Thousands of Tories gathered in a lakeside park in Kingston on this date in 1922 to hear from former Prime Minister Arthur Meighen and Ontario Tory leader Howard Ferguson. The massive political picnic was deemed a very big success by the local press. And it appears from their coverage that the crowds were very well fed as they experienced the day.
“The ice cream tent was the mecca for hundreds all afternoon and it did not take the 250 gallons of Ice cream on hand long to disappear,” the press reported. “More ice cream was secured and freely passed out to the people. The roasting of the ox was an interesting feature of the day, and those who partook of the beef fully enjoyed the unique manner of being fed. Rolls and ‘hot dogs’ were as plentiful as the people, while hundreds of dozens of corn were boiled. All afternoon those in charge of the tents were busy, and they seemed to take as much enjoyment from the affair as did those who were there to partake of the good things and listen to the splendid speeches.”
“Hon. Mr. Meighen and Hon. Mr. Ferguson made typical fighting speeches, all the old brilliancy of address for which they have been noted being predominant throughout their speeches. Hon. Mr. Meighen attacked the present Government on Its policy of do-nothing and failure to fulfil Its pre-election pledges, end pointed cut how the present Government had shamelessly adopted the policies of the late (Meighen)Government. He said public ownership of railways was in the hands of its enemies and he believed they planned to maim the system and then destroy it.”
It was indeed a very good day to be a Conservative in Kingston.
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.