Lively meeting as prime minister and colleagues gather in Penticton

EDITOR’S NOTE: In recognition of Canada’s 150th anniversary, The Herald is reprinting historic stories from the South Okanagan focusing on the biggest news story of each year.

NOVEMBER 4, 1920 — Real fireworks are beginning in the Yale by-election fight. They were popping and exploding here last night at the packed meeting in Steward’s hall when Hon. Arthur Meighen, prime minister of Canada, and his colleagues H.H. Stevens, J.A. Calder and J.A. MacKelvie faced the largest audience that Chairman R.B. White had ever seen gathered in Penticton during all his years of residence here.

The meeting was lively enough with alternating cheers and laughter. Obviously the people in this end of the Yale riding are in good mood for analytical discussion, and this by-election promises to be a real contest decided upon national issues, chiefly the tariff on lumber, mineral products and solider settlement efficiency.

Long before the doors of the hall were opened the sidewalk was dense with people clamoring for admission, and when the meeting place was comfortably filled with standing room at a premium it is estimated that over 200 people were refused entrance to the hall.

This was rather unfortunate for had those in charge of the meeting had an inkling of the condition on the outside an overflow gathering could very easily have been provided for.

Prime Minister Meighen came to Penticton to meet and talk with the people and he and his colleagues would have been only too desirous that everybody should bear them.

Dr. White, chairman of the meeting, invited Reeve Chambers to address the meeting. The reeve was glad of the honour and privilege of addressing words of welcome to the prime minister and his associates. There were all colours of politics in the audience, but being Canadian citizens first the speakers could expect an appreciative hearing

At this juncture Col. Edgett, the opposition candidate in the contest, was noticed in the audience and invited to a place on the platform, which he readily accepted.

Mr. J.A. Mackelvie, government candidate, spent a few minutes getting acquainted with the audience by refrained from any lengthy speech as he proposes meeting a Penticton audience in the near future when he will go into detail of the political situation as it affects the Okanagan.

He did say, however, and thereby drew many a fair voter to his standard, that he had waged the fight for woman suffrage in his paper two years before the ultimate victory crowned their efforts.

He appealed to the solider for support on the ground that he himself was an old soldier having fought in The Riel Rebellion in 1885 in the First Alberta Mounted Rifles long before many of the brave lads who had fought the Germans were born.

He understood the solider viewpoint thoroughly, was very pathetic to their cause, but he frankly admitted that he was not in favour of the $2,000 bonus and was prepared to justify his belief in that respect.

He took a rap at McKenzie King, who he said had left the country at Canada’s most vital hour, only to return some time later to oppose with all the force of his energy the Military Service Act and to block at every turn the efficient and hasty termination of the war on the part of the government of Canada.