Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 28, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Brian readers forum saturday free press a 1 1 june 1997 n i i Early Premier debated issues like National identity a Man for our times historical researcher Ruth Swan has been instrumental in uncover ing the Story of one of Manitoba first her great grandma As her Story Indi he was a Man for his but he also should be a Man for our last the government of Manitoba unveiled a plaque in the legislative building to one of the Leas known Manitoba premiers the Robert Atkinson Davis Davis and his first wife arrived in the red River settlement in May 1870 while Louis Kiel and his Metis cavalry were holding upper fort in he bought a hotel at the Corner of Portage and renaming it the Davis within four at the age of he won the Winnipeg seat in a by election and was appointed provincial six months after a Ministeri Al crisis and the successful implementation of responsible he became holding the position for four he subsequently retired and moved to Chicago where he became a successful real estate Developer and was forgotten in the province that he had led Only a Short time until this there was nothing to commemorate him in Manitoba other than an Oil portrait in the com Mittee room of the legislative building painted posthumously and nothing on his grave in Oak Woods to note that he had been Premier of a Cana Dian although forgotten Davis was remembered through stories of his relatives in Quebec and in my Andrew of West became intrigued after attending a Davis reunion in and seeing some letters to his William Wallace from Robert in he initiated some documentary research and wrote to John provincial archivist of for More in the my father shared this Story i recall that during my High school whenever my Mother wished to urge the necessity of learning she would illustrate by telling How in 1869 1870 her Uncle Robert arrived on the East Bank of the red River to find it studded with sentries who were preventing English speaking persons from All the country from the opposite Bank Westward came under the jurisdiction of the provisional government headed by Louis it seems Robert Davis quietly withdrew to a Point a few Miles away either up or downstream and at dusk or Dawn swam the River accompanied by his two once across he talked Only French and in due course presented himself at riels he upper fort Garry where he demanded to be taken to his request was granted almost Riel asked him in French what his business was when he replied that he wanted to take up Riel assured him he had no objection to anyone doing provided they were pre pared to live As peaceful i assume by the time the rebel lion was Robert Davis had established a firm foothold in the fort Garry Bovey replied that he did not have much information on Davis and any family letters or documents would be my father was not too successful and i took up the project in 1983 after moving to win during the past 14 my Davis relatives have donated three collections of letters and photographs to the provincial archives of Manitoba and i wrote my Mas ters thesis on his administration As Well As a biography for the dictionary of Canadian although the letters did not con Tain political they were an excellent source of family Histo for the i relied on articles in the Winnipeg free press and be Metis of Boniface to show the a plaque to former Premier Davis inset will be placed near the former location of his hotel at Portage and Ontario the Dominion government denied responsible government to the postage stamp province for the first four years while maintaining control of Public lands and economic the provincial trea sury could not raise its own taxes and relied on a subsidy based on i will Muster As much Zeal As necessary to safeguard the rights of the weak and of the contrasting views of the journalists in these different ethnic commune although Davis was initially linked with the Ontario protestants through his business dealings he was a Leader of the Winnipeg businessmen who opposed the control of the Hudson Bay he won the election of 1874 with the full support of the French Joseph a frenc Canadian lawyer from was the Leader of the faction of French canadians and Metis Loyal to Louis Riel and his program to protect Metis lands in since Riel was unable to take up his seat in the House of commons because of Ontario Perse he stayed in hiding and politicians like Royal became his Riel would have liked to be pre Mier but he was denied a prominent role in Post Conedera Tion Manitoba because of the death of Thomas there were Many factions vying for Power which coalesced into three parties the French party French canadians and the English party the old settlers of the red River mixed and the Canadian party population from Conse there was considerable frustration with the administration of the Halfbreed land Grant As regulations were changed and delayed and responsible govern ment denied to local in the provincial Cabinet insisted that it should select its own responsible to the instead of the who was responsible to the Marc Amable Girard was chosen the first but was Only in office for six the Ontario members refused to go to the polls in december with a French speaking the