Saskatchewan Gen Web Project - SASKATCHEWAN AND ITS PEOPLE by JOHN HAWKES Vol 1I 1924


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SASKATCHEWAN AND ITS PEOPLE
1924
Volume II



	          

PROVINCIAL GOVERNORS, PREMIERS AND SPEAKERS.

We have abandoned the idea of bringing things up-to-date, and as a matter of fact it would be impossible within the limits of this work. Twenty years or so of provincial struggle, provincial progress, provincial depression, with a very considerable mass of new and amending legisla- tion every year, and many events of more than passing interest consti- tute a period which must be left to some other chronicler. But some of the outstanding figures deserve to have their services recognised.

There have been four provincial governors, Messrs. A. E. Forget, George W. Brown, R. S. Lake and the present lieutenant governor, W. H. Newlands. Saskatchewan has good cause to congratulate itself on its governors. Mr. Forget, whether as clerk of the North West Council, or as Indian Commissioner, was an honorable and conscientious official, and when he became the last governor of the Territories and the first governor of Saskatchewan, his official experience and the natural courtesy and polish of his French ancestry stood him in good stead. Mr. George Brown was of an entirely different type. Mr. Forget was a Catholic; Mr. Brown was a Methodist from Ontario. Mr. Forget was a slender dark man; Mr. Brown was a veritable son of Anak. Mr. Forget spent practically all his life as a salaried servant of the Crown. Mr. Brown never in his life, broadly speaking, drew a salary. Starting with his brothers on the home- stead, he studied law, ~nd many years ago became a member of the firm of Mackenzie and Brown, but he never ceased to farm. The last time the writer met him, Mr. Brown said he had just returned from the farm, and told the foreman to re-seed in oats, three hundred acres of the finest summer fallow he ever saw. It had been put in for wheat and "blown" out of the ground. Always interested in politics, he became member for North Regina. Clean of speech and action, his private life was with- out reproach. His most intimate friend, the Hon. Walter Scott, paid this tribute to him: "I have travelled thousands of miles with him, but I have never heard him say one single word which could not have been uttered in the presence of a lady". This, we think, is a unique piece of testimony. Mr. Brown's appointment as lieutenant governor was hailed with peculiar satisfaction by the old-timers of the province, for he was one of the original pioneers of the Regina plain, and he spent his whole life in the west in close touch with the capital. An interesting story of his career might be told under the heading "From Homestead to Government House". When he came to Regina in 1882 he was ahead of the railway and it was a mere camp of two or three tents. He took up a homestead some miles north of the infant capital and farmed. Then he commenced to study law in Regina with Mr. John Secord, and afterwards with Scott and Hamilton, and ultimately became a partner with Mr. Norman Mackenzie. In 1888 he contested North Regina in the first election for the North West Assem-. bly, but was defeated by Mr. Jelly, but in the next election he won out handsome~ against the same opponent, and held the seat till 1905, when he retired from considerations of health and travelled extensively He was sworn in as Governor of Saskatchewan on the 14th of October, 1910, being then fifty years of age. He completed his term of office, but before he had reached his sixtieth year he passed away leaving a distinct gap in the public life of the capital, and sincerely regretted by all as an able and honorable servant of the public weal.

Mr. Richard Stuart Lake was sworn in as Hon. G. W. Brown's succes- sor on Oct. 18th, 1915, and was knighted during his term of office, viz: on June 3rd, 1918. Like his predecessor, Mr. Lake had the distinction of being a pioneer, and a farmer; and as Hon. George Brown differed from the Hon. A. E. Forget, so did Mr. Lake present differences in origin and training from Mr. Brown. Mr. Forget came from Quebec; Mr. Brown from Ontario; Mr. Lake was bo"n in England, and at the time of his appointment he was fifty years of age. He was a son of Lieut. Col. Percy Lake of H. M.'s 100th Regiment. This regiment was raised in Canada during the Crimean War, and embodied in the British Regular Army. Mr. Lake's mother was a Canadian lady, viz: Miss Margaret Phillips, of Que- bec. Completing his education, Mr. Lake joined the British Civil Service at the Admiralty and served in the Island of Cypress; in the Mediterranean Sea, from 1878 to 1883, when he settled with Colonel Lake and a brother near Grenfell, N. W. T., and soon had one of the finest farms in East Assiniboia. "Winmarleigh" as the place was named became welL known for its hospitality and good cheer. Mr. Lake first gained a reputation as a cricketer, but in a few years he turned his attention to politics and was the first secretary of the East Assiniboia Conservative Association. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1898 to 1904, and of the House of Commons from 1904 to 1911, when he was defeated by Mr. Levi Thompson. He was appointed a member of the Civil Service Commis- sion and among other offices he was president of the local branch of the Imperial Federation League, vice president of the Territorial Grain Grow- ers' Association, and president of the Provincial Branches of the Canadian Red Cross Society and Canadian Patriotic Fund. During the War Sir Richard and Lady Lake were unceasing in their patriotic efforts, and they fully deserved the recognition that came to them from the Crown. Inci- dentally we may mention that Sir Richard is a brother of General Sir Percy Lake, who will be remembered as taking command of the British forces in Mesopotamia. Sir Richard with Lady Lake and family are now residing in Victoria, B. C. It is to be hoped that Sir Richard will again be seen in public life, as he is of a type that can ill be spared.

