From the Archives of Western Newspapers

By Samantha Johnson
For Southern Alberta Newspapers

March 19, 1886 – Qu’Appelle Progress

The Vidette is up to their old tricks and recently published that the Progress has imported a writer whose business it will be to use elegant language to publish columns that consist of a word too vulgar for them to print. They further claimed not to have a Frenchman on staff to turn vulgarity and nastiness into classic lingo. Somebody must have been stuffing the editor of the Vidette at a tremendous rate as the Progress has not imported a writer as we have no need to. The publisher and editor are one and the same person, who also does all the writing for the paper.

These dark nights seem to be bad for the dudes of Wolseley when they are driving their girls home, for they seem to get lost on the prairie and then have to stay out all night.

The prisoners concerned in the recent police mutiny in Edmonton left for Calgary on Wednesday morning with five teams under the supervision of Inspector Snyder. The teams and escort will be handed over to a Calgary outfit at Blind Man River and return to Edmonton with 25 men from Regina to reinforce the post.

March 19, 1909 – Strathcona Evening Chronicle

King Alfonso arrived in Toledo, Spain today and added another escape from injury, adding to a long list of lucky occurrences. One of the cars carrying four army officers, who were acting as aides, dashed to the side of the road on the outskirts of the city. The car narrowly missed the one his Majesty was riding in before striking a tree and overturning, throwing all four passengers. King Alfonso alighted his vehicle and went to the rescue of the men, who all sustained minor injuries.

Sir William Van Horn returned to Montreal today from Europe and said everywhere he went he heard praise for the way Canada weathered the recent financial storm. When asked about the All-Red scheme, Van Horn stated it was too outrageous to be discussed calmly and he cannot believe either the British or Canadian governments will devote money to such a plan.

The Calgary Herald has recently published that newspapers west of Winnipeg tend to give a broader treatment of political issues than those in the east. It is clear the editor has not studied the political reports of all papers, or he would have recognized political partisanship flourishes in as rank a form here as out east.

March 19, 1914 – Bassano Mail

At the council meeting last night, the motion was passed to impose a $25 license fee on the sale of cigarettes. Additionally, Councillors Struthers and Pegler moved that the police committee needs to ascertain Constable Snow’s intentions and if he is not coming back as expected, another constable needs to be employed immediately.

The Panama-Pacific International Exposition is to be held in San Francisco in 1915 and Colonel William Hutchinson of Ottawa, the Superintendent of the Canadian Exhibition Commission, is already onsite to oversee the construction of the Canadian pavilion, expected to cost upwards of $600,000. The exhibit will cover manufacturing, agriculture and education along with great interest being laid on the importance of the Canadian livestock exhibit.

Doubt may exist about the value of radium ore in effectively treating cancer, which cannot be confirmed or denied due to the limited availability of the ore for research purposes. Most of the ore is presently being used for private profit rather than general advantage. The US Congress is trying to pass a strongly contested bill that will move the ore from the possession of individuals.

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