94 Follow us onTwitter @BetterFarmingON Better Farming February 2017 RURAL ROOTS The odd couple of farm politics In the early 20th century, J.J. Morrison and E.C. Drury were leaders in the Ontario farm community. The agricultural organization they helped to create even formed a coalition provincial government in 1919. by CAMPBELL CORK I f ever there was an odd couple it was J.J. Morrison and E.C. Drury. Both were farmers dedicated to furthering the cause of farmers. Mor- rison fromWellington County was 17 years older than Drury, who was from Simcoe County. Both men worked their hearts out for agriculture, helping to form the United Farmers of Ontario (UFO), a farm orga- nization, in 1914. These were the days when the farm community was a voice to be reckoned with in the political scene. Farmers accounted for 40 per cent of the vote. In the election of 1919, Ontario producers had an axe to grind. During the First World War conscription crisis, farmers were incensed that their sons were not excluded from conscription, as initially promised. Conscription meant farm families would lose essential labour. Although not originally organized for political purposes, the UFO decided to field candidates in the 1919 provin- cial election. The party dreamt it might become the official opposition. It wound up forming a coalition government with the Independent Labour Party. The vic- tory came so unexpectedly that the UFO did not even have a party leader to step in as premier. The UFO chose J.J. Morrison to be premier. But Morrison, for whatever reason, declined the honour, instead nominating his old pal. E.C. Drury became the eighth premier of Ontario – and the first non-Liberal or Conserva- tive premier of the province. But the relationship between Morri- son and Drury quickly became strained, despite their long history together. Many attributed the sparks to personality conflicts between the two hard-headed men, rather than differences in policy. Drury was a man with one foot on the farm and one foot in the city – a natural politician. He wanted to expand the UFO base to include other interests, not just those of the farmer. As a young farmer he applied the knowledge gained at college, building the first cement silo in Simcoe County. Morrison, on the other hand, was a farmer’s farmer who believed the UFO lived and breathed to serve the interests of farmers and only farmers. Morrison’s achievements included his role in orga- nizing the UFO and the United Farmers’ Co-Operative Company Limited. He served as the first secretary-treasurer of both organizations. While in power, the UFO was split like its leaders. Many farmers were crit- ical of Morrison for refusing to become premier, and then turning around and criticizing the man who did his best to fulfill the position. When Drury attempted to embrace city folks, some farmers said he had lost his way as a farm advocate. By 1923, the popular tide was turning against the UFO. Urbanites and other segments of society wanted the farm- ers out of power and back on the land “where they belonged.” Drury was soundly defeated in the election of 1923. It was the last time farmers would exert such control over the Ontario political scene. The number of farmers in the fields and at the polls began to steadily decline. J.J. Morrison died in 1936 at the age of 75. In 1962, he was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame and in the same year a plaque was unveiled near his home farm outside of Arthur. E.C. Drury, known as the “Farmer Premier,” died in 1968 at the age of 90. He was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1971. A memorial plaque was erected at his birthplace near Crown Hill, north of Barrie. BF Campbell Cork lives and writes in Mount Forest. J.J. Morrison E.C. Drury Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame photo Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame photo Making the most of your OFA membership Better Farming is your trusted source for insight, analysis, and investigative reporting on Ontario agriculture. RATES AT A GLANCE One-year subsc ption f r non-OFA members $41 Your OFA member subscription cost per year $0