NARRATIVES OF SASKATOON

1882-1912

Genealogy, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Pioneer,Saskatchewan history, Temperance Colony, Temperance Colonization Society, Pioneers,John N. Lake, John Lake, Saskatoon history, Saskatoon Gen Web, Genealogy, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Pioneer,Saskatchewan history, Temperance Colony, Temperance Colonization Society, Saskatoon history, Saskatoon Gen Web

of travelling for the trail was entirely obliterated. In this shelter we were compelled to stay all day and another night. The hours dragged wearily. John and I ran out of subjects for conversation. The old man was unable to make us understand what he said. The only literature to hand was an old German newspaper. The poor imbecile lad every now and then peered into your face giving you a kindly push with his hand laughing idiotically. It was a relief when bedtime arrived. Next morning the storm had ceased. We set out ploughing our way through the drifts, till we struck a main trail over which some sleighs had passed early in the day. That night we arrived at Rosthern. We were particularly anxious about the Hague poll. Marcotte, a French Canadian (a fierce opponent in a former contest of mine at Battleford with B. Prince) was endeavoring to have a large body of foreigners around Fish Creek naturalized in time to vote for Chubb. Had he succeeded in polling all these my outlook would have been blue. Joe Fletcher, a staunch sup- porter of mine, offered to look after this poll. He challenged so many of the voters that the returning officer ran out of the printed forms of the affirmation early in the day. The poll clerk had to write out the form which took so much time that when the hour of closing the poll arrived, some voters could not get their vote polled. We had very grave doubts as to the validity of the naturalization papers these voters presented. My scrutineer was quite justified in objecting and causing their ballots to be reserved. The point was not decided in the court because even with these votes for Chubb at the final count I had a clear majority and I did not think the expense of having the question decided would be warranted. At the close of the poll at Saskatoon I had a majority of seventy-five. The result from the outlying polls north were looked for anxiously. Ro- bert Caswell who was at the furthest out poll from Rosthern had arranged to send us the news. Up to nine o'clock no word had come. The operator at Rosthern was about to close up his office when Caswell arrived and flash- ed the news. The number of votes polled was very small, and although strongly against me, the number was not sufficient to elect my opponent. We kept the news quiet. Chubb and his friends were confident of having been successful and were having a great celebration at the Windsor Hotel. which now had a license. I called at the Hotel and was the recipient of their sympathy with my defeat for which I thanked them and joined with them in their rejoicing. Some of my friends however were so confident of my success that they freely accepted the wagers offered on all sides, amongst my supporters Jimmy Flanagan was most conspicuous. "What a difference in the morning when the result of the northern polls was made public I As Jimmy Flanagan said "they had to take their medicine," but it was with considerable gagging. At the final count by the returning officer, Don Garrison, some grave irregularities were disclosed. One deputy returning officer failed to put his initials on any of the ballots, at another poll the oaths to be taken by the officials were not recorded and another returning officer had put the key of the ballot box in it before sealing it up. The returning officer al- lowed) all the votes to be counted, as Acheson the election clerk and legal adviser considered them good. Two of the polls should have been thrown out. After all the votes were totalled up, and allowing Chubb the thirty- eight challenged votes at Hague, I had a clear majority of fourteen. I was satisfied and did not call for a recount before a Judge. This fall J. F. Cairns came to Saskatoon to start in business, his first advertisement appeared in the Phoenix on the 5th of December, 1902. Soon after his arrival, he called on me presenting a letter of introduction from a mutual friend in Winnipeg. He told me his circumstances and of his intention to start business in Saskatoon. I gave him every encouragement and told him of my faith in the prospects. Neither of us had any hope of the rapidity of the growth and development that subsequently took place, but we were satisfied to take our chances of its becoming a place of im- portance and bent our energies to make it develop. He started a bakery. The operation of the swing ferry was a source of great annoyance. An indignation meeting was held on the 24th of October, Dr. Willoughby in the Page 60

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