1883 February 1- 15

During the evening hours of February 1, 1883, a meeting was held in the St. George’s Society rooms for the purpose of organizing a local fish and game protective society.
          The attendance was large with over one hundred and fifty persons expressing their willingness to take part in such an association.

 The following resolution was moved by Dr. McCully, of Waterdown:

“That it was desirable to form an association for the protection of fish, game, insectivorous birds and fur-breeding animals.” ¹

1 “Fish and Game Protection : Organization of a Strong Association” Spectator. February 2, 1883.

The resolution was carried unanimously and a committee was appointed to draft a constitution and a set of bylaws.

Dr. McCully suggested that spearing of fish in the bay and Dundas marsh should be banned.

Mr. R. S. Beasley ended the meeting by providing those in attendance with some personal reminiscences of the hunting and fishing conditions in this area in the past.

In most issues of the Spectator in early 1883, there was a column of short observations and comments about things in and around the city. Here is the entry for February 3, 1883 :

-      Now the political pot begins to boil.

-      Hamilton is an N. P. town, and will be true to her record.

-      Our private weather prophet predicts that February 27 will be a cold day – for the Hamilton Grit candidates.

-      As a locomotive engineer, Mr. Williams should know it is a bad thing to jump the track – even if it be only a prohibition track, built of cold water.

-      We have had a great deal of sleighing this winter already, but it is nothing to the slaying of Grit candidates which we will have towards the end of the month.

-      It is supposed that the M.A. at the end of Mr. Gibson’s name means Marmion assassinator, or Mighty Anxious, or Much Afraid, or Mowat Apologist, or Most Anything . ²

2 “Local Briefs : Facts and Fun for Everybody”  Spectator  February 3, 1883.

“I dropped in at a corner grocery last night. To buy some sugar, of course. Quite a gang of prominent ward politicians were sitting around on the counter, on soap boxes, on cracker barrels, and on so forth. They were all talking about the election. ‘I don’t know about this Mr. Williams,’ said an old fellow in the corner. ‘ ‘Pears to me he flops too quick. ‘Tain’t long since he was a dyed-in-the-wool Scott acter, and now he says he won’t go for prohibition’ ‘That’s so,’ said a tall man with a big nose. ‘Nobody believes but what he’s as good a prohibitionist as he ever was. He’s only hedging to catch votes. P’rhaps he’s doing the same in his pretended hostility to his party.’ ‘What party?’ asked the man on the N.P. soap box. ‘Why, Grit, of course. Everybody knows he’s been a lifelong Grit.’ ‘Well, gentlemen, I’ll tell you what it is, when a man flops so easy as that, you don’t know when you have him. But, I say, did you ever know an ‘independent’ member who staid independent?’ The man on the soap box buried his head in hands and thought for awhile. Then he straightened up and said slowly, ‘Yes – I - know – one.’ ‘Who was he?’ chorused the crowd. ‘Oh it don’t matter,’ said the soap box man, ‘he – died – afore – the – House – met.’ ”³

3 “The Rambler : Some of the Things He Has Seen and Heard in His Peregrinations” Spectator. February 3, 1883

On Saturday February 3, 1883, a sleet storm visited the Hamilton area. The temperature also dropped precipitously so that everything became covered with a heavy coat of ice, including the telegraph lines.

The snow, sleet and ice caused some problems on the Hamilton and Dundas Street Railway line:

          “Saturday the trains were running all right, as the company had shoveled the snow off the track on Main street to the sides of the road, thus clearing the track, but spoiling the roadway for vehicles. Ald. Lee, baker, whose establishment fronts on Main street, was much exercised at this action of the company, claiming with perfect truth, that a pile of snow thrown from the track in front of his store hindered people from doing business with him.”⁴

4 “The Storm : Telegraph Wires Down and Trains Late” Spectator. February 5, 1883.