Following what it is to be hoped will be a custom, Sir Richard Lake's successor in the gubernatorial chair, was another early comer in the person of the Hon. Henry William Newlands, who, with Miss Newlands as lady- paramount is worthily sustaining the traditions of Government House. His Honor is a Nova Scotian who practiced law in Prince Albert and was prominent in local affairs an~ politics of the district. In 1897 he was appointed Inspector of Land Titles, and in 1901 he was appointed local advisor to the Council of the Yukon Territory in the far north-west. After some three years in Dawson City he returned to Saskatchewan as a Judge of the Supreme Court and in 1920 he was elevated to the Court of Appeal. Resigning his Judgeship he was sworn in as Lieut. Governor of the pro- vince in succession to Sir Richard Lake.

Glancing back then we have as Governors of the Northwest Territories David Laird, of Prince Edward Island; Edgar; Dewdney, a Devonshire Englishman; Joseph Royal, a French Canadian; Charles Mackintosh, of Ontario; M. C. Cameron, of Ontario (who died after a brief term in office), and A. E. Forget, a French Canadian. Of the provincial governors we have A. E. Forget, French Canadian, as aforesaid; George W. Brown, Ontario; R. S. Lake, Englishman, and H. W. Newlands, Nova Scotia.

The heads of governments of the Northwest Territories were Dr. Brett, Hugh Quentin Cayley, and the present Sir Frederick Haultain. Dr. Brett is at this writing Governor of Alberta; Mr. Cayley is a British Columbia Judge, and Sir Frederick Haultain is Chief Justice of Saskatchewan. The premiers of Saskatchewan have been three in number only, viz.: Hon. Walter Scott, Hon. W. M. Martin and the Hon. Charles Avery Dunning, the present premier. Mr. Scott was born in London township, Middlesex County, Ont., in 1867; came west in his teens to Portage Ia Prairie, Man., where he learned the printing trade, and then moved farther west to Regina. At thirty-three years of age he captured in the Liberal interest the seat of West Assiniboia from the brilliant and redoutable Nicholas Flood Davin, a journalist who had held it since 1887. He held the seat in 1904 against Mr. G.M. Annable; and in 1905 became the first premier of Saskatchewan. This position he held for eleven years, resigning from ill health in 1916. Mr. Scott is now a resident in Victoria, B. C., and to the regret of the country at large, and to the great loss of the public service, his health has remained an obstacle against his re-entry into politi- cal life. During a large part of his premiership he was compelled to be absent for long intervals from the province, in search of the health which so tragically deserted him at the climax of a career of almost spectacular brilliance and success; but it was undoubtedly immensely to the public advantage that the formative years of the province were passed under the guidance of Mr. Scott. His great all-round grasp of public affairs, the ability and confidence with which he handled them, his deep faith in the future of the west, and his high character and unfailing courage, made him for some time one of the outstanding figures in Canadian public life, and many of his friends looked forward to his attaining the highest position that Canada could give him. In the House of Commons he was a bonny fighter" for the west, and the great argumentative duel between the young printer from Regina, and a certain skilled and veteran magnate of the C. P. R., in which the former not only held his own but came off with flying colors, is still one of the recollections of the House. During his premiership the acting premier in his absence was the Hon. J. A. Calder, who had his implicit confidence. When Mr. Scott was called to the premiership, Mr. Calder was the deputy minister of Education, and was without political experience. Mr. Scott, however, marked' him for his lieutenant in the work of building up the province, and his choice was more than justified. Mr. Calder subsequently entered theDominion arena. He was Minister of Immigration and Colonization in Sir Robert Borden's War Government and to him fell the enormous task of working out the Great Soldier Settlement Scheme. He is now a member of the Canadian Senate. Mr. Scott's first government consisted of himself" and three' members only. The other two were Mr. W. R. Motherwell,and Mr. J. Lamont, the latter of whom had been a colleague of Mr. Scott's in" the House of Commons, and who being a lawyer assumed the office of Attorney General. Mr. Motherwell was a pioneer farmer who for many years carried on his avocation under the disability of being a long way from the railroad. He had made one or two unsuccessful attempts to enter the local house, but his claim to distinction lay in the fact that he was the originator of the Saskatchewan Grain Growers Movement. When this independent-minded man, who was only known to the general public as an aggressive and fearless agrarian agitator was called to the first cabinet of the Province there was a general feeling of surprise and as we happen to know, the most surprised man was Mr. Motherwell himself. Again Mr. Scott's knowledge of men and political acumen were fully vin- dicated. It is only necessary to say that not only was Mr. Motherwell a great success as Minister of Agriculture for the province, but he is today the minister of Agriculture for the Dominion of Canada. The Hon. J. Lamont performed valuable service in framing the provincial legisla- tion but after two years he was elevated to the Supreme Court. Prob- ably at this distance of time friends and foe will admit that Saskatche- wan's first government composed of a printer, a pedagogue, a farmer and a country lawyer, was one of the most successful in Canadian history.

