From the Archives of Western Newspapers

By Samantha Johnson
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Friday, October 11, 1889 –
Qu-Appelle Progress

Offensive partisanship is the charge brought against Dr. Sutherland, leader of the Third Party, by several Grit newspapers. An inoffensive partisan would be a very poor sort of leader. It is always a good rule in politics to find out what your antagonists want you to do and then do precisely the opposite. No doubt the doctor will take note of the disinterested advice and then do precisely the opposite.

The success with which the United States Government has revived piracy on the high seas has apparently had the effect of inspiring certain descendants of the greatest of the pirates of old with the idea of reviving the industry of their fathers. A Spanish vessel has been captured by a band of Riff pirates and six of her crew has been carried off into slavery. One hundred and fifty years ago such actions as this were as common as collisions at sea now, and the name of the Riff pirates were as terrible as icebergs or fog. 

Quebec is currently what could be called ‘hard up’. The provincial revenue has been spent and the running expenses are now being met by the issue of notes. The other day the Attorney-General, with the liberality that should mark the true statesman, gave $300 on behalf of the province to augment the prize money offered for horseracing at one of the shows. The contribution was in the form of a letter of credit payable 12 months hence. No bank would accept the paper, but a private citizen came to the rescue and cashed it at a discount of $24.

Friday, October 12, 1917 – Irma Times

F.M. Black is the chairman of the fruit and vegetable committee of the food controller’s office. They have been investigating the potato situation in the West and Black has reported to Ottawa that, in view of the world food shortage, all potatoes should be dug before any are lost due to frost. All potatoes under three ounces weight should be retained by the producer for local use and for seed. All others should be stored for winter and spring use.

A letter from a brother, who was wounded on the front line, to his sister back home was printed in the paper. A piece of shrapnel went through the fleshy part on his right arm in a battle on Aug. 21. “We went over the top just before dawn, the smoke and dust was so thick that I could hardly see the bayonet on my rifle. The shells were dropping just like hailstones in a hailstorm, it’s a marvel to me how anyone could live through such a hail of shells. I got hit at the German front line almost on the frontline parapet. I got in a shell hole and took off my equipment and threw away my rifle and headed back. I stopped halfway across no man’s land to get my wind and a shell landed on the other side of the shell hole and half smothered me so I thought I had better get out of there. I got back to our line and got a stretcher bearer to bind up my arm and I started back again and I didn’t stop again until I was about two miles behind the line.”