Reminiscences of a Raconteur, Between the '40s and the '20sHam, George H. (George Henry)
History
Reminiscences of a Raconteur, Between the '40s and the '20s
Ham, George H. (George Henry)
Canada; Ham, George H. (George Henry), 1847-1926; Journalists -- Canada -- Biography
It is difficult to remember all the good fellows and their peculiarities
at this length of time but I can recall handsome Hon. J. D. Hazen, Mr.
C. N. Skinner, Major-General Hugh H. McLean and Hon. John Costigan from
New Brunswick, who were popular on both sides of the House. Sir Douglas
Hazen was afterwards premier of his native province, and now is
ornamenting the bench; Sir Clifford Sifton, who inaugurated the first
real immigration policy; Captain J. B. Labelle, from Richelieu,
commander of the R. & O. steamer, _Montreal_, was a social lion and one
of the best dressed men in the House. His son is General Labelle, of the
Montreal Harbor Commission. Sir Adolphe Chapleau ranked among the most
brilliant orators of that day, and Honorable C. C. Colby, of Stanstead,
was one of the ablest lawyers in the House and personally was very
popular, as was Donald MacMaster, now Sir Donald, a distinguished member
of the British House of Commons. Then there were good old Billy Smith
from South Ontario, still in the Parliamentary pink; George Guillet,
from Northumberland, Ontario; Peter Mitchell, from Northumberland, N.B.;
Colonel Tisdale, from South Norfolk; Dr. Ferguson, from Welland; Fred
Hale, from Carleton, N.B.; J. A. Mara, James Reid, Thomas Earle, E. Crow
Baker, who recently passed away, and the late E. G. Prior, recently
Lt.-Gov. of British Columbia, from which Province they all came; Mahlon
Cowan, the fighting man from Essex, Ont.; David Henderson of Halton; W.
C. Edwards, from Russell, the real old genuine free trader of the house;
Uriah Wilson, from Lennox, a member of high standing; Hon. John Haggart
and Dr. Montague, he of the silver tongue, who were bosom friends, the
latter coming to a tragic end in Winnipeg; George Taylor, the Tory whip
from Gananoque; Josiah Wood, from Westmoreland, who owns a railway, was
afterwards Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick and is father-in-law of
Eddie Nichols, the newspaperman, of Winnipeg. A. W. Ross, the real
estate boss, and W. F. McCreary from Manitoba; Hon. Tom Daly from
Brandon, who, like his father, was a broth of a boy; Senator J. B.
Plumb, from Niagara, a royal entertainer when Speaker of the Senate;
Hon. John Carling, whose election contests with his brother-in-law in
London were as fierce as any in the whole Dominion; big Duncan C.
Fraser, the giant from Nova Scotia, who like A. G. Jones, another Nova
Scotian member, who was charged with having said, “Haul down the flag”
at Confederation, filled the position of Lieutenant-Governor of that
Province; John V. Ellis from St. John, one of the ablest members of the
House, whose newspaper, the _Globe_, still flourishes under the
management of his son Frank; G. R. R. Cockburn, from Toronto, a fine
type of an Old Country gentleman; Hon. Mr. Prefontaine, mayor of
Montreal, who died in England; Jacques Bureau, whose life is devoted to
politics and mirth and Ernest Lapointe; Billy Northrup, of Hastings,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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