1909 Alberta general election

1909 Alberta general election

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41 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta 21 seats were needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Alexander Rutherford Albert Robertson Party Liberal Conservative Leader since 1905 1905 Leader's seat Strathcona ran in High River Last election 22 seats, 57.6% 3 seats, 37.1% Seats before 22 2 Seats won 36 2 Seat change 14 0 Popular vote 29,634 15,848 Percentage 59.3% 31.7% Swing 1.7% -5.4%   Third party Fourth party   S L Leader unknown Donald McNabb Party Socialist Labour Leader since — 1909 Leader's seat — ran in Lethbridge (lost) Last election pre-creation pre-creation Seats before 0 1 Seats won 1 0 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 1,302 214 Percentage 2.6% 0.4% Swing 2.6 0.4
Premier before election Alexander C. Rutherford Liberal Premier after election Alexander C. Rutherford Liberal

The 1909 Alberta general election was held on 22 March 1909, to elect 41 members to the 2nd Alberta Legislature.

The Liberal Party of Premier Alexander C. Rutherford was re-elected with 36 of the 41 seats in the legislature, and just under 60% of the popular vote. The Conservative Party led by Albert Robertson formed the official opposition, with only two members. The remaining three seats were split between smaller parties and independents. Robertson was defeated in his own seat in High River.

Prior to the election, the Legislative Assembly passed An Act respecting the Legislative Assembly of Alberta which was assented to on 25 February 1909. The Act created an additional 16 seats in the Legislature, lifting the total to 41, and redistributed the boundaries of the provincial electoral districts.^[1] The Crows Nest Pass area was divided from the Pincher Creek district and made into its own district Rocky Mountain. The high proportion of coal miners in this new district would be reflected in the election of a Socialist (SPC) candidate in the district in this election.^[2]

Edmonton and Calgary were each given an additional seat, as their populations had doubled since the previous election ^[3] They became multi-seat (two seat) districts. Each voter there could cast up to two votes under the block voting system. The largest group in the city-wide Edmonton district took both seats - this was the Liberal Party. In Calgary one Conservative candidate lead he pol. The other Conservative candidate was so much less popular than the other and the most popular of the two Liberal party candidates was popular enough to take the second seat. This was the first example in Alberta political history of mixed representation coming from a single district. Alberta would use a mixture of single and multiple seat districts in each general election until 1956. Mixed semi-proportional representation elected in multi-seat districts would be seen again and again prior to 1956.^[4]

The vote in the district of Athabasca was conducted on 15 July 1909 due to the remoteness of the riding.^[5]

Background[]

1905 general election[]

The 1905 Alberta general election proved to be a bitter battle between the powerful Liberal machine under Rutherford and the less organized Conservative Party under R. B. Bennett. The Liberal's advantage with incumbency, controlling the machinery of government with Rutherford being the first appointed Premier, and superior organizing ability led to the landslide Liberal victory, capturing 22 of the 25 seats in the Legislature, while Bennett's Conservative Party gained a mere two seats.^[6] Historian Lewis Thomas argues the Liberal landslide was due to the incumbent position of the Liberal government which in its two months had not been tested with scandal or policy, making it difficult for effective opposition and criticism, all the while being able to maintain all the powers of patronage an incumbent would have.^[7] The Liberals effectively exercised the machinery of government from both the provincial and federal level, with Thomas noting a few surviving written suggestions for Liberal appointments.^[8] Furthermore, Thomas argues the strong positions taken by the Conservative Party on provincial right to control the school system and public lands did not make a significant impression on voters.^[7]

The Conservatives attributed their defeat to the Roman Catholic vote which was felt to be sympathetic to Laurier for his support of separate schools,^[6] with Bennett himself attributing his loss in Calgary by 37 votes to William Henry Cushing to the Roman Catholic influences,^[7] labour vote and his time traveling outside of the district.^[9] Bennett quickly resigned his position as leader and temporarily retired from politics.^[10]

By-elections[]

