Public and Private Persons: The Ontario Political Culture, 1914–1934 by Peter Oliver (review)

328 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW professional recogniation washard-wonandjealouslyguardedby the dominion's nurses. This helpsexplaintheir hostility(unmentioned by Nicholson) to the v^Ds. This volumegivesus little idea of how sisters felt abouttheir professional status, within or without the military, thus avoidinga centraldeterminantof their behaviour . Canada's NursingSisters offerslittle insightinto the experienceof its subjects as women or as nurses,but perhapsthis is to be expectedin a book which seems conceived asan explorationin militaryhistory.As an endeavour in that genre, however, it againisdisappointing. Suchquestions aswhatpartdidtheemergence of a specialized nursingcorpsplayin the modernization of thearmedforces? remain unanswered. Weretheactivities of themilitaryasa peace-time forceinfluenced by the presenceof femalenursingpersonnel? And did the admission of womenas nurses affecttheirentryintootherbranches of theservice? If Nicholson offers little immediate satisfaction for the socialhistorian, his extensivefootnotes withtheirsuggestion of thevariedandextensive materials available for the studyof military nursingare more encouraging. The publicationof Canada's Nursing Sisters neednotdiscourage anyonefromtheinvestigation of thesepromising sources. VERONICA STRONG-BOAG Concordia University PublicandPrivatePersons: TheOntarioPoliticalCulture,•9•4-•934. PETER OLIVER. Toronto/Vancouver, Clarke,Irwin, •975.PP.a9•, illus.$•9.50. As Peter Oliver pointsout, it is ironic that Ontario, the largestand richestof Canadianprovinces, shouldbewithouta generalhistory.It isequallypeculiarthat therecenttrendtowardlocalandregionalstudies seems tohavecomelasttoOntario. Oliver askswhat isit to be an Ontarian?He seeksan answerthrougha studyof Ontario politicsduring the •99os.His taskismademoredifficultbecause heisonly oneof a fewhistorians whostudyOntario.There isadearthof secondary literature towhichahistorianmayturn. Oliverisasophisticated practitionerof thehistorical art.Public andPrivate Persons, hismostrecentwork,iswellresearched, wellorganized, wellwritten,andyetat the sametimesomewhat disappointing. Despite itsmanyqualities onewantsmorefrom such abook.Certainlythesubtitle leadsonetoexpectastudyofpolitical culture,but Oliverseems inexplicably timidandshies awayfrombroadgeneralizations aboutthe natureofpoliticalculture.He begins bynotinghisacceptance of DonaldCreighton's dictum that historians must undertake two tasks: the 'elucidation of character' and the 'recreationof the circumstances' whichconfrontedhistorical personalities (11). The presentbookcontains muchof the formerbuttoolittleof thelatter.This is,to someextent,explainedbothbyOliver'sparticularinterests andbythenatureof the book itself. PeterOliverisprimarilyabiographer - abiographer of thatindefatigable profes- REVIEWS 329 sionalpolitician,G. Howard Ferguson.He isfascinated by Fergusonasindeedhe shouldbe.The present workisa by-product of thatbiography, theresults of much necessary background research whichcouldnotproperlybeincludedatlengthin the biography.PublicandPrivatePersons isnot a monographbut rather a collection of articles, several ofwhichhavepreviously beenpublished. Asaresulttheworklacks a centralthesis.This is a criticism whichOliver anticipates but doesnot effectively counter (see•2-24). More importantly,Oliver, the biographerof a Tory premier, haswritten an insider'sview of Ontario politics.This is clear both in the nature of the source materialconsulted - nearlyallof it privatepapersof variouspoliticans - andin the conclusions drawn.Thefocus isconstantly uponthedualproblems ofleadership and organization.For example,the main argumentin the chapteron the fall of the Hearstgovernmentrevolves aroundOliver'scontentionthat Tory troublesboiled downto weakandineptpartyleadership. He believes thatin 2929'a healthyparty stronglyled wouldhaveresponded moreadequately to the challenge of the times' (29). With this assumption in mind we shouldnot be surprisedthat the chapter focuses almost entirelyondissension withinthepartyhierarchy totheexclusion, with the exceptionof the prohibition issue,of any seriousdiscussion of the social background of the politicalfight.Thisinterpretationissuspect. A similarfatebefell the federal Tories, yet few would arguethat Arthur Meighenwasa weak,inept leader. Similarly,in thechapterontheSmith-Jarvis scandal wehavean excessively long narrative,yet surprisinglyOliver seemsreluctantto draw any broad conclusions about the relevanceof this affair to the questionof politicalculture. Despitethe resistance of theprovincial government toreopentheJarviscase, oneisstruckbythe prevalence of accepted scandal in Ontario.The factthat Ferguson couldbeelected leaderof the Conservative partywhileunderinvestigation bythelegislature - and Oliver admitsFerguson wasguiltyof improprieties - and the fact that Ferguson couldwinthreesuccessive elections withsuch apparentease tellsusagreatdealabout Ontario politicalculture.Oliver, meanwhile,drawsan interestingdistinction betweentheamateurPeterSmithandtheprofessionals likeFerguson: 'The codeof the old-linepartiesmightallowaTom McGarry,for instance, or a HowardFerguson, to accept donations from thosewhostoodto gainbymakingsuchacontributionbut it wasalwaysunderstoodby the politicalprofessionals that the transactionwould be carriedondiscreetly andanycashwhichchangedhandswouldbefor the partyand nottheindividual'(254-5). PeterSmithwasguiltyof beingtoo'crudelycorrupt'and too'transparently dishonest.' Partisan corruption,in contrast, wasan accepted and an acceptable practicein Ontario.PerhapsOntariansshouldbelesssanguine when pointingthe finger at 'corrupt'Quebecduring the Duplessis r•gime. Duplessis' indiscretions werecertainly, likeFerguson's, for partisan ratherthanindividualgain. The Smith-Jarvis affair isan intriguingstorywhichneededan historianof Oliver's talents.Yet surelythisaffair isless significant thantheinnumberable otherscandals whichfailedto arousethelawofficersof thecrownor Ontariosociety at large.The fact that Smith andJarviswere prosecutedin itself makesthis episodeunique in Ontario history.One shouldperhapsrememberthatin thatother famousOntario 330 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW scandal, theGamey Affair, noonewasprosecuted, although theLiberalpartypaida highpriceindeedin thesubsequent election. PublicandPrivatePersons, then,isnota bookaboutpoliticalculture;it remainsa bookaboutpolitics andpoliticians. It isacollection of articles onpublicandprivate persons asseenfrom insidetheparties.Yet despite thisdrawbackthebookremains eminentlyreadableandinformative.I rememberbeingtoldasa graduatestudent thatnomatterwhereoneplugsintothesystem onelearnssomething abouthowthat system works.Oliverhaspluggedinto Ontario'spoliticalsystem at theupperechelonsof the parties,and in sodoinghe isableto tell usa...