..
A 'joint •picnic :with. the Legion
was .discussed and 'agreed upon;'
Meeting then - closed with sing
ing of Queen and lunch.
Mr. Emmertpn, who has serv-
ed as a :Director of Bruce Co.
C.A.S. for twq and • .a half years
as'one •of three appointed County
Councillors to the local -.Society,
is the first representative, inthe
history of •the Bruce: Agency to
receive an appointment to the
Provincial . level..
The new • Director will cor.,-
tinue serving with the local:
Board,, ,on which he is a .member
of (both , the Executive and Fin
ante. Committee
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