1914-12-24rr

“The meeting of the East Hamilton Improvement society, held at Farrar’s hall, last evening, was not very largely attended, although those who braved the cutting winds were there to hear facts about municipal government, and it was plainly evident that Ald. Chester Walters was the popular choice of the meeting.”

Hamilton Herald      December 24, 1914.

That the number of citizens attending a political meeting on a bitterly cold evening, two days before Christmas, was hardly surprising.

However, the reporter for the Hamilton Herald did make it, although the man from the Spectator chose not to attend.

Perhaps the Spectator’s strong endorsement of candidate Charles Gardner played a part in the reporter choosing to stay in the office rather than braving the cold to get to a hall where it was anticipated that Gardner’s opponent would be the popular choice of the audience.

There were many in East Hamilton who did not have jobs in December 1914:

“Both Ald. Walters and Controller Garner gave addresses, and were attentively listened to, but Mr. Gardner was put through a severe cross-examination over his endeavor to make political capital by exploiting the unemployed question.

“Ex-Ald. Bryers asked many questions of the controller, which the latter sought to evade, but finally admitted that he had no solution to the unemployed question in view, other than saying that something should be done.”¹

¹ “Controller Gardner Was Put on the Grill : Admitted He Had No Solution of Unemployed Question, When Asked By Ex-Ald. Bryers, Who Stated He Was Tired of Hearing It Used For Political Purposes”

Hamilton Herald.   December 24, 1914.

Alderman Walters was not confronted about the unemployment question as he had not used the issue to forward his campaign. Walters had much more to campaign on, his leadership in exposing corruption at City Hall, particularly in in the Works Department:

“Alderman Walters charged that some of the departments at the city hall manipulated their accounts by charging expenditures that should be out of the current year’s appropriation up to the capital account for the purpose of showing a surplus at the end of the year. He said that this was wrong, and even fraudulent, but was still being done.”¹

Walters used his business experience to argue that the city’s accounting was deplorable, saying “I think we should have a complete revaluation of the assets of the city. In many departments charges are made up to the capital account, instead of against the general accounts and thus the debt is saddled on to the city for future years. It is a bad business policy, and is robbing the people of future years, and is deceiving those who lend money to the city on the statements issued.”¹

While Alderman Walters was part of the City of Hamilton Council in 1914, as an alderman he did not have the specific budgetary oversight that members of the Board of Control did. As a controller, Gardner tried to respond to Walters’ charges by trying to explain that Ald. Walters’ figures were wrong.

Gardner’s arguments fell flat with the small audience. The meeting was relatively brief but it was definitely one in which the Walters’ candidacy for mayor appeared to be unstoppable.