Early in February 1883, the water supplied to citizens all over Hamilton was of very poor quality:
          “As it flows from the tap, the water is found to be filled with pale but extremely lively animalcules, which dart about in the water with astonishing rapidity. On being exposed to the light, the animals soon die. Under the microscope, the outlines of these animalcules bear a strong resemblance to shrimps.” ⁵

5 “A Lively Beverage : Sad Intelligence for the Cold Water Drinkers” Spectator. February 5, 1883.

There was some question as to the cause of these “animalcules” appearing in the tap water, although it was assumed that they posed no health hazard:

“it is probable that the human digestive organs are quite able to ‘get away with them,’ as the unlearned put it.” ⁵

It was thought that if the ‘animalcules’ disappeared when exposed to light, then they did not come from the lake or the reservoir :

“If they grow in the mains, the flushing of these would rid the water of this most undesirable accession, and the mains should be flushed” ⁵

                In the meantime, cold water drinkers were somewhat miffed at the deterioration of their favorite beverage. Beer sales in the city soared during the difficulty.

          On Sunday February 4, 1883, the preacher at Wesley Methodist church at the corner of John and Rebecca streets, Rev. Mr. Philip, using as the basis of his sermon the scripture quotation, “the way of the transgressor is hard.” Proverbs 13:15.
          In his sermon, Rev. Philip referred frequently to the recently released report of Hamilton Police Chief A. D. Stewart.

 After commending the local police force for its vigilance, the preacher went on to say:

“The commitments during the past year, nearly 3,000, are a sad commentary on the moral character of this city, especially when we remember that these are only a small portion of the crimes against the laws of God and man that are committed in Hamilton. There is hardly a shade of crime not represented in the record. The great source of all this evil is the sad and baneful influence of strong drink. Of all the crimes charged, a thousand are directly caused by drink, and possibly three fourths of the shame and disgrace of homes in this city are traceable to the same source. Only a few, seven in all, have been arrested for the desecration of the Sabbath. These, I think, are extreme cases, and by no means outline the fearful extent of Sabbath breaking in this city. Side by side is the complaint of street corner lounging, especially on the Sabbath, and which the present force is unable to abolish. Sabbath breaking in many a store, saloon, home, street and alley in the city.” ⁶

6 “Justice Vs. the City : Rev. Mr. Philips’ Arraignment of Hamilton’s Immorality” Spectator. February 5, 1883.

The thirtieth festival of the St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum was held on February 6, 1883 at the Grand Opera House.

The evening consisted of musical performances by many of Hamilton’s leading musical artists who donated their service. The admission price of one dollar was turned over, in full, to the St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum

Organized and directed byReverend E. P. Slaven, the festival featured popular F. A. Filigiano as master of ceremonies. Although suffering  from a severe cold, Mr. Filigiano handled his duties as master of ceremonies, “with that grace and polish which is peculiarly and justly attributed to the people of his nation.” ⁷

7 “For Charity’s Sake : The Thirtieth Festival of St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum” Spectator. February 6, 1883.

In the middle of the musical programme, about one hundred and twenty orphans appeared on the stage:

“Their bright and happy faces and neat dresses made a stronger appeal than any speech could.” ⁷

A young lad, by the name of James Moylan had been chosen to deliver the orphan’s address of 1883:

“Reverend Father, Ladies and Gentlemen : It is now just thirty years since the orphans of St. Mary’s held their first festival in this city. I know there are many here who were present at it, and who, with a generosity more than noble, have ever since responded whenever our Divine Lord, in the presence of his suffering poor or helpless orphan, has called upon them. And I am sure there is scarcely one of you who has not attended our festivals often enough to know our oft-repeated, but ever sad, story by heart; and, yet such is your untiring benevolence, that all are assembled here tonight, listening to it again with as much attention and sympathy as if you heard it for the first time.

“In the bright smile that lighted up your countenances on our appearance, we read the same kindly welcome that you have ever extended to the band of little orphans now before you. It needed not a second glance to see that whatever changes the past thirty years have brought, they have made none in the generous, devoted sympathy with which the people of this city have ever listened to the cry of distressed humanity. Among the cities of this Canada of ours, the geography says Hamilton is distinguished for her natural and acquired advantages, and directs our attention to its commercial position, public buildings, educational institutions, factories, industry, and sobriety of its inhabitants, and everybody knows, though the geography does not say so, its police force is the finest in the Dominion. And yet, not among any of these distinguishing features must we look for Hamilton’s crowning glory, which consists in the many and various institutions for the relief of the sick, the suffering, the aged poor, or helpless.

