In
1914, the municipal election campaigns for mayor, members of the Board of
Control and ward aldermen, in Hamilton as well as the rest of Ontario, were
held late in December.
As the voting for a compliment of
politicians to guide Hamilton throughout 1915, the editors of the Hamilton
Spectator were of the view that the men who had put their names forward in the
various races did not have what was necessary to guide the city through the
upcoming challenging times.
The war that had been predicted to be
over by Christmas was not over, and, indeed, it had become desperately bloody
with no hope for any early settlement. The war was already having significant,
negatives impacts on the home front, and those impacts were sure to continue to
be very negative and far-reaching.
The Spectator published the following
comment on the need for the absolutely highest-qualified men to run for
municipal office in the upcoming election. The lengthy comment was printed in
bold type and was placed on the front page:
“The
Spectator offers no apologies for again referring to the present municipal situation
as it affects the people of Hamilton. Men are announcing themselves every day
as candidates for the positions of mayor, of controller and of alderman. The
same old pleas and platitudes are adorning their advertising matter. Promises
and platforms, pithy and pretty, are being peddled about in the orthodox way in
the hope of entrapping the indifferent and unthinking, and not any too
particular voter.
“In prosperous times, when money was
plentiful, and the majority of citizens were not so carefully weighing the
value of a dollar as they are now, the qualifications of a candidate seeking
public office were perhaps not such important considerations as they are today.
“The Spectator is not alarmist, but it
does agree with many predictions that it has heard certain businessmen make of
what may be expected of 1915, particularly if the war should continue through
that year. The Spectator feels that it would be remiss in its public duty if it
did not emphasize again and again the tremendous need there is of exercising
every precaution and using every means in our power to cope with a situation
that may be gravely critical.
“What crises lie hidden for the people
of Hamilton no man can now say. The next few months will tell, and it is for
the purpose of impressing on the ratepayers the importance of being
extraordinarily careful in electing only properly equipped men to conduct civic
affairs during that period that the Spectator again dilates upon this question.
“The outlook is certainly not
encouraging. After a careful survey of the field of municipal candidates, which
numbers many worthy citizens, the Spectator is reluctantly compelled to admit
that with few exceptions they do not measure up to the type that could be
unreservedly endorsed and supported.
“What does Hamilton need today? Why,
MEN! Men of tried and successful business expertise; men of dominant character
and independent thought; men above suspicion and beyond the reach of all
political and partisan influence, no matter how powerful; men of assured
position, fearless and impartial; men who have brains, and have given practical
demonstrations that they know how to use them; men who are capable of handling
the biggest problems, either financial or industrial, that may come before
them, wisely and with celerity; men who never find it necessary to give excuses
and apologies for business mistakes.
“The Spectator believes that there are
such men in this community; the problem is to induce them to run for public office.
“The events of the last few months
have disclosed the encouraging fact that we have men in this city who are
prepared to make important sacrifices of their time and money for the public
good. The work that has been done by men of this type in connection with the
various local patriotic and relief works has been ample demonstration of what
they are ready to undertake when the right appeal is made. Men who, in the
business world, would command an earning capacity of thousands of dollars
yearly, have, as a matter of duty, given their service and their talents freely
for the benefit of their fellow citizens.
“Some of these men are even now
offering themselves as volunteers in the Home Guard and are ready to serve in
humble capacities there just as a matter of principle.
“This is surely a sufficient
indication that the spirit of these men is right and encourages a belief that,
even against their own inclinings, they would undertake the more vital and
necessary work if the subject were properly presented to them.
“What can be done to get them to
volunteer for such service?” 1
1 “Volunteers
Wanted”
Hamilton Spectator. December 16, 1914
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