Lesson Plan One

The Herald – 1878.03.02 – Letter from Johnville – Politics – #18

LETTER FROM JOHNVILLE

To the Editor of the HERALD
JOHNVILLE, Feb. 25th, 1878

Dear Sir,– We have been often asked the question – “what have your county members done for Johnville?” To show who they are who they were and what they have done, is, to some extent, the object of these letters. With the exceptions of David Munroe and James Hartley it would be easy to name what the others, and their name is legion, have done for us ; it could be explained by the one word nil. There were times, however, when they all thought of us at least, and that was at the approach of an election. Very seldom indeed any candidate honored us with a visit in propria persona at such times, on such occasions, or on such business, they were above that. Fridays, tools and understrappers were always on hand ad infintum, who having each an axe to grind saved them the trouble, the humiliation or whatever else you may […] and Johnville went it blind. These convenient agents were generally the small traders in small villages who, with few exceptions, have wonderful ideas of their power over the farming class. There was a time when the state of things existed in this county generally, but has past away and forever; it may be true of Johnville just now, and here too it will soon be numbered with the things of the past.

Some men are stupid enough to think it would injure their prospects among the Protestants, to openly canvass the Catholic vote, and if others do it for them, they can say, “it is not my fault if Roman Catholics vote for me. I cannot prevent them.” But if to be seen in Catholic company is bad and odious to the true blues, under such circumstances, to visit the priest would be much worse, and few would venture so far. It was said to have happened once however in this county, or rather the attempt was made, but failed. An aspirant for public honors and anxious to secure the Woodstock priest’s good will in a cowardly way, made a call for that purpose. It would never do to be seen about there in broad day light, or at the front door. Therefore a dark night, dark enough to steal wood, was preferred, and the path to the back door as well, the hour too must be late and no reporter or eaves dropper around, but it was a little too late and the priest was asleep, as every honest man should be at such an hour.

The dog watch was wide awake and not having fear, or respect of persons, before his eyes, but determined on doing his duty, went for the intruder, and was found next morning with an assortment of torn pieces of drab cloth in his teeth, the same being portions of the seat of a certain man’s inexpessibles.

Mr. Hartley was the only man who did his own work in Johnville. James Hartley, a young man of energy, education and ability, succeeded Charles Connell, who had abandoned us and gone to Ottawa, thus leaving his country for his country’s good. Mr. Hartley was not with us long but long enough to make his mark. Had he lived he would have been a good and useful representative, and the outside world would not need to ask “ who is Hartley, Unfortunately he was too ambitious for his years, and for his strength and constitution, too indefatigable in his labors. He died young, but his name is honored and remembered, and his loss regretted. In his death, Johnville lost a true, a sincere and willing friend. It was he who made the survey and he ever after felt an interest in the development of the settlement.

After Mr. Hartley came a host of others in rapid succession, too numerous to mention, and getting no better fast. There was White, Jones, Appleby, and Leighton, the one as useless as the other, and more so, if possible, especially the last named. Leighton could not conveniently visit us himself before the election, but would certainly do himself that honor forthwith, to inform himself perfectly as the wants of the settlement, roads and bridges, and all that sort of thing. He has not done himself that honor yet, and it is now two or three years since, but he may, however, who knows, sometime before or perhaps after the day of judgment, if he be not too much occupied just then with his own affairs. Yet strange to say, the sun shines, the rain falls, summer follows winter, and the seasons succeed seasons all the same, Leighton here or there or no where. He is in opposition, and runs a House of his own, on a small scale. It is reported, and is in the papers, and therefore must be true, that he is to be shelved up stairs very soon, and put out of the road, where he can do no harm. He is not worth the trouble, let him alone and in good time he will find his level, and that will be down cellar and out of sight Johnville is terror to evil doers. We took some of the starch out of Charles Connell and all the little Connells ; we took all the starch out of White, and left him hanging for years wilted and flimsy as a wet rag. He is brushing up again, it appears, and if he gain a smile from us he thinks that we forget. I want to know ! Other men’s turn will come soon and cannot come too soon.