“Is it that our good God may reward their charity with lives here below of unalloyed happiness? Vain, indeed, would be the prayer since such a lot never befell, nor would befall any human being, and would never be desired by a Christian who has daily to take up his cross. This then shall be the orphan’s prayer, that through whatever trials and sorrows it may be please our Heavenly Father to conduct our dear benefactors, everyone with all near and dear to them, may at last find rest in those mansions of bliss which he has prepared for his elect from all eternity.”⁷

The February 6 1883 issue of the Spectator carried an announcement of the opening of a new gymnasium at 110 King street east. Run by a man named Mr. Bruton, the new facility, according to the Spectator, presented “a lively appearance”:

“Baths with hot and cold water are provided for the members without extra charge. The gymnasium is open for ladies only in the afternoon from 2 to 4 o’clock, when instructions will be given in dumb bells, bar bells, Indian clubs, chest machines, rowing and general callisthenic exercises. Mr. Bruton is making a study of the laws of health, and claims to afford relief, if not cure, in all cases of nervous prostration, diseases of the indigestion and lungs, through a simple course of exercise which he has prepared to be used in connection with proper diet.”

During the late afternoon of February 6, 1883, the Liberal-Conservative leader of Ontario’s Official Opposition arrived in Hamilton from Toronto at the Grand Trunk railway station. There he was met by a large delegation of local members of the party who welcomed the distinguished gentleman, Sir William Ralph Meredith to the city.

Waiting at the station was a long row of horse-drawn sleighs ready to parade Sir William and his supporters downtown :

“At the head of the procession were the splendid equipages of Messrs. R. M. Wanzer and W. E. Sanford, who kindly placed them at the disposal of the committee. The procession drove up Stuart and James street to the Royal Hotel” ⁸

8 “Meredith : the Present Leader of the Opposition and Next Premier of Ontario” Spectator. February 7, 1883.

After freshening up at the Royal Hotel, the leader of Ontario’s Official Opposition was then taken across the street to the Grand Opera House where a campaign meeting was scheduled:

“If there be in Hamilton any Reformer, whether he be a Gibson man or a Williams man, who thinks that the solid platform of the Liberal Conservative party of the Ambitious city has been in the least disturbed by recent local events should have been at the Grand Opera house last evening. The stage was filled with prominent members of the party, some young, some old. Some faces there were which had been seen at gatherings of the Conservative party in Hamilton for more than a generation; others belonging to young and active men who had cast their political lot with the great party which brings active business and prosperity in its train; and there were not a few faces there which have until recently been familiar in the ranks of Reformers. That stage full of solid, respectable, well-informed, deep-thinking representative men was in itself a guarantee of victory for the Conservative candidate – an earnest picture of the deep hold the Liberal-Conservative party has taken upon the solid men of the city ”⁸

When the time came for the meeting to begin, the theatre was filled and barely any standing room was available for late arrivals. The audience was attentive and not given to outbursts of unruly behavior :

“The utmost order was preserved, every sentence that fell from the speaker’s lips was carefully listened to, and applause was put in at precisely the right place. There was no excited shouting no letting loose of irrelevant cheers at inopportune moments, no interruptions – none of the disorderly things which unfortunately characterize too many political meetings” ⁸

Each prominent gentleman on the platform was introduced to rousing cheers by the audience. When Opposition Leader Meredith made his appearance, “a storm of applause uprose, and continued for some time.” ⁸