Four by-elections were contested during first session of the Alberta Legislature, three of which took place in 1906 and each resulted in the incumbent Liberal party retaining the seats. The first in Lethbridge held after Liberal Leverett George DeVeber's appointment to the Senate of Canada on March 8, 1906 saw Liberal William Simmons capturing 43.9 per cent of the vote, defeating Labour candidate Frank Henry Sherman with 37.4 per cent, and Conservative A. E. Keffer with 18.7 per cent of the vote.^[11][12][13] After Vermilion representative Matthew McCauley was appointed Warden of the Edmonton Penitentiary, Liberal James Bismark Holden was subsequently acclaimed as on July 16, 1906.^[11][12] When Gleichen representative Charles Stuart was appointed to the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories in October 1906, the subsequent by-election saw Liberal Ezra Riley capture 56.3 per cent of the vote, defeating Conservative William L. Walsh.^[11][12]

A major shock came in the 1909 by-election in Lethbridge, after William Simmons resigned to contest the in Medicine Hat. Labour candidate Donald McNabb was acclaimed on January 8, 1909 as the representative for Lethbridge, becoming the first Labour representative in Alberta.^[11][12][14]

Election[]

Electoral boundaries[]

The boundaries of the electoral districts for the first Alberta general election in 1905 were prescribed in the Alberta Act (Canada) and were a source of controversy with accusations of gerrymandering in favour of the Liberal Party and northern Alberta.^[a] Calgary based newspapers the Calgary Herald, Calgary Albertan, and Eye-Opener made claims that the borders constituted preferential treatment for Edmonton and northern Alberta.^[16] Prime Minister Laurier had received assurances that the distribution was fair from Alberta Members of Parliament Talbot and Oliver, but when word of Calgary's opposition reached Ottawa.^[16]

The question of whether there was population based gerrymandering returns different responses. Historian Lewis Thomas notes the final layout favoured northern Alberta with one additional district, despite Oliver and Talbot being aware that more than 1,000 more voters south of the Red Deer River participated in the 1904 Territorial election.^[17] Alexander Bruce Kilpatrick notes that the census results from 1906 shows that if the 38th township is chosen as the dividing line (City of Red Deer), there were 93,601 persons in northern Alberta and 87,381 in southern Alberta, with an additional 4,430 residing in the 38th township.^[18] Kilpatrick claims that people misconstrued where the population of the Strathcona census district lived, assuming most were south of the 38th Township, when a significant majority were in fact north of the township.^[15] Kilpatrick however, describes the layout of the electoral districts as "blatant manipulation of the electoral map to suit a particular purpose".^[19] In particular Kilpatrick claims that Oliver designed the constituencies to maximize the influence of Edmonton, the borders did not align with the previous constituencies from the North-west Territories legislature, and instead was drawn to have several ridings touching the city's borders.^[19] At the same time, Calgary did not have the same advantages in design, and was reduced from two seats in the North-west Territories Legislature to one in the new Alberta Legislature.^[19]

The 1st Alberta Legislature waited until the fourth and final session to address changes to provincial elections. The government introduced An Act respecting the Legislative Assembly of Alberta^[20] which radically altered the electoral map in Alberta and extended the maximum term of the Legislature from four years to five years. Sixteen new seats were added to the Legislature lifting the number of seats from 25 to 41.^[21] Seven of the new constituencies were located South of the central community of Red Deer, and seven in North of Red Deer, while two districts adjacent to the Red Deer community in land to be opened up for settlement by new rail roads.^[22] The districts of Calgary and Edmonton were provided a second seat and elections were to be held using multiple non-transferable vote.^[23] Historian Lewis Thomas notes the idea of redistribution was desirable with the rapid increase in population and development, and the significant increase in seats was relatively uncontroversial.^[21] Leader of the Conservative Party and High River representative Albert Robertson criticized extending the length of time between elections from four years to five years, and the provisions for two members elected to represent the single district in Calgary and Edmonton.^[23] Wetaskiwin representative and Liberal Anthony Rosenroll criticized the changes, believing the rural constituencies deserved greater representation.^[23]

Voting and eligibility[]

Under the first provincial election, voter and candidate eligibility requirements remained in place under the rules set by the North-West Legislative Assembly under The Territories Elections Ordinance.^[24][25] The right to vote was provided to male British subjects who were 21 years of age or older, and had resided in the North-West Territories for at least 12 months, and the electoral district for the three months prior to the vote.^[25] The vote took place on November 9, 1905 with polls open between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.^[25] In 1905 Albertans would vote by marking an "X" on a blank sheet of paper using a coloured pencil which corresponded to candidate whom they wished to vote for, red for Liberal and blue for Conservative.^[17][26]

