1883 - July - 4

Late in the evening of July 16, 1883, letters were sent by Police Chief A. D. Stewart to each member of the Hamilton Police Commission : Mayor Magill, Judge Sinclair and Police Magistrate James Cahill :
          “The instructions that the messengers who had delivery of these letters got were : ‘They must be delivered tonight!’ A reporter strolling homeward casually heard of the circumstance, and he set to work to find out why these notes had been written when the surprising fact was revealed that they had been issued to call a meeting of the police commissioners at 6:30 this morning.”^1
1 “Trouble in the Force : The Policemen Declare That They Will Not Strike”
          Hamilton Spectator. July 17, 1883
          After the three police commissioners had huddled together with Chief Stewart, they all proceeded to the King William street police station where all the city’s policemen had been summoned:
          “It was a regular gathering of the clans. Such a crowd of blue-uniformed, white-helmeted men has not been seen together in Hamilton for many a day. They were all there from the genial and gigantic P.C. Watson down to the smallest man on the force, all but P.C. Fenton who is out of town on holidays.”¹
                Mayor Magill opened the meeting and said that the object of calling the men together was to speak to them about the following letter which he had received :
          “Hamilton, July 16, - To Chas. Magill, Esq.
          Mayor – Sir : There is going to be a strike in the police force for more pay. It is the intention of the men not to go on duty Wednesday, the 18^th. Avoid strike, if possible.
          Yours, etc.
          CITIZEN.”¹
                The mayor said that the other commissioners had received similar letters. The commissioners wanted to know who had sent the letters and whether there was any truth to the suggested possibility of a strike:
          “He waited a couple of minutes for a reply. None came. The men stood there, silent, grim; some faces wearing a half-laughing expression. The silence grew most oppressive. The lonely reporter wished for company in his box. None came. In the silence, he winked across the room at a detective. The detective caught it on the fly and wafted a kiss on his fingertips to the solitary rep.
          “Finally, the mayor broke the silence.
          “ ‘Well,’ said he, ‘we’ll go about it in another way. Constable Ferris, do you intend striking tomorrow?’
          “Old Peter, rugged, stern, weather-beaten, the veteran of the force, looked up, stately dignified, uncompromising, smiled grimly and answered firmly. “Oi do not, sur.’ And so it went on. When P.c. Knox was asked, he replied, ‘I don’t intend to strike, your worship.’
          “The mayor (springing up excitedly) : ‘Then this is a foul forgery, and I would like to have the man here who is the author of it,’ with which he picked up the letter and tossed it viciously on the desk.”¹
                At length the matter seemed to be settled as every man denied writing the letter and denied that they had any 8intention of striking:
          “Presently, the mayor said : ‘Well, I am glad for your own sakes that5 the matter has ended this way. All I can say of you is that I know you are a number of good, reliable men who attend well to their duty.
          “Judge Sinclair – ‘By your conduct this morning, men, you have done more to establish  your good name and credit with the commissioners and the people of Hamilton, than anything that has been done by you for a long time. It would have been particularly unfortunate had you struck, and especially on such a day as tomorrow. But we wanted to know what you were going to do so that we might know what to do too. If you had intended striking, we wanted to get men in your places as soon as possible. Now I will say this to you in the matter of increase of pay. Send a deputation to the commissioners, and we will talk the matter over again. It struck us the amount asked for was somewhat excessive, but you come to us and related your grievances and your side of the story and you will not find us hard to deal with. As far as I personally am concerned and, I am sure, as far as my brother commissioners are concerned, there is nothing but great, good feeling and the heartiest of good will towards all the members of the Hamilton police force.”¹
                After a little trivial talk, the commissioners rose, and the meeting was adjourned.