                On motion by Mr. James Turner, Mr. George E. Tuckett was named chairman of the meeting.
          Tuckett began the meeting by saying :
          “When I was a boy, I was lazy, and as a man, I am lazy, and I am glad to know, from my experience, that I will have very little to do in the way of preserving order here tonight. It is always the case when battles are to be fought that Englishmen like to get an Irishman to bear the standard for them. We have done the same. We have selected Mr. Richard Marin as our standard bearer, and I now introduce him to you.”⁸
                Mr. Martin was received with great enthusiasm, but he declined to make a speech, telling the audience that he hoped to see them again at his own mass meeting the following Saturday evening.
          The portion of the meeting devoted to the speech of the Opposition Leader began when Mr. Tuckett introduced the speaker whose was greeted with great enthusiasm as he stood and approached the podium:
          “Mr. Chairman and gentlemen: It affords me great pleasure to meet tonight for the first time the electors of the great manufacturing city of Hamilton and to address to them a few words upon the eve of the great contest we are about to enter into for the control of the affairs of Ontario for the next four years. I am glad to see tonight so large an assembly, evidencing that the people of Hamilton, at all events, take a deep interest in the questions upon which they will be asked to pass at the pols on the 27^th of February. I feel, sir, that if the same interest had been taken by the people of Hamilton in 1879 in the affairs of the Province of Ontario, a supporter of the Conservative party would have been sent to the Legislature at Toronto, and not a supporter of Mr. Mowat.” ⁸
                The speech by Meredith was lengthy and highly partisan in nature, ending as follows:
          “I shall now conclude by asking you on the 27^th of February to cast your ballots, every man of you, for Mr. Martin. Give him your vote and stand by him on the 27^th of February. There are in the city of Hamilton enough National Policy votes to put him in by a large majority. I only ask that you work hard and bring out every such vote. If you do this, and I trust you will not rest until it has been done, then on the evening of the 27^th of February, the good news will ring from one end of the province to the other that the Conservative party has been true to itself and that the National Policy has again been triumphantly vindicated in the Ambitious City; and with the help we hope to get from the other constituencies we shall see the last remaining remnant of Gritism in the Province of Ontario swept away for many years to come.”⁸
                The next day, the leading editorial in the Spectator was full of praise for the conduct of those in attendance at the Grand Opera House, noting that:
          “The audience was largely composed of workingmen, proving that the Williams’ craze has not made serious inroads upon the Conservative strength, but that the great body of those who have hitherto supported the National Policy are still in the ranks fighting for the cause which has brought them so great good.”⁹

9 “Last Night’s Meeting” Spectator. February 7, 1883.

On February 7, 1883, the Spectator carried an account of an incident which occurred at the railway station on Stuart street.

A regulation at the station was that only ladies would be allowed to use the ladies’ waiting room:

“The regulation is carried out with politeness and firmness by the officials, but there are some people who are indignant when the rule applies to them.” ¹⁰

10 “Build a Special Room for Him” Spectator. February 7, 1883.

The case in point involved a Toronto detective who was escorting a female convict, a black woman, back to Toronto, she having been arrested in Hamilton.

Having to wait a short time at the station for the next Toronto bound train, the detective refused to leave his prisoner alone in the ladies’ waiting room, insisting that he must be with her at all times:

“He was told several times to leave the room and take the convict with him, and it was almost necessary to use force before he consented to go out. Then he stood on the platform, and kept the poor prisoner shivering in the cold before he would go into the general waiting room, which he evidently considered not good enough for a detective and a prisoner.”¹⁰

On February 8, 1883, and exhibition of what was called “stilt skating’ was given at the Park street rink by Mr. Charles Heinan. The skates were about 18 inches in height.

The Spectator reporter who witnessed the exhibition described Heinan as “a graceful with the physique of an athlete, and dress of an aesthetic.” His performance was well-received by a good number of skaters who had come out to watch him go through his intricate maneuvers.

After several days of hard work and preparation, a horse race track was created on the ice at the extreme west end of Hamilton Bay, near the Valley Inn.

The ice races were begun on Thursday February 8, 1883 under favorable circumstances:

“The weather was clear, and the sun shone brightly. The cold, strong wind was not greatly felt in the sheltered cove where the track was laid out.” ¹¹

11 “Sporting News : The Ice Races” Spectator. February 9, 1883.