The fourth session of the first Legislative Assembly introduced An Act respecting Elections of Members of the Legislative Assembly which ^[27] The Act required voters to be male British subjects who were 21 years of age or older, and had resided in Alberta for at least 12 months, and the electoral district for the three months prior to the vote.^[28] The new Act continued to disenfranchise judges, prisoners, and Indigenous persons.^[29]

The new Act also provided the government with the option of moving the election date for the electoral districts of Athabasca and Peace River to a later date to provide more time for information from nominated candidates to be distributed.^[30] The provision proved to be unnecessary for Peace River after Liberal James Cornwall was acclaimed,^[31] but was used for Athabasca whose election was held more than three months later on 15 July 1909.^[32]

Unlike the 1905 election, the Returning Officers were required to print ballots with each candidates name ranked in alphabetical order.^[33]

Campaign[]

The 1st Alberta Legislature was dissolved and the election writ was dropped on March 22, 1909.^[34]

Liberal[]

The Liberal Party under Rutherford had won 22 of the 25 seats in the 1905 election, and focused on province-building measures during the first Legislature. The Liberal campaign focused on tying the Conservative Party as subordinates to the Canadian Pacific Company, describing the party as "butler-in-ordinary" to the company.^[35] Canadian Pacific was hostile to the Liberal Party under Rutherford, as the government sought to collect taxes on railway lands, passed the Workers Compensation Act, limited the work day for coal mines to eight hours, rigidly enforced Sabbath restrictions, and the new provincial railway policy to bring new lines to the province.^[35]

Premier Rutherford spent much of the election in Southern Alberta conservative strongholds such as Calgary, Lethbridge and Pincher Creek, campaigning for candidates.^[34] The Liberal Party it's self ran on the slogan "Rutherford, Reliability, and Railroads".^[34] Rutherford also made appeals to the electorate to not consider the election a partisan affair, noting all voters were "Albertans" and that the "Province must stand before the party."^[34]

During the election, the Liberal Party received the support of prominent Calgary lawyer and Conservative Paddy Nolan. Nolan went so far as to campaign with Rutherford across the province.^[36]

The Liberal Party once again won a strong majority of the vote and seats in the Legislature. Eight members were returned by acclimation,^[37] all members of Cabinet had strong majorities, and the party dominated Northern Alberta.^[37]

Conservative[]

Following the disappointing results of the 1905 election and failure to capture his own seat in Calgary, Conservative Party leader R. B. Bennett resigned as leader and temporarily swore off politics.^[10] Only two Conservative candidates were elected, Hiebert in Rosebud and Albert Robertson in High River, and when the first session began in 1906 Robertson was named Leader of the Opposition. In the Legislature, Robertson called for public ownership of the telephone system^[38] and railways^[39] at a time when the government's policy was to leave both under the control of the private sector.

The Conservative Party convention met in 1909 prior to the election to determine party policy and select a leader. Robertson was viewed as a staunch and loyal conservative^[35] but was criticized for his imperial connection.^[35] The other Conservative in the Legislature Cornelius Hiebert had little interest in partisan politics, and sided increasingly with the Liberal government.^[40] Hiebert and Robertson clashed during session, and although Hiebert supported the party platform at Convention, he chose to contest the 1909 election as an Independent.^[41] Leadership of the Conservative Party was offered to Maitland Stewart McCarthy, a lawyer and Member of the House of Commons for Calgary. McCarthy declined the offer of leadership as he would have to resign his federal seat which he won in a controversial election in 1908, and felt the resignation would be seen as an admission of guilt.^[35] Robert Brett despite not contesting the election was seen as the head of the Conservative Party, and R. B. Bennett chose to return to politics after he was nominated as a candidate without his consent,^[42] but did not consider leadership of the party again.^[35] The convention however failed to choose a permanent leader, and despite Robertson being the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislature, the party left the convention effectively leaderless.^[35][34]

The convention platform agreed with many aspects of Liberal government policy, but sought government ownership in areas such as railways and telephones.^[43] The platform included a promise for Initiative, Referendum, and Recall, as well as a plebiscite on prohibition of liquor trafficing.^[40] The platform also included calls to reforest areas subject to forest fires, a commission for electrical power, establishment of an experimental farm, civil service reform, construction of highways, government construction of grain elevators, and other activities.^[40]

