Ottawa ignores grievances of the North West


"Ottawa ignores grievances of the North West"
Prince Albert Times 9/19/1883 Our Wants and Our Grievances It is now over nine months since in the columns of this journal we called the attention of the Dominion Government to some of the prominent requirements of his portion of the Territories, and published the text of a memorial which had been prepared by two of our prominent residents at the special request of the Premier, aand presented to the Government a year ago last spring, which covered to a large extent the grievances under which we as a people have so long labored. Since then another memorial this time addressed to the House of Commons was prepared and largely signed by the inhabitants on the same subject, which was presented to Parliament by a prominent supporter of the Government in the House (D.B. Woodworth, Esq., M.P. for King's Co,. Nova Scotia), and advocated by him and also by Hon. Mr. Blake, the leader of the Opposition. It is time now to enquire what has been the result? * * * * * Literally nothing if we except the granting of the weekly mail. The Government organ in Ottawa, the Citizen, had the cheek to speak of the prayer of the petition as referring to "imaginary grievances." If the editor of the paper would take a run up to these Territories he would soon find out whether they are imaginary or not. He would find a deep-seated dissatisfaction with the policy of the Government in relation to the conduct of public affairs in the North West, particularly in regard to their land policy, which is growing stronger as the months go by, and which is rapidly developing into something more potent than mere remonstrance. The throwing over board of a few pounds of tea in the harbor of Boston over a century ago was an insignificant event in itself, but it was the precursor of a revolution which lost the American colonies to the mother country. We are as loyal a people in these North West Territories as any other in Her Majesty's broad dominions, and there is not a man who would not-if need be-fight for the old flag and the old soil (and the new one too) to the bitter end. * * * * * But we have our rights and privileges, and as free men, sprung from a common origin, and some of the old stock, we demand that they should be respected. Let not the Government mistake the patience and forbearance with which the people of these Territories have too long submitted to acknowledged wrongs and injustice, for acquiescence and submission. Even the trample worm will turn at last, and they little understand the temper of our people if they imagine that the present state of things will much longer be endured. Let us briefly recapitulate some of our most pressing wrongs. First in importance is the delay in granting the land patents and this strikes at the very root our prosperity as a community. Not more than a dozen at the outside we believe have been issued during the last year. With these exceptions, there is not a settler who has a title to the land which he occupies, and which he has improved and resided on in some cases for years beyond the time required by law. We need not point out what a drawback this is to the advancement and prosperity of the Settlement. Nobody can borrow any money for needed improvements on his homestead because he can give no title, and the legal transfer of the property is impossible for the same reason. * * * * * There can be no possible excuse for this delay. If the staff in the Department of the Interior or the Dominion Lands Office is insufficient to do the work, let it be increased. In connection with this, the Government have promised for the last three years to send an officer up from that Department to investigate and settle many disputed claims to land which are in abeyance, and now another season is rapidly passing away and there is no prospect of any one coming. The system which has allowed all the valuable lands in the neighborhood of Prince Albert to be monopolized by speculators and landgrabbers, who have no intention of settling upon them, should at once be abolished, and these lands be thrown open to bona fide settlers many of whom have within the last two or three years been driven away because they could find no lands to homestead. The much vaunted and long promised amended Lands Act of last September is a farce, and with a few exceptions a mere codification of existing laws. One of the new regulations under which cancelled land entries revert to the government for sale at $2.50 an acre is a manifest injustice, the only object of which is to enrich the coffers of the Dominion Treasury to the detriment of intending settlers. Is it not monstrous that you can ride for miles around Prince Albert without seeing a settler's house, and yet these lands are all taken up (so they tell you in the land office) and are not available for homestead. These lands, when the entries are cancelled for non-performance of homestead duties, should be reopened for new settlers, and not made a source of profit to the government. * * * * * We want immediate Provincial organization, for which the Territories are now fully ripe. With our own local Legislature, we could look after and provide a proper system of education for our people, remodel our judicial system, provide for the making and improvement of our roads and bridges, and generally manage our own internal affairs. With the setting apart of the Provinces also will come the necessity for representation in the Dominion Parliament and the Cabinet, without which we will never obtain our substantial rights. Amongst other necessary requirements, we may mention a court house and gaol,[jail] which should be provided by the Federal Government. We also have a right to due share at least of the public offices in the gift of the Dominion Government, but to this matter we alluded at length in our last issue. A resident judge is also required here, now that Judge Richardson has been removed to Regina, and a police magistrate to deal with petty criminal cases. We have thus briefly touched upon a few of the matters of pressing importance to this community, and will again refer more at large to the subject in a future number in the hope that the Dominion Government will see that our people are in real earnest in their demands for redress, but are willing to exhaust all legitimate means to obtain their rights.

