Wayback Wednesday, sponsored by Jamie Lockwood, broker/owner of Sutton Group Muskoka Realty!
From the Huntsville Heritage Collection and Muskoka Digital Archives:
On the eve of the Ontario Provincial Election, we thought this election wager photo from 1911 was worth repeating. The election wager between H.E. Rice (standing with straw boater) and J.E Mosley (seated), was related to Canada entering into a free trade agreement with the U.S.
Excerpt from the book Huntsville With Spirit and Resolve, by Susan Pryke, c2000:
The Dominion election in September 1911 saw Wilfred Laurier’s Liberal government defeated over its support of free trade between the United States and Canada. The reciprocity issue consumed the public’s attention for most of that year. The Forester ran an informal poll of public opinion, asking people to mail in ballots that had been printed in the paper. The results, published weekly in April, showed those opposed to free trade outnumbering the ‘free traders’ two to one.
After 15 years, the country was again Conservative, with Prime Minister Robert Borden at the helm. William Wright, the standing member for Muskoka, triumphantly returned, winning over Liberal candidate G.H.O. Thomas of Bracebridge. Huntsville gave Mr. Wright the most significant Conservative victory in its history.
Meanwhile, the public in Huntsville looked forward with some amusement to the payment of an election wager between two of its leading citizens. H.E. Rice, editor of the Forester, had bet hardware store owner J.E. Mosley that the Liberals would still win the election in spite of the unpopularity of free trade and that they would win by a majority of 25. If they didn’t, he promised to take Mosley on a wheelbarrow ride from the swing bridge to the post office and back to his store.
“Of course Rice paid the price of unwarranted optimism,” the paper announced. So one bright afternoon, the week of September 28, 1911, Mosley arrived at the Forester office with a decorated wheelbarrow. Across the front was a large banner bearing the words, “The larger markets R.I.P.” With huge crowds watching, H.E. Rice wheeled Mosley to the bridge and back.
Do you have interesting photos to share of days gone by? We’d love to see them! Email: [email protected]
See more Wayback Wednesday photos HERE.
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How relevant is this story!! So interesting. Thanks for sharing.