1890s Hamilton

As the time approached for the Hamilton City Council to vote on the street railway bylaw question, public interest in the matter was at a fever pitch.           On Saturday, March 12, 1892, yet another public meeting was held to discuss the recommendation of the Special Street Railway Committee. This time, the Palace Rink was used in order to accommodate the large number of interested citizens. Between 1,600 and 1,800 people filled the auditorium when the meeting began at 8 p.m. Ex-Mayor William Doran once again occupied the chair : “All seats were occupied, and hundreds stood up wherever they could find space. The audience was largely, although not unanimously, in favor of delaying the completion of the deal, and expressed its views so loudly as to annoy quite seriously the speakers who differed with them.” 1 1 “Filed a Final Protest : Citizens in Mass Meeting Condemn the Bargain” Hamilton Herald. March 14, 1892 The ...

On Friday, March 11, 1892, another public meeting to discuss the street railway question was held at the Arcade Hall on James Street North. Once again, the three Hamilton daily newspapers differed substantially in how the meeting was reported.           The Hamilton Times said that “nearly a thousand attended the mass meeting held in the Arcade Hall … notwithstanding the large number present the meeting was generally an orderly.” 1 1 “Was Council Fixed? : Street Railway Stockholders Figured in the Elections” Hamilton Times. March 12, 1892.           The Hamilton Herald, in describing the beginning of the meeting noted:           “At that hour (8 o’clock) the hall was scarcely two-thirds full, and many f those present were boys and youths who will not be able to vote for some time yet, but whose ability as noisy enthusiasts was tested...

On Tuesday, March 8, 1892, the proponents of the Hamilton Electric Street Railway Company held a public meeting in the Palace Rink to further their demand for open competition as regards the awarding of the street railway franchise, and to protest the recommendation of the Special Street Railway Committee to accept the offer of the Hamilton Street Railway Company.           The meeting was described in various ways by the three Hamilton daily newspapers, depending on their particular position on the controversial question.           The Hamilton Spectator, a paper which favored the recommendation of the Special Street Railway Committee, characterized the meeting as follows:           “The truth is that it was a packed meeting, got together by the electric light company for the purpose of affecting the action of City Council. Jim Davis wa...