"Ottawa ignores grievances of the North West"

Prince Albert Times
9/19/1883
Our Wants and Our Grievances
It is now over nine months since in the columns of this journal we called the attention of the Dominion Government to some of the prominent requirements of his portion of the Territories, and published the text of a memorial which had been prepared by two of our prominent residents at the special request of the Premier, aand presented to the Government a year ago last spring, which covered to a large extent the grievances under which we as a people have so long labored. Since then another memorial this time addressed to the House of Commons was prepared and largely signed by the inhabitants on the same subject, which was presented to Parliament by a prominent supporter of the Government in the House (D.B. Woodworth, Esq., M.P. for King's Co,. Nova Scotia), and advocated by him and also by Hon. Mr. Blake, the leader of the Opposition. It is time now to enquire what has been the result?
* * * * *
Literally nothing if we except the granting of the weekly mail. The Government organ in Ottawa, the Citizen, had the cheek to speak of the prayer of the petition as referring to "imaginary grievances." If the editor of the paper would take a run up to these Territories he would soon find out whether they are imaginary or not. He would find a deep-seated dissatisfaction with the policy of the Government in relation to the conduct of public affairs in the North West, particularly in regard to their land policy, which is growing stronger as the months go by, and which is rapidly developing into something more potent than mere remonstrance. The throwing over board of a few pounds of tea in the harbor of Boston over a century ago was an insignificant event in itself, but it was the precursor of a revolution which lost the American colonies to the mother country. We are as loyal a people in these North West Territories as any other in Her Majesty's broad dominions, and there is not a man who would not-if need be-fight for the old flag and the old soil (and the new one too) to the bitter end.
* * * * *
But we have our rights and privileges, and as free men, sprung from a common origin, and some of the old stock, we demand that they should be respected. Let not the Government mistake the patience and forbearance with which the people of these Territories have too long submitted to acknowledged wrongs and injustice, for acquiescence and submission. Even the trample worm will turn at last, and they little understand the temper of our people if they imagine that the present state of things will much longer be endured. Let us briefly recapitulate some of our most pressing wrongs. First in importance is the delay in granting the land patents and this strikes at the very root our prosperity as a community. Not more than a dozen at the outside we believe have been issued during the last year. With these exceptions, there is not a settler who has a title to the land which he occupies, and which he has improved and resided on in some cases for years beyond the time required by law. We need not point out what a drawback this is to the advancement and prosperity of the Settlement. Nobody can borrow any money for needed improvements on his homestead because he can give no title, and the legal transfer of the property is impossible for the same reason.
* * * * *
There can be no possible excuse for this delay. If the staff in the Department of the Interior or the Dominion Lands Office is insufficient to do the work, let it be increased. In connection with this, the Government have promised for the last three years to send an officer up from that Department to investigate and settle many disputed claims to land which are in abeyance, and now another season is rapidly passing away and there is no prospect of any one coming. The system which has allowed all the valuable lands in the neighborhood of Prince Albert to be monopolized by speculators and landgrabbers, who have no intention of settling upon them, should at once be abolished, and these lands be thrown open to bona fide settlers many of whom have within the last two or three years been driven away because they could find no lands to homestead. The much vaunted and long promised amended Lands Act of last September is a farce, and with a few exceptions a mere codification of existing laws. One of the new regulations under which cancelled land entries revert to the government for sale at $2.50 an acre is a manifest injustice, the only object of which is to enrich the coffers of the Dominion Treasury to the detriment of intending settlers. Is it not monstrous that you can ride for miles around Prince Albert without seeing a settler's house, and yet these lands are all taken up (so they tell you in the land office) and are not available for homestead. These lands, when the entries are cancelled for non-performance of homestead duties, should be reopened for new settlers, and not made a source of profit to the government.
* * * * *
We want immediate Provincial organization, for which the Territories are now fully ripe. With our own local Legislature, we could look after and provide a proper system of education for our people, remodel our judicial system, provide for the making and improvement of our roads and bridges, and generally manage our own internal affairs. With the setting apart of the Provinces also will come the necessity for representation in the Dominion Parliament and the Cabinet, without which we will never obtain our substantial rights. Amongst other necessary requirements, we may mention a court house and gaol,[jail] which should be provided by the Federal Government. We also have a right to due share at least of the public offices in the gift of the Dominion Government, but to this matter we alluded at length in our last issue. A resident judge is also required here, now that Judge Richardson has been removed to Regina, and a police magistrate to deal with petty criminal cases. We have thus briefly touched upon a few of the matters of pressing importance to this community, and will again refer more at large to the subject in a future number in the hope that the Dominion Government will see that our people are in real earnest in their demands for redress, but are willing to exhaust all legitimate means to obtain their rights.