Bankers' Toadies incident: Difference between revisions
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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[[William Aberhart]]'s [[Social Credit Party of Alberta|Social Credit League]] won a substantial victory in the [[Alberta general election, 1935|1935 Alberta provincial election]] on the strength of its promise to implement [[social credit]], an economic theory proposed by British engineer [[C. H. Douglas]]. Social credit held that the poverty of the [[Great Depression]] was in part the fault of bankers, who kept the cost of [[credit (finance)|credit]], and by extension of production, high. Aberhart's solution involved, among other things, monthly "credit dividends" to Albertans in the amount of [[C$]]25. |
[[William Aberhart]]'s [[Social Credit Party of Alberta|Social Credit League]] won a substantial victory in the [[Alberta general election, 1935|1935 Alberta provincial election]] on the strength of its promise to implement [[social credit]], an economic theory proposed by British engineer [[C. H. Douglas]].<ref>Elliott 198</ref> Social credit held that the poverty of the [[Great Depression]] was in part the fault of bankers, who kept the cost of [[credit (finance)|credit]], and by extension of production, high.<ref>Barr 26–27</ref> Aberhart's solution involved, among other things, monthly "credit dividends" to Albertans in the amount of [[C$]]25.<ref>Elliott 157</ref> |
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By 1937, Aberhart's failure to implement these dividends or make other progress towards implementing social credit made many of his [[backbencher]]s suspect that he was either unwilling or incapable of doing so. This belief, combined with a suspicion that he didn't properly understand Douglas's theories, led to the [[1937 Social Credit backbenchers' revolt]]. One outcome of the revolt was Aberhart's ceding a number of the government's powers to the Social Credit Board, made up of five Social Credit backbenchers. [[Glenville MacLachlan]], chair of the Social Credit Board, travelled to the [[United Kingdom]] where he asked Douglas to come to Alberta and serve as its advisor. Douglas declined, but in his stead sent two of his lieutenants, L. D. Byrne and George Frederick Powell. |
By 1937, Aberhart's failure to implement these dividends or make other progress towards implementing social credit made many of his [[backbencher]]s suspect that he was either unwilling or incapable of doing so. This belief, combined with a suspicion that he didn't properly understand Douglas's theories, led to the [[1937 Social Credit backbenchers' revolt]].<ref>Elliott 249</ref> One outcome of the revolt was Aberhart's ceding a number of the government's powers to the Social Credit Board, made up of five Social Credit backbenchers.<ref>Elliott 261</ref> [[Glenville MacLachlan]], chair of the Social Credit Board, travelled to the [[United Kingdom]] where he asked Douglas to come to Alberta and serve as its advisor. Douglas declined, but in his stead sent two of his lieutenants, L. D. Byrne and George Frederick Powell.<ref>Elliott 264</ref> |
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In response to what they saw as the radically anti-business views of the Aberhart government and the Social Credit Board, Alberta's mainstream opposition parties—chiefly the [[Alberta Liberal Party|Liberals]] and the [[Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta|Conservatives]]—began to cooperate under the auspices of the newly formed People's League. |
In response to what they saw as the radically anti-business views of the Aberhart government and the Social Credit Board, Alberta's mainstream opposition parties—chiefly the [[Alberta Liberal Party|Liberals]] and the [[Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta|Conservatives]]—began to cooperate under the auspices of the newly formed People's League.<ref>Elliott 270</ref> |
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==Leaflet== |
==Leaflet== |
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Revision as of 18:26, 23 October 2009
The Bankers' Toadies incident took place in 1937 in Alberta, Canada when a pamphlet was discovered advocating the "extermination" of nine men identified as "Bankers' Toadies". As a result, Joseph Unwin, Social Credit Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and George Frederick Powell, advisor to the Social Credit Board were charged with criminal libel and counselling to murder. Both were convicted of the former charge and sentenced to prison.
Background
William Aberhart's Social Credit League won a substantial victory in the 1935 Alberta provincial election on the strength of its promise to implement social credit, an economic theory proposed by British engineer C. H. Douglas.[1] Social credit held that the poverty of the Great Depression was in part the fault of bankers, who kept the cost of credit, and by extension of production, high.[2] Aberhart's solution involved, among other things, monthly "credit dividends" to Albertans in the amount of C$25.[3]
By 1937, Aberhart's failure to implement these dividends or make other progress towards implementing social credit made many of his backbenchers suspect that he was either unwilling or incapable of doing so. This belief, combined with a suspicion that he didn't properly understand Douglas's theories, led to the 1937 Social Credit backbenchers' revolt.[4] One outcome of the revolt was Aberhart's ceding a number of the government's powers to the Social Credit Board, made up of five Social Credit backbenchers.[5] Glenville MacLachlan, chair of the Social Credit Board, travelled to the United Kingdom where he asked Douglas to come to Alberta and serve as its advisor. Douglas declined, but in his stead sent two of his lieutenants, L. D. Byrne and George Frederick Powell.[6]
In response to what they saw as the radically anti-business views of the Aberhart government and the Social Credit Board, Alberta's mainstream opposition parties—chiefly the Liberals and the Conservatives—began to cooperate under the auspices of the newly formed People's League.[7]
Leaflet
In October 1937, Conservative leader David Duggan rose in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to draw its attention to a pamphlet distributed in and around the legislature building that called for his "extermination".[8] The front of the leaflet read as follows:
My child, you should NEVER say hard or unkind things about Bankers' Toadies. God made snakes, slugs, snails and other creepy-crawly, treacherous, and poisonous things. NEVER, therefore, abuse them—just exterminate them! And to prevent all evasion demand the RESULT you want—$25.00 a month and a lower cost to live.[9]
The back of the pamphlet listed nine men identified as "toadies". Besides Duggan, they were
- S. W. Field, lawyer and president of the People's League
- H. H. Parlee, lawyer and president of the Liberals' Edmonton constituency association
- John Lymburn, lawyer, member of the People's League, and former Attorney-General of Alberta
- H. R. Milner, lawyer and president of the Conservatives' Edmonton constituency association
- G. D. Hunt, investment broker
- L. Y. Cairns, lawyer, member of the Conservatives' provincial executive
- G. W. Auxier, lawyer and secretary of the People's League
- William Antrobus Griesbach, lawyer, member of the Canadian Senate, former member of the Canadian House of Commons, and former mayor of Edmonton[10]
Below this list of names were the words "Exterminate Them. And to prevent all Evasion, Demand the Result You Want—$25.00 a MONTH and a lower cost to live."[10]
On October 3, the police raided the Social Credit League's Edmonton office and seized 4,000 copies of the pamphlet.[8] Griesbach pressed charges against Powell and Social Credit whip Joseph Unwin for criminal libel and counselling to murder.[11]
Trial
On October 27, both men appeared before police magistrate A. Gibson for their preliminary hearings on the criminal libel charge (the counselling to murder charge had been dropped). Unwin opted for a jury trial, while Powell chose to be tried by judge alone.
References
- Barr, John J. (1974). The Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of Social Credit in Alberta. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Limited. ISBN 077101015X.
- Brennan, Brian (2008). The Good Steward: The Ernest C. Manning Story. Calgary, Alberta: Fifth House Ltd. ISBN 978-1-897252-16-1.
- Elliott, David R.; Miller, Iris (1987). Bible Bill: A Biography of William Aberhart. Edmonton: Readmore Books. ISBN 091909144X.