An offer by the Diefenbaker government to give native people living on reserves the right to vote in federal and provincial elections received a swift kick in the pants on Jan. 19, 1960 at a St. Regis band council meeting.
Members of the 12-member council along with 100 residents attending the meeting on Cornwall Island had a strong message for the Conservative government: The rights of reserve residents were not for sale.
“We don’t want the white man’s taxes,” said chief John Sharrow. “We will keep our rights, let him keep his vote.”
Much respected Chief Ernest Benedict feared that the right-to-vote offer would pave the way for reserve residents to be taxed, and warned that if this unfolded residents of Cornwall Island could be forced to pay taxes to the City of Cornwall.
Chief Frank Leaf suggested that any St. Regis Reserve resident who accepted the right to vote should be forced to leave the reserve.
In the 1962 federal election, a poll was set up at the Anchor Motel on Brookdale for Cornwall Island residents. Only one voted.
ALSO THIS MONTH IN 1960 – Glengarry native son Rev. Cleary Villeneuve was home on leave from Japan where he served as a Roman Catholic missionary. … The $110,000 extension of Second Street from St. Felix Street to Danis Avenue was opened. The property was purchased from Courtaulds. Plans called for the street to be extended to Boundary Road. … Governor-General Georges Vanier received a thunderous five-minute ovation from 2,000 school children at the Water Street Arena. The soldier-diplomat-humanitarian was spending the day in the city. He got an even louder ovation when he announced that he was declaring the next day a school holiday. He arrived and departed the city by train. … Canada’s largest and fastest fine grade paper machine started up at Howard Smith Paper Mill plant on Jan. 18. The machine – No. 6 – was capable of churning out 170 tons of paper per day, enough to cover 500 acres. … George F. Bergeron, a former township councillor, city alderman, deputy mayor and mayor, retired as the city’s plumbing inspector. … A contest to find a name for the city’s newest affordable housing project attracted 77 entries. The winning name – Glenview Heights – was submitted by Mrs. L. Burnell of Anthony Street. … Canadian Cottons Ltd.’s Dundas annex at Cumberland and Fourth streets was sold to National Grocers. The 66,000 square foot plant would house National Grocers warehouse and Fingerhut International Limited. Warehouse manager was Albert Martin, former owner of Mac-Mar Fruits was acquired by National which moved to the new digs from Second and Cumberland streets. … Cornwall Minor Hockey Association Minor Hockey Week banquet at Cornwall Armoury had an all-star head table that included Clarence Campbell (NHL president), Frank Selke (Canadiens general manager), Danny Gallivan (broadcast voice of Les Canadiens), Russ Jackson (Rough Riders quarterback), Herb Trawick (football great) and Cy Denneny (NHL hall of famer). … Sgt. Davey McCracken, Cornwall police legend and symbol of authority at his post at Pitt and Second streets where he barked orders to pedestrians and motorists, retired. McCracken said his job was to “educate people” about the rules of the road. A First World War veteran, he joined the force in 1937 as a part-time cop on the seven-man force. He never had to take his weapon out of its holster in his years with the force. His departure left Chief Allan Clarke as the longest-serving member of the force. … A department of education official said the province would need to hire 7,000 more secondary school teachers by 1969 as the baby boom wave reached high schools. This would create a supply and demand problem for school boards who competed for teachers. … John Collins Flyers upended Long Sault-Ingleside Combines 7-3 in a Cornwall Junior Hockey League game at the new Long Sault Arena. Bob “Chuck” Charlebois had three goals for the Collins crew. Ron Gagnier, Ron Martelle, Bruno Lamarche and Gary MacDonald also scored. Linden Wells, Gord Brown and Pete McLellan notched the Combines goals. … Standard-Freeholder farm editor Alex Mullin had a weekly Beehive Notes column. … Cornwall Collegiate athletes Bob Kinnear and Laurier Gratton were near the top of Ontario Secondary Schools track and field rankings. Kinnear was fourth in the triple jump, while Gratton was fourth in discuss and fifth in shotput. The rankings involved 2,000 high school track and field athletes.
ONE FINAL THING Bob “Argo” McNally, who died Nov. 29 in Las Vegas where he moved to after retiring from the federal government, was arguably one of the finest back fielders to play for the Cornwall Collegiate Raiders. He went on to star with the University of Windsor Lancers. Overshadowed by his superb football career was an outstanding track performance in the spring of 1965 at Richardson’s Stadium in Kingston. He broke the 30-year-old 100m Eastern Ontario Secondary School Association record that was set by another Cornwall Collegiate speedster, Len Stidwill. Two other Cornwall Sports Hall of Fame members passed away at year’s end. Frank Marton, a Hungarian refugee who set down roots in Cornwall in the late 1950s, had a huge footprint on the local soccer scene, while Roger Guevrement made his mark in local curling circles, especially when it came to teaching students the game.
TRIVIA Name of car that cousins Bo and Luke Hazzard – television show Dukes of Hazzard – raced around rural Georgia in.
TRIVIA ANSWER The Tonight Show has been aired longer than General Hospital (57 years), Days of Our Lives (54 years), the Price is Right (47 years), Saturday Night Live ( 44 years). So, how long has The Tonight Show been on the air. It all started with host Steve Allen, followed by Jack Parr, Johnny Carson and Jimmy Fallon.
QUOTED “I like a president who tells jokes instead of appointing them.” – Bob Hope
