The

Patrons of Industry The Patrons of Industry in Canada were based on the Patrons of Industry of Michigan that had formed in 1889. It was dedicated to upholding and encouraging the moral, social, intellectual, political and financial situation of farmers and to preserve ...

in Manitoba was an extension of a farmers' organization operating in Ontario (see

) and the United States in the 1880s and 1890s. The Patrons lobbied extensively and became politically active, running provincial and federal candidates. The Manitoba Patrons, as a fraternal organization, was initially focused on coordinating an agrarian cooperative movement on the Prairies. Its first lodges in Manitoba and the North-West Territories began in 1890, with a "grand lodge" (central body) established in 1891. At first the group was known as the "Patrons of Manitoba and the North-West" - its conventions included delegates from Manitoba and the territorial districts of Assiniboia, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The organization's leader was Charles Braithwaite, who was chosen at a convention held in November 1891. Through direct bulk buying in competition with established stores, the movement brought down the price of farm supplies (binder twine) and other farmers' needs, and through strong lobbying it helped achieve a cut in tariffs on imported goods important to farmers. The Manitoba group turned to direct political action in 1894. Following a tour of Manitoba by Braithwaite (who was a spellbinding orator), the Patrons nominated candidates in all but two of the province's constituencies, in anticipation of the next provincial election. The Patrons were the first "third party" to emerge in Manitoba after partisan government was formally introduced to the province in 1888. They opposed both

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

and Liberals and were for a time affiliated with

Dalton McCarthy Dalton McCarthy (October 10, 1836 – May 11, 1898), or D'Alton McCarthy, was a Canadian lawyer and parliamentarian. He was the leader of the "Orange" or Protestant Irish, and fiercely fought against Irish Catholics as well as the French C ...

, a dissident federal Conservative. On August 23, 1894, the Patrons proved they were a significant force in Manitoba politics when their candidate John Forsyth defeated Conservative leader

John Andrew Davidson John Andrew Davidson (August 19, 1852 – November 14, 1903) was a Manitoba politician. He was briefly the leader of Manitoba's Conservative parliamentary caucus in 1894, and later served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Hugh Joh ...

in a two-sided

Beautiful Plains Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

by-election (there was no Liberal candidate in the race). Forsyth was expelled from the Patrons in 1895 for using a railway pass (given free to legislators) in violation of party policy. Patrons of Industry made an appearance in the 1894 NWT Assembly election, running J.E. Annable in the Moose Jaw district - unsuccessfully. The party became internally divided over the

Manitoba Schools Question The Manitoba Schools Question () was a political crisis in the Canadian province of Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, attacking publicly-funded separate schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants. The crisis was precipitated by a se ...

. Many Catholic Patrons were alienated by the party's support of Liberal Premier

Thomas Greenway Thomas Greenway (March 25, 1838 – October 30, 1908) was a Canadian politician, merchant and farmer. He served as the seventh premier of Manitoba from 1888 to 1900. A Liberal, his ministry formally ended Manitoba's non-partisan government, al ...

's efforts to eliminate denominational schools, and left the party. The Patrons ran seven candidates in the provincial election of 1896, and two of them were elected:

Watson Crosby Watson Montgomery Crosby (June 10, 1857 – March 19, 1897) served as the reeve of the Rural Municipality of Wallace and as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for the constituency of Dennis. Crosby was born at French River, Prin ...

in Dennis and William Sirett in Beautiful Plains. The Patrons ran candidates in two Manitoba provincial by-elections in 1896 who were not successful. (On the other hand, Matt McCauley was elected with official Patron backing in Edmonton (Alberta) in the 1896 North-West Assembly election.) Ed. Bulletin, August 13, 1896, page 3 Three Manitoba Patrons -- Postlethwaite (Brandon), Braithwaite (Macdonald), and Marshall (Marquette) -- ran in the 1896 federal election, but were unsuccessful, finishing third in their ridings. Braithwaite, who had led the Manitoba Patrons of Industry party since 1891, stepped down as party leader in January 1897, and the party effectively ceased to exist after this time. PI MLA Crosby died in 1897, and PI MLA Sirett did not run for re-election in 1899. In addition to supporting agrarian interests, the Patrons also supported prohibition, universal suffrage (for men and women) and electoral reform. These policies would later re-emerge in the platform of the Progressive Party of Canada and other farmer political parties such as the

United Farmers of Manitoba The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba (UFM), an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I. See also * List of political parties in Canada ...

and the

United Farmers of Alberta The United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) is an association of Alberta farmers that has served different roles in its 100-year history – as a lobby group, a successful political party, and as a farm-supply retail chain. As a political party, it forme ...

References

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