The Conservative Party once again failed to make a strong impression with voters, once again capturing two seats in the Legislature, Bennett in Calgary and George Hoadley in the neighbouring Okotoks.^[37] Historian Lewis Thomas notes the Conservatives were forced to accept another "moral victory", although prominent Conservative William Antrobus Griesbach noted he had become tired of "moral victories".^[37]

Other parties[]

The 1909 election saw a single Socialist Charles M. O'Brien elected in the district of Rocky Mountain, and coal mining area.^[37]

The organized Labour party under incumbent leader Donald McNabb failed to secure any seats in the Legislature, with McNabb placing a distant third in Lethbridge City.

Independent-Conservative candidate Edward Michener defeated the Liberal incumbent John Thomas Moore in Red Deer.^[37] The Conservative Party chose not to field a candidate in the district, and Michener captured 51.3 per cent of the vote.

Aftermath[]

The Edmonton Bulletin noted after the beginning of the 2nd Legislature, that the Conservative Party despite remaining at two seats had improved their position with the presence of R. B. Bennett in the legislature, describing him as superior to both Robertson and Hiebert in politics and debate.^[37]

Results[]

Party		Votes			Seats
	Liberal	29,634	59.3%	1.7pp	36 / 41 (88%)	14
	Conservative	15,848	31.7%	5.4pp	2 / 41 (5%)	N/A
	Socialist	1,302	2.6%	N/A	1 / 41 (2%)	1
	Others and independents	3,220	6.4%	0.5pp	2 / 41 (5%)	1

Popular vote Liberal   59.26% Conservative   31.70% Socialist   2.60% Others   6.44%

Seats summary Liberal   87.80% Conservative   4.88% Socialist   2.44% Others   4.88%

Full results[]

Summary of the 1909 Alberta general election

Party		Leader	Candidates	Seats				Popular vote
				1905	Dissol.	1909	+/-	Votes	%	+/- (pp)
	Liberal	Alexander Cameron Rutherford	42	22	22	36	+14	29,634	59.26%	+3.31
	Conservative	Albert Robertson	29	2	2	2	0	15,848	31.69%	−5.44
	Independent		6	1	0	1	+1	1,695	3.39%	−3.53
	Independent Liberal		2	0	0	1	+1	1,311	2.62%	N/A
	Socialist		2	0	0	1	+1	1,302	2.60%	N/A
	Labour	Donald McNabb	1	0	1	0	-1	214	0.43%	N/A
Total			82	25	25	41		50,004	100%
Source: [44]

Members elected[]