The trotting races on the ice attracted a crowd of about three thousand people:

“Such a congestion of sleighs and horses has not been seen since the last ice meeting at the same place. The road leading down to the Valley Inn was lined with sleighs for a mile, and Vince Little’s house could hardly be see in the crowd that surrounded it.” ¹¹

When the horses for the second race were being prepared, a bay horse named Blair, owned by Joseph Craig, of Hamilton, ran away. The sleigh to which Blair was attached accidentally struck the cutter of Mr. Own Nowlan:

“Blair’s sleigh was overturned and the driver thrown out. The horse dashed down the track, kicking the skeleton sleigh to pieces. Up the hill at the end of the track he went, making straight for the Valley Inn, the vicinity of which was crowded with people, horses and sleighs. The runaway horse leaped straight into middle of the crowd, knocking down a horse, and falling across a cutter. The crowd was packed so tightly that the runaway could go no farther.”¹¹

After the completion of the races, the line of spectators leaving the scene was extremely long, and moved at a slow pace:

“Looking down from the heights at the procession going across the bay, it looked just like a mule train on a prairie. There was only one track broken across the bay, and the sleighs were strung out in a line like a camel train crossing the desert.”¹¹

The Grit Party held its main political rally of the campaign at the Grand Opera House, on February 10, 1883. The Premier of Ontario, Oliver Mowat was the main speaker.

The Spectator’s coverage of the meeting was, as usual, highly partisan, and an indication of that newspaper’s political orientation may be inferred by its description of the prominent local representatives of the Grit party in attendance:

“On the platform was a motley array of gentlemen, old and young, some with a most anxious expression upon their countenances, as though they were not quite sure that they were in the right place.”¹²

12 “The Little Premier : Speaks His Little Piece at the Grand Opera House” Spectator. February 10, 1883.

The Grit meeting was composed of speeches by the local MPP John M. Gibson, the premier Oliver Mowat and a popular veteran local Grit mainstay, “Honest Joe” Rymal.

Gibson’s speech was not overly lengthy but he did take the opportunity to review his work at the Legislature during the past session.

The Spectator reporter suggested that Gibson’s effort was less than successful:

“He waded in a melancholy way through his tiresome remarks, the audience gathering hope at the end of every sentence that he was nearing the close. Mr. Gibson is an eminently respectable gentleman, but his remarks do not convey the impression that he is burdened with ability.”₁₂

Oliver Mowat, the Premier of Ontario, was introduced by Benjamin Charlton, who suggested that the audience should rise as one man, and cheer the speaker’s arrival:

“He then introduced the Premier, but for some reason the audience failed to rise; at least those on the platform rose, while a number of the faithful in the front seats perpetuated a cheer.” ¹²

After a long speech defending his government’s record, Premier Mowat concluded his speech by urging the audience to support Mr. Gibson in the coming election:

“There appeared to be considerable difference between Mr. Mowat and some of the audience when he said : ‘I believe the great majority of those before me are friends of Mr. Gibson,’ as there was a very hearty chorus of ‘nos’ and Mr. Mowat, in conclusion, said : ‘ Make Mr. Gibson’s election your own; vote for Gibson and provincial rights, Gibson and good government, and Gibson and liberty!’ ” ¹²

The Spectator reporter was, of course, very critical of Mowat’s performance:

“The poor man stuttered and spluttered, stammered and hammered away at his argument, but nobody seemed to know very well what he was driving at.” ¹²

          “Sleighing good our way? Well, I should kind o’think so: the fact is its too good. I never saw so much snow on the ground at once since December ‘62”¹³
                The above was said by a farmer from Halton County who had come into Hamilton on market day, and, according to the reporter who spoke to him, “the appearance of his team and sleigh attested to the truth of the remark.” ^{13
                13} “Snow Drifts : Which Block the County Roads and Hinder Traffic” Spectator. February 10, 1883.

