"Bible Bill's" Defeat

To Alberta's Social Credit Premier William C. ("Bible Bill") Aberhart, the profitless acres of the neighboring Province of Saskatchewan have long seemed a fertile field for the extension of his political and economic theories. For nine years, Saskatchewan's staple crop--wheat --has either brought non-profit prices or has been burned out by successive droughts. With more than half the Province's 930,893 inhabitants on relief, conditions are fairly favorable for ambitious politicians with any kind of palliatives.

Last week's Saskatchewan elections proved, however, that Premier Aberhart's spectacular move to add a second province to "Social Credit's" domains had been eminently unsuccessful. Having elected a Liberal government for 28 of its 33 years of existence, the provincial electorate gave its Liberal Government a new five-year lease of life. Social Credit candidates were given only a thin opening wedge in the Provincial Parliament.

The Apostle of Social Credit is British Major Clifford Hugh Douglas. The Douglas economic organization is a federal credit system in which the state supervises production and distribution and compensates for the differential between production and consumption by issuing money against the state's natural resources. Three years ago, this economic bootstrap-hoisting act was embraced by "Bible Bill." He entered the Alberta lists with a vigorous campaign which wedded radicalism with evangelicalism. He emerged with 56 Social Credit seats of the 63 in Alberta's Legislative Assembly and the premiership. But even with this overwhelming majority, "Bible Bill's" numerous plantings of Social Credit seed never took root. This was simply because one economic plant has no chance of growing in another's bed.

In his campaign, "Bible Bill" had promised each & every Albertan $25 per month in what he called "basic dividends." Few days after his election many an Albertan removed his savings from the Province.

When he took office, "Bible Bill" asked Ottawa for a loan of $18,000,000, received only $2,850,000. When he tried to put through a law muzzling the hostile press and making all banks Social Credit institutions, Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir vetoed the project. Final setback came last March. According to the British North America Act (Canada's Constitution), the Dominion holds control over currency, banking, interprovincial commerce. Canada's Supreme Court pondered Alberta's Social Credit laws, decided unanimously that they ran afoul the Dominion's monetary system.

"Bible Bill's" answer to this legal defeat was his spirited invasion of Saskatchewan. Moving East, with his slick radio voice, his politico-religious antics, his lessons on finance & economy, "Bible Bill" drew such huge crowds wherever he moved that he gave faraway orthodox Ottawa the scare of its life. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberal Government moved their big guns to Regina, Saskatoon, many a smaller community. A Cabinet official chose a favorable moment in tiny Esterhazy to announce that during the present session of Parliament a $50,000,000 Dominion housing scheme would be approved.

Had Social Credit won in Saskatchewan, other neighboring rural provinces would probably have been invaded next. In time, Canada's radical debtor. West might have been pitted against the conservative creditor East. But of 52 ridings (districts), Social Credit candidates won in only two, the Liberals won in 36. Biggest surprise was the good showing of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (including Farmer-Labor votes), which won ten seats.

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