For complete electoral history, see individual districts

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
	Liberal		Conservative		Other
Alexandra		Alwyn Bramley-Moore 771 64.63%		James R. Lowery 422 35.37%				New District
Athabasca		Jean Côté 230 59.59%		V. Maurice 7 1.81%		William Bredin (Liberal) 149 38.60%		William Fletcher Bredin
Calgary		William Henry Cushing 2,579 26.90%		Thomas Blow 1,907 19.88%		George Howell (Socalist) 747 7.79%		William Henry Cushing
		William Egbert 1,933 20.16%		R. B. Bennett 2,423 25.27%
Camrose		George P. Smith 1,010 55.16%		I.W.T. McEachern 821 44.84%				New District
Cardston		John William Woolf 521 57.44%		Levi Harker 386 42.56%				John William Woolf
Claresholm		Malcolm McKenzie 696 61.87%		Fred Garrow 429 38.13%				New District
Cochrane		Charles Wellington Fisher 627 67.56%		Robert George Brett 301 32.44%				New District from Banff and Rosebud Charles Wellington Fisher
Didsbury		Joseph E. Stauffer 993 73.18%		Samuel T. Scarlett 208 15.33%		Cornelius Hiebert 156 11.50%		New District from Rosebud Cornelius Hiebert
Edmonton		Charles Wilson Cross 3,282 40.01%		Albert Freeman Ewing 1,595 19.45%		John Gailbraith 348 4.24%		Charles Wilson Cross
		John Alexander McDougall 2,977 36.30%
Gleichen		Ezra H. Riley 770 59.46%		James Shouldice 525 40.54%				Ezra Riley
High River		Louis Melville Roberts 604 50.33%		George Douglas Stanley 596 49.67%				Albert J. Robertson
Innisfail		John A. Simpson 519 53.45%		George W. West 452 46.55%				John A. Simpson
Lac Ste. Anne		Peter Gunn Acclaimed						New District
Lacombe		William Franklin Puffer Acclaimed						William Franklin Puffer
Leduc		Robert T. Telford Acclaimed						Robert T. Telford
Lethbridge City		William Ashbury Buchanan 529 44.12%		William C. Ives 456 38.03%		Donald McNabb (Labour) 214 17.85%		New District from Lethbridge Donald McNabb
Lethbridge District		John H. Rivers 620 43.94%				Archibald J. McLean (Ind. Liberal) 791 56.06%		New District from Lethbridge
Macleod		Colin Genge 342 51.12%		E.P. McNeill 327 48.88%				Malcolm McKenzie
Medicine Hat		William Thomas Finlay 1,249 71.66%		Francis O. Sissons 494 28.34%				William Thomas Finlay
Nanton		John M. Glendenning 439 54.88%		Albert J. Robertson 361 45.13%				New District
Okotoks		Malcolm McHardy 407 43.72%		George Hoadley 524 56.28%				New District
Olds		Duncan Marshall 760 64.63%		George McDonald 416 35.37%				New District
Pakan		Prosper-Edmond Lessard Acclaimed						New District
Peace River		James K. Cornwall Acclaimed						Thomas A. Brick
Pembina		Henry William McKenney Acclaimed						New District
Pincher Creek		David Warnock 560 57.26%		E.J. Mitchell 418 42.74%				John Plummer Marcellus
Ponoka		William A. Campbell 466 67.05%		John A. Jackson 229 32.95%				John R. McLeod
Red Deer		John T. Moore 494 38.56%				Edward Michener 657 51.29%		John T. Moore
						Donald McClure 130 10.15%
Rocky Mountain		John Angus Macdonald 520 35.45%		Henry Edward Lyon 392 26.72%		Charles M. O'Brien (Socialist) 555 37.83%		New District
Sedgewick		Charles Stewart Acclaimed						New District
St. Albert		Lucien Boudreau 528 50.97%				Wilfrid Gariépy (Liberal) 393 37.93% Omer St. Germain (Ind. Liberal) 115 11.10%		Henry William McKenney
Stettler		Robert L. Shaw 873 71.27%		J.K. Creighton 352 28.73%				New District
Stony Plain		John A. McPherson 398 43.74%		John McKinley 108 11.87%		Dan Bronx (Ind.) 250 27.47% Charlie R. Cropley (Ind.) 154 16.92%		John A. McPherson
Strathcona		Alexander Cameron Rutherford 1,034 85.67%		Rice Sheppard 173 14.33%				Alexander Cameron Rutherford
Sturgeon		John Robert Boyle Acclaimed						John Robert Boyle
Vegreville		James Bismark Holden 1,249 72.66%		F.W. Fane 470 27.34%				New District
Vermilion		Archibald Campbell 919 66.55%		Albert Richard Aldridge 462 33.45%				James Bismark Holden
Victoria		Francis A. Walker Acclaimed						Francis A. Walker
Wetaskiwin		Charles H. Olin 713 59.82%		James George Anderson 479 40.18%				Anthony Sigwart de Rosenroll

See also[]

• List of Alberta political parties

Notes[]

References[]

Works cited

• Office of the Chief Electoral Officer; Legislative Assembly Office (2006). A Century of Democracy: Elections of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, 1905-2005. The Centennial Series. Edmonton, AB: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. ISBN 0-9689217-8-7. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
• Babcock, Douglas R. (1989). A Gentleman of Strathcona: Alexander Cameron Rutherford. Calgary: The University of Calgary Press. ISBN 0-919813-65-8.
• Gray, James H. (1991). R.B. Bennett: The Calgary Years. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-5975-8.
• Kilpatrick, Alexander Bruce (1980). "A Lesson in Boosterism: The Contest for the Alberta Provincial Capital, 1904-1906". Urban History Review. 8 (3): 47–109. doi:10.7202/1019362ar. ISSN 0703-0428.
• Thomas, Lewis Gwynne (1959). The Liberal Party in Alberta. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-5083-0.

Further reading[]

• Hopkins, J. Castell (1910). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1909. Toronto: The Annual Review Publishing Company.