The winter of early 1883 had been very severe in terms of snowfall, and the roads leading into the city were, in many places, almost entirely impassable. Main street, in particular, was in very poor condition:

          “Main street is not only obstructed by large drifts but by several loads of hay and wood which have been upset.”¹³
                The road to Stoney Creek was also blocked by a capsized load of hay. A couple of sleigh loads of young people from the city were heading to a private party at Woodhouse’s Hotel in Stoney Creek when they came upon the hay :

“To pass on either side was a thing that could not be done, and gloom overspread the party. Someone suggested that the party return to the city, and work the surprise racket on some unsuspecting family, but this was tabooed. Someone whose arguments had considerable weight suggested that the young men carry the ladies and the whole caravan to the other side of the obstruction, which suggestion was acted upon, and after considerable trouble and hard work,  the horses were again picking their way to Stoney Creek. They returned at daylight by another road.” ¹³

Plains road from the west was passable, but not used as much as usual:

“Farmers coming along this road to the city avoid considerable annoyance, and a couple of toll gates, by taking to the ice at Jim Kenny’s hotel and crossing the bay.” ¹³

The political mass meeting of Saturday February 10, 1883 at the Grand Opera House was held under the auspices of the Liberal-Conservative party. Local members of the party turned out in force to hear a speech by their candidate in the riding, lawyer Richard Martin.

In answer to a unanimous call, the ever-popular Mr. Adam Brown stepped forward to chair the meeting :

“Electors of Hamilton, I thank you for the honor which you have conferred upon me, by calling me to preside at such a magnificent meeting. (Applause) I hope that good order will – and I really believe it will – reign, and that a careful hearing will be accorded each speaker. It is characteristic of Conservative meetings in this city to have order, and I hope this will not be an exception to the general rule. I like to see the triangular fight continue to be fought upon the friendly terms which have characterized it from the start. I take great pleasure in introducing Mr. George E. Tuckett” ¹⁴

¹⁴ “Martin : Mass Meeting at the Grand Opera House on Saturday” Spectator. February 12, 1883.

As the first speaker of the evening, Mr. Tuckett used his allotted time to attack the Mowat government :

“The Hon. Mr. Mowat said in this platform last evening, ‘Vote for Mr. Gibson and Liberty.’ What liberty has the Mowat administration given us that we did not possess before they were heard of? Have they not in fact abridged our liberty by a most rehensible centralization of power in the hands of the provincial Executive?”¹⁴

The newly-installed provincial laws on voting procedures were scornfully criticized by speaker Tuckett:

“The people asked for the ballot. Now, what kind of ballot has the Mowat government given us? A ballot means, if it mean anything, that an elector may vote so that no one shall know how he votes. It is not so with the Ontario ballot system. It is true one goes into a corner and makes one’s ballot without anyone looking on, but on the poll books there is a number opposite each elector’s name corresponding with the number on his ballot, so that every vote can be traced, and the intention of the ballot is thereby defeated.” ¹⁴

Mr. Tuckett said that he had a number of topics to discuss with the audience, but he would curtail his remarks to make way for the next speaker.

Adam Brown then rose and introduced the candidate, Richard Martin, who was received with enthusiastic cheering:

          “Mr. Chairman and electors of Hamilton, I am happy to have this opportunity of announcing to you my principles and my policy – insofar as you may not be aware of the principles I have held since my boyhood in this city.”¹⁴

The major point made by candidate Martin was a criticism of the Mowat policy of centralizing power at Toronto at the expense of other cities in the province :