resulting ministerial crisis produced a Compromise candidate who formed a coalition with the French canadians and Metis and was elected in december 1874 with the full support of the French historians have not been Able to explain How Davis Rose to Power so and How he attracted the Strong support of the French Royal would have liked to have been Premier since there was no Hope for the peo Ples Louis must have realized that if Girard was unacceptable As a so would he Royal needed a politician who would attract English votes and still respect the bilingual and Bicu Tural nature of the Manitoba act of which followed the dual nature of the Quebec political historians supposed that Davis was a Catholic and therefore accept Able to the French but he was a the reason for his Success was found in the Story that Andrew Swan received from his Mother and Davis was from que an and could speak he was prepared to forge alliances with communities throughout the red River unlike his Ontario he did not consider it Uncan Adian to be from Quebec and he respected the minority concerns of the French during and after the election Campaign of these issues of ethnic Ity and National identity were debated at Al candidates meetings and duly reported in be Metis and the free be Metis was owned by Joseph Royal and was his it gave the government the free press had As its first Edi a Liberal who showed a persistent ant French during the he waged a bitter War against the French connections of Davis and reminded Winnipeg voters that Davis was disloyal to the English because he had won the support of the French raised and educated in the province of accustomed to Quebec Quebec Ungro Gressie the dual and All the and one things which it is necessary should be avoided in a British Davis finds it impossible to shake himself Clear of the effects of his Early teaching and tenaciously clings Here to what he was taught to cling to let inhabited by Ontario Send an Ontario Man to represent them in the provincial parliament free despite Lux tons narrow minded Davis won the Winnipeg his noted that Davis was committed to safeguard French rights in the new province and published a speech Davis made in the legislative debates on april 1875 i will always remember that i have colleagues in the ministry of which i am chief that Are of the Catholic and French minority of the i will Muster As much Zeal As necessary to safeguard the rights of the weak and of the minority while respecting the needs of the the protestant immigrants from Ontario gradually under mined the support for French rights in Manitoba and who had moved to was labelled these issues of ethnic identity and minority rights Are still being debated in Canadian in Davis is no longer a for gotten politician of a bygone he has a plaque on his grave in Chicago and his plaque in Winnipeg will soon be erected at the North West Corner of Portage and main in front of the site of the Davis some of the descendants of William Wallace Davis from que Ontario and attended the ceremony last sunday at the Mani Toba legislature to honour a distinguished after 14 years of research and we were ready to Cele letters to the editor italian generals turn the tables i note from your columns that two italian generals have resigned Over allegations that their troops Tor tured unarmed during the second world the italian army was the object of some derision As its troops surrendered in the thousands to Allied armies in North now it looks As if the tables have turned and italian generals Are giving their Canadian counterparts lessons in concepts of military Alex Herbert Winnipeg paper should cover news after Reading the Globe and mails june 18 headline judge limits Somalia subtitled ruling blasts Ottawa for cutting inquiry i looked in vain for a free press head line or editorial on the i finally found an innocuous article in the june 19 buried on Page free press readers be sur when Doug Young shut Down the judicial inquiry in a blatant and How to reach us the free press welcomes letters from letters must be signed and should include a clearly printed address and Telephone names will be published but not All letters May be edited for style and Short letters Are less Likely to be please address letters to letters to the Winnipeg free 1355 Mountain Winnipeg r2x letters can be sent to our fax number letters May be submitted through the internet at letters letters sent via the internet obviously cannot be but must include Home address and Telephone number unprecedented act of political inter the free press responded with an oblivious editorial entitled times which actually tried to blame the inquiry for defence depart ment stonewalling it read As though it had been written by the Liberal party of the free press has an obligation to cover the and not just to cover for its or cover up for Brian Wickers Winnipeg Manning critics show intolerance in the letter by Michael Richards june the Only thing that is exposed is another personal attack on Preston the policies of the Reform party Are not intolerant a word bandied about too nor Are they based on if any one is it is people such As who seem unable to accept the fact that there Are different peo ple with different or As to How the country May be Winnipeg doonesbury by Garry Trudeau ;