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17th August 36.
The Rt Honble W Mackenzie King, M.P., Kingsmere, P.Q.
First, my warmest thanks for your kind telegram, which arrived at Carlton while I was being dressed in Indian plumes and made a Chief. I was in good company, for you endured the same honour, receiving the honourable name of Wise Counsellor, whereas I was only The Teller of Tales. The latter, however, was the name the Samoans gave to Robert Louis Stevenson.
We have had a wonderful tour in the Prairies, and I think the tonic air has done my health a great deal of good. The situation in Manitoba is comic opera. I think there will be a coalition, but the difficulty is Bracken. People feel about him very much as they feel about Taschereau in Quebec, though there is no suggestion, of course, of misgovernment. He has been too long in office, and an archangel in the same position would find enemies. I like the Winnipeg people enormously; but indeed, I found throughout the Prairies the most wonderful optimism and courage. Regina was delightful. They have really done wonders with their flat Prairie plain, and their mud-hole of a river. We had a splendid out-of-doors reception, to which women came carrying their children, and men in their shirt sleeves - the kind of thing that I like.
Saskatoon was excellent, too, and I liked the Indian show,
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I got very near Prince Albert that day, and am looking forward enormously to visiting it at the end of September.
At Edmonton I found our poor Mr. Aberhart in rather a melancholy state. He is in a worse mental confusion than ever. I am really sorry for him, for I do not see any way out of the hole he has got into. His prosperity certificates have, of course, nothing to do with Social Credit in the ordinary sense, but are merely an attempt to increase the velocity of circulation. But in effect they are the issuing of bad money, and if the ordinary tradesman considers them bad money the result can only be chaos. I am rather afraid of serious rows there when Government employees find they can only cash in their wages at a heavy discount.
By the way, I liked all the Lieutenant-Governors very much, Tupper and Munroe and Walsh. I fancy it might be wise to continue Munroe for another term of office if he were willing, though his health is not very good. There does not seem to be any obvious person to succeed him.
The Rockies were too kind to me, and welcomed me in real Scottish weather - heavy rain and mist. What I could see of Jasper was wonderful. We had a wash-out on the line and were nine hours late at Vancouver yesterday. The result was that the ceremonies and the dinner here had to be dropped.
The Hambers are extraordinarily kind and this is a delightful house. I am just off to the Presbyterian Kirk. I am having to address the Canadian Club tomorrow, and inspect the dockyard, and am going to be officially received in the afternoon. Then I go off in
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the Hambers' yacht for a week's fishing, to which I am enormously looking forward. I only wish you were with us.
This is a mere diurnal to report my doings. I seem to have got so far away that news from Europe is only a faint echo.
We all send our love.
Yours ever,