“You have read the Toronto papers and seen the Toronto men, and you know they don’t love us anymore than they love themselves. (Laughter). Whenever a question is raised which involves Toronto and Hamilton, or Toronto any other place, Toronto gets the lion’s share. When Mowat started in his career, he was a private man, unused to the manipulations, but the further he went, the more Gritty and less amiable and less unsuspecting he became. At that time, George Brown was the boss of his party, and you all know how intense a Toronto man he was ! When Mr. Brown died and the power that was keeping Mr. Mackenzie in his place was removed, Mr. Blake, another Toronto man, went into power in Dominion politics. Then all the inspectors, and the various offices and officers were made in Toronto, and the appointees were all Toronto men. Everything was centralized at Toronto at the expense of the Province, while other constituencies are starving for the revenues thus greedily  expended. We propose to change all this. It is true that Toronto was taking less of the public (Federal) revenues. Luckily we had at the head of the Dominion government a man who represents the Dominion, and not a section of it – Sir John A. Macdonald (Cheers) From him we will get the fair play that we ask, and which we are willing to give to Toronto, and to every other place. (Applause.) Toronto has many present advantages, in being the seat of government and of the courts. Let her be satisfied with them, and not try to steal our revenues to build up their own city.” ¹⁴

The next speaker introduced by Chairman Brown was Mr. G. M. Barton who was described as “a gentleman who had felt it necessary to leave the Reform party at the last election and support the National Policy.” ¹⁴

Mr. Barton insisted on discussing the effects of the National Policy in Hamilton. He declared that the Mowat government was the open enemy of the National Policy:

“Mr. Mowat and Mr. Gibson took the stump in opposition to the N. P., and now wished not to be held responsible for doing so. But they had no excuse for so doing.” ¹⁴

The following speaker, Mr. William Laidlaw, also devoted much of his speech to a discussion of the National Policy :

“The principal question we have to discuss is the question of the relation of the industrial interests of Hamilton to the elections we are now considering, and it is one of those comprehensive questions with which I wish to deal with in all candor and with all fairness. I would like, gentlemen, to carry you back eight or ten years and contrast the position of the industrial interests of Hamilton and Ontario with their position of today, and I ask every one of you who have homes, and wives and children dependent upon you, to think of the position which you occupy here today.

“I only claim, Mr. Chairman, that I am addressing now those who believe that it is the interest, and duty, and privilege of all men who are interested in the City of Hamilton to support those who believe in the National Policy. (Hear, Hear).

“In 1878, the condition of labor in this country was so much depressed that the men had to rally around each other for advancing the common interest. Now this has all been changed. I am proud to see that in the declaration that has been made by Sir John Macdonald in his speech from the throne. The Premier says he will introduce a measure in relation to factories and for the better protection of the working man and his family.” ¹⁴

On Saturday evening, February 10, 1883, the usually peaceful barber shop of Professor Jesse Gant, 301 James Street North, was disturbed by a gang of troublemakers. It was just past 7 p.m., and Gant’s shop was filled with customers. Suddenly, a man named Phil Doyle rushed into the shop, claiming that he was being pursued by a gang of toughs.

When Professor Gant went to the door to ascertain the cause of the excitement, he found “about ten half-drunken cotton mill operators with blood in the eyes.” ¹⁵

¹⁵ “Razors in the Air : Prof. Gant’s Barber Shop Bombarded” Spectator. February 12, 1883.

Professor Gant told the men :

“Gentlemen, if you are looking for a fight, you came to the wrong shop, so you had better get away from this door.” ¹⁵

The toughs persited in abusing Professor Gant, threatening to wreck his shop:

“ ‘Gentlemen,’ the barber said, if you insist on coming into this shop, come on, but I warn you, the first man that puts his head inside of this door, I’ll put a hole in him.’ ”¹⁵

Still the mob howled for admittance :

“One of the lower panels of the door was burst in and an able-bodied Englishman, attired in corduroy pants, hob-nailed boots, and other garments to match, stalked in on the floor. He looked like the brother of Tug Wilson and took up his position in the middle of the floor and said: ‘Who in the - - wants to fight?’

“ ‘ Did you come into this shop to get shaved?’ asked Professor Gant, razor in hand.