Other Ministers early associated with Mr. Scott were Mr. Alphonse E. Tourgeon, of Prince Albert, who succeeded the Hon. J. Lamont as Attorney General in 1907, and Hon. Archie P. McNab, of Saskatoon, who became' Minister of Works in 1908. This genial, popular, practical and invaluable gentleman, who makes no great pretensions as a debater, has held his port- folio uninterruptedly' in three ministries, and holds it today. Mr. Tour- geon, a sound lawyer, an accomplished speaker, and in addition a ready and imperturbable debater, is now a Judge of the Supreme Court. As the province grew, which it presently did with phenomenal rapidity, other port- folios were added, viz.: In 1913 that of provincial treasurer and tele- phones in the hands of Hon. George Bell, and that of municipal affairs, the Hon. Geo. Langley. Hon. Walter Scott ceased to be premier in October, 1916, and was succeeded by the Hon. W. M. Martin, member for Regina in the House of Commons. His cabinet comprised besides the Scott mem- bers already mentioned the Hon. C. A. Dunning, who took the portfolio of provincial treasurer on Oct. 20th, 1916, and Hon. S. J. Latta, minister of highways, Oct.20, 1917, and Hon. W. E. Knowles, provincial secretary, May 16th, 1918. The Hon. J. A. Calder resigned on Oct. 20th, 1917, to accept appointment as Minister of Colonization and Immigration in the Federal Government. In 1920 Hon. Mr. Motherwell resigned and was suc- ceeded by Hon. Chas. H. Hamilton. The Martin Government faced a general election in 1921 under a new set of political circumstances. The fountains of the political deep appeared to be breaking up under the pres- sure of the new Progressive movement. The Saskatchewan government had hitherto been Liberal but such was the force and volume of the new farmers movement that it was certain if the Progressives entered the political field and delivered a frontal attack the Martin Government, like others, would be swept away. This was avoided. The Martin Government went to the country, not as a Liberal Government but on its own record as the farmers' friend; the Progressives decided not to oppose it as a body, and it was handsomely sustained by the electorate. The Hon. Mr. Mother- well had been in favor of keeping the old Liberal flag flying in the breeze as usual, and had resigned. Hon. Geo. Langley had also resigned. The Hon. J. A. Maharg, Minister of Agriculture, succeeding Mr. Motherwell, and a foremost leader for many years among the farmers, had also left the ship and when the new House met he became the leader of the Oppo- sition. In the succeeding year Premier Martin retired on his appoint- ment to the Court of Appeal and recommended the Hon. C. A. Dunning as his successor. Mr. Dunning had come to Saskatchewan from Eng- land in 1902 being then about seventeen years of age. At eighteen he took up a homestead at Beaverdale. In 1910, being only twenty-five years of age, he was elected a Director of the Saskatchewan Grain Growers Asso- ciation, and the following year saw him its vice president, a position which he held till 1914. In 1911 he organised the Saskatchewan Co-operative Elevator Company, of which he was general manager from that year till 1916. During this period he was appointed a Royal Commissioner by the Saskatchewan Government to investigate the question of agricultural credit, and also the question of grain marketing in Europe; and from 1911 to 1916 he was a member of the Canadian Council of Agriculture. He was chairman of the Saskatchewan Victory Loan Committee 1917-19, and Director of Food Production for Canada, 1918. In 1916 at thirty-one years of age he was a Minister of the Crown, and at thirty-seven Premier of Saskatchewan, the same age as the Hon. Walter Scott. His cabinet consists of Hon. A. P. Mc Nab, Minister of Public Works; Hon. S. J. Latta, Minister of Education; Hon. C. M. Hamilton, Minister of Agricul- ture; Hon. J. G. Gardiner, Minister of Highways; Hon. J. A. Cross, Attor- ney General; Hon. J. M. Ulrich, Provincial Secretary. The Speakers of the Assembly have been as follows: Hon. T. A. Mac- Nutt, Hon. W. C. Sutherland, Hon. J. A. Sheppard, Hon. Robt. Menzies Mitchell, M.D., C. M., and Hon. George Adam Scott.

The Speakers of the Territorial Assembly were Hon. D. Wilson, Hon. J. H. Ross, Hon. J. F. Betts, Hon. W. Eakin, and Hon. A. B. Gillis.

The leaders of the Provincial Opposition have been the Hon. F. W. G. Haultain (Chief Justice Sir Frederick), Hon. W. B. Willoughby, B. A., LL. B. (now Senator), Donald MacLean, Q. C. (Supreme Court Judge), Hon. J. A. Maharg and Harris Turner, the present leader, who was first returned as a soldiers' representative, and who has the distinction of hav- ing been totally blinded in the service of his country in the Great war. Bibliography follows:



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THE STORY
OF
SASKATCHEWAN
AND ITS PEOPLE



By JOHN HAWKES
Legislative Librarian



Volume II
Illustrated



CHICAGO - REGINA
THE S.J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
1924




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