Yours, &c.,
– MONQUART

The Herald – 1878.02.23 – Letter from Johnville and from Mr. Magee – #17

LETTER FROM JOHNVILLE

To the Editor of the HERALD

Dear Sir,– In these letters we are certainly anxious to give credit to whom credit is due, to be just to every one and all thins to all men, but when public men, whose acts are public property, fail to come up to our reasonable and just expectations as far as Johnville especially is concerned, we feel it our duty to point out their short-comings.

We can look back with no small amount of satisfaction to the happy relations that existed between us and our [quondam] representative, Mr. Munroe, who to us always acted the part of the good samaritan ; when we were poor and in need he did not pass us by, but came to our assistance. We regret not being able to express ourselves thus warmly with regard to Mr. Lindsay. He may have a considerable share of legislative ability, if so it is latent ; and he may have in his nature some of the milk of human kindness, but if so it is very much skimmed.

Anybody having the curiosity to know what it costs a man to be elected in Carleton County we would advise them to consult Mr. Lindsay. However, deficient he may be on other subjects, he understands, from personal experience, all about County elections and costs, as well as the next man. We entertained the hope that after having paid so dearly [for] the place, position, distinction, seal, etc., saying nothing of the honor and the whistle, that he would be permitted to enjoy and wear his honors in peace and quietness. It was not so to, be however. By his daring to aspire so high, being only a mechanic, and trespassing upon the Connell demesne, he had provoked the ire of the Connell faction, Charlie declared something has got to be done. It is not often that Greek meets Greek, they did however meet in Woodstock, this time sure, and then came the tug of war.

On declaration day Connell protested against Lindsay’s election on the plea of bribery and corruption. A scrutiny was commenced which continued for years, and though considered by most as frivolous and vexatious, might have been kept up until both parties would have been reduced to the peculiar condition of the two cats, and nothing remain except the tails, had it not been for the fortunate and timely resignation of Mr. Munroe. The scrutiny was then dropped. Mr. Connell saw his star appear again rising up beautifully in the distance.

At the next election, to fill up the vacancy, Mr. Connell was a candidate. There was no strong man to oppose him, and because the people, who generally are forgiving, thought him sufficiently punished, decided to give him another trial. He was elected by a respectable majority. He did not disappoint the people this time and proved his conversion to be sincere. The years he spent in retreat and retirement gave him time to think and study, and pointed out to him the folly of the past and the wisdom of adopting a more prudent and less arrogant policy in future.

After a time he entered the Government, and got the office of Surveyor General, which he held until Confederation, when his ambition drew all his thoughts to Ottawa, and where he cut a sorry figure, as was to be expected. It is said that whilst at the head of the Crown Land Department he devoted his attention to the duties, and managed the affairs as well as had been done before or since, which may not be saying very much. As far as we were concerned, here in Johnville, we had no reason to find fault. He appeared to be disposed to do us justice if no more, and we asked no more, nor would we be put off with less. Certainly he was prompt in forwarding our grants. If at any time there was confusion or any misunderstanding between us and the office it was caused by the blunderings of the Parish Commissioner, and his selfish untruthful and unreliable returns and reports. At one time an injustice was near being done to a very worthy man in Johnville, all the work of his same commissioner, and would have been done too if Mr. Connell had not been warned of the consequences of such an unjust act, who when he saw there no other alternative, appointed a disinterested party to investigate the matter and report to the office, which when done it was seen clearly by the department that they [been led] into error by the dishonest returns made by their own officer. The consequence was that the commissioner was deprived [of] all authority, as far as Johnville was concerned, and Mr. Cummins was appointed in his place. If Mr. Connell did this it was to avoid exposure, and because he knew he had independent electors to deal with, who would submit to no humbug from his hands.

When we saw this Mr. Giberson’s manner of doing business, we concluded that if many other commissioners under the Labor Act, in other Parishes and counties, managed things in the same way it could be no matter of surprise if the condition of things in the Crown Land Office in Fredericton would be confusion twice confused.