“ ‘ No, I didn’t come in here to get shaved,’ shouted the intruder, ‘put up your dooks’ ”

No sooner was this said than Gant, dropping the razor on the stand, attacked the man:

“Gant nearly paralyzed him. His friends rushed in, and one by one, were treated in the same way until the fight was knocked completely out of them. Policeman Walsh at length arrived and surprised the hoodlums, who weakened in the presence of the officer of the law, whom they tried to make believe that the professor and the young men in the shop were the persons at fault.”¹⁵

On Tuesday, February 13, 1883, the annual auction of unclaimed parcels from the American Express Company offices in the district was held at the auction rooms of Thomas Burrows, 78 James street north, near the Mason ic hall:

“The prospective buyers assembled early. They were principally second hand dealers. The goods were chiefly sold in packages, purporting to be just as they had been left with the company. There were articles also perfectly exposed to view, to classify which baffled even Mr. Burrows’ experience. Mr. Burrows can generally guess the name, the maker, the cost and the use of any article he is selling, although he had never seen anything like it before.”¹⁶

¹⁶  “The Annual Sale : Of Unclaimed American Express Parcels” Spectator. February 14, 1883.

Among the crowd at the auction sale was Alderman P. C. Blaicher who was spotted purchasing what was described as “a disabled banjo”:

It is understood that the worthy chairman of the hospital committee is interested in cooperating with Mr. Ebenezer Hutton in starting a minstrel company to amuse the patients.” ¹⁶

Many of the articles auctioned off were wrapped up, the contents unknown to the bidders:

“Several peculiarly shaped parcels were put up and knocked down to purchasers, some of whom opened them before leaving the room, to the great amusement of the assembly. Others acted more selfishly, going round in the alley and keeping the laugh all to themselves. Jacob Levy bought a parcel for twenty-five cents, thinking it contained a street fakir’s lantern. It turned out to be a burlesque fishing rod, with a rope for a line, on the end of which was a hook of enormous size baited with an odoriferous red herring” ¹⁶

As his contribution to the political campaign of February, 1883, Mr. John Tunstead gave some advice to the workingmen of the city through the columns of the Spectator.

Mr. Tunstead was the manager of the Dominion Hat factory at the corner of Robert and Catharine streets:

“The Mowat  government, and Mr. Gibson the Grit candidate, in common with Mr. Blake and the Dominion opposition, have the deadliest hatred of the beneficent measure popularly known as the National Policy, and they would abolish it if they could” ¹⁷

¹⁷  “Some Hard Facts : For Perusal by Hamilton Workingmen” Spectator. February 14, 1883.

Continuing, Mr. Tunstead wrote:

“I came here one year ago in March, and started this factory. I began with very few hands to make fine fur hats, both hard and soft, for the Canadian market. I was enabled to do so, and sell my hats as fast as I could make them to Canadian purchasers, in face of all the manufacturers of the United States, because of protection afforded by the National Policy. Previous to the introduction of that policy, all the fine fur hats brought to Canada were made in the United States and England, good Canadian money went to pay for them and enrich the manufacturers and artisans of those two countries.” ¹⁷

On a cold, blustery winter’s evening, February 14, 1883, a fatal accident occurred on the line of the North and Northwestern Railway where it crossed the waterworks inlet at the eastern end of Hamilton bay.

When word reached the city that the train expected to reach Hamilton at 8:45 p.m. had gone off the rails, a special auxiliary train was sent down to the scene of the accident with Police Chief A. D. Stewart, Sergeant Smith and a reporter for the Spectator.

When the site of the accident was reached, it was described by the reporter as a scene of wild excitement:

“A cold rain, blown by the wild and piercing wind off Lake Ontario, turned to ice everything it fell upon. A train of flat cars stretched in a straggling line across the trestle bridge. Three of them were off the track. The beams were covered with ice, and to cross the bridge was a task of great difficulty, and one that required the greatest caution. About halfway across the ice-covered structure, the torch in the hands of one of the workmen revealed a portion of a human body under one of the misplaced trucks. There was in the unrecognizable heap of human remains a shattered leg and some parts of a trunk. About twenty-five yards further on, a dead horse was found with the head completely severed. The pathway was so narrow that the party had to claim over the horse.” ¹⁸

¹⁸ “Death on the Rail : Shocking Disaster on the N. and N. W. R. at the Beach” Spectator. February 15, 1883.