Yours, &c.,
– MONQUART

The Herald – 1878.02.09 – Letter from Johnville – Charles Connell – #13

LETTER FROM JOHNVILLE

To the Editor of the HERALD

Dear Sir,– The result of the election, to which I adverted in my last letter, Charles Connell’s defeat, was a surprise, and such a surprise as was never before known in this County The fervent prayers and the persevering efforts of the independent party were crowned with success, and they had the satisfaction of seeing their most sanguine hopes even more than realized. To the men of honor and to all the lovers of truth, consistency, and good principle in this County, it was a relief to be freed from such an incubus. It was pardonable in them, and they intended no injury or insult to their country, if they felt and manifested the joy the did feel that this big imposition, who represented only himself, and who so often had gone up like a rocket, had at last come down a burnt stick, “sic transit gloria mundi.” The public mind was scarcely prepared for such a consummation. That this would-be King of the County, who in imagination, held the County in the palm of his hand, and in his inflated idea of his own stars with his lofty head, and who had wielded so long such almost undisputed sway, was not only in his last agony, but was actually politically dead, was a [consumation] hard to realize. It was only when Johnville – the most remote polling place – could be heard from that the fate of the day would be known. From four until nine o’clock were hours of anxiety and painful suspense. The hour came and with it the decision ; but brought no comfort to Charlie. This time fortune was against him. He had been put in the balance, found wanting, and was left out in the cold. The two seats in the gift of the people were given to the two strangers. David Munroe and Wm. Lindsay, and Connell they made their own of, though he, too, would much prefer to enjoy the privilege of a stranger. He was unequal to the occasion, and presented a picture woe-begone such as eye never before rested on. Unable to bear the evidence of agreeable surprise in the faces of those who surrounded him, he made a bee-line for home, to bury his disappointment in the sudden shock, inconsolable grief department. The Goliath of the Philistines was brought low by a stone from David’s sling.

People have different ways of burying grief, some meet it in a Christian spirit, with fortitude and resignation ; some find comfort in prayer, and others in wine ; but our friend Charlie had recourse to the orange and blue. From that day he became a true blue, and identified himself with the orange organization and their public meetings and processions. It was all a matter of taste, however, and who cared? It pleased him and hurt nobody.

If political matters had assumed a new attitude in Carleton County, for that new phase of the County should thank Johnville, which on that occasion was, and at any future day may be, a balance of power in the County. Mr. Connell was not the only man whom Johnville wakened up from their dreams of ambition. When Mr. White had grown to such dimensions that our Local Legislature was too small for hi, and undertook to go to Ottawa with first-class men, Johnville abandoned him, and, consequently, he lost Fredericton and Ottawa and it served him right. Be it remembered, by all whom it may concern, that in 1870 Wm. Lindsay polled 104 votes in Johnville. These votes, and more too, are here yet, and are worth looking after. We work for the men who work for us, and when we vote, we vote as one man, and our numbers tell. Mr. Connell had been in politics for, perhaps, twenty years and had always been successful in his elections. His political record was peculiar, as his policy was peculiar to never say what he thought or think what he said. He attended every public meeting ; spoke on every subject; would deny all he said, and could not easily be contradicted, his manner being so studiedly confused.

At one time, and when his vote was needed by the party with which he appeared to work, he accepted a seat in the Legislative Council, and his friends were disappointed when they saw his coat-tails disappearing up-stairs. The new position did not suit him, he soon tired of it, and yearned to return to his old place in the popular branch. The ostensible reason given for his change of mind, was the good of the County, the interests of the people; but the real motive was self, and to represent himself. At another period of his history he was a member of the Executive, and was head of the Post Office department in the Fisher Administration. He was said to have worked harmoniously in the Government team, with the Shetland pony and the Nashwauk split-hoof, especially when he had his nose in the mail-bag; but was stript of his colors and drummed out on account of his vain attempt, in his modesty, to have the Queen’s face superseded by his own, on the postage stamps.

Mr. Connell as a citizen and a resident was a most amiable and exemplary man; but as a politician he was not a success.
Yours, &c.,
– MONQUART