A Place in HistoryThe message of Pierce Power is simple, but profound. All people have
the right to be treated fairly and decently. If they are not, they have
the right and the responsibility to try to change their condition. They
must help improve the lives of their neighbours and friends. Power told people not to be ashamed of their poverty, but to be angry
about it. He believed and taught others to believe that action can cause
change. He did not seek violence, but he lived in violent times. Power
thought that the terrible conditions of the poor were a crime committed
by the government against the people. It had to be challenged. So why doesn't Pierce Power appear in Newfoundland history books? The Unemployed Committee was the only real opposition to the Commission of Government at that time. Their protests led to a riot, a sensational trial and, in the end, a jail sentence for their leader. Perhaps it is because Power was a common man and not a rich or famous person. But it might be something else. The story of Pierce Power and the Unemployed Committee of 1934 and 1935 challenges a popular idea. Newfoundlanders are often said to be a hardy and long suffering people. This patience and calm is considered part of Newfoundland culture. It is highly praised.33 The young worker from the Southside Road just doesn't fit in with that image. His life challenges those ideas. His words mock the picture of the good Newfoundlander. Pierce Power did not admire meekness. He would not have thought much of anyone who did. |
31 From Detective Mahoney's report to Police Chief O'Neill on February 25, 1935, notes from an unemployed meeting. 32 From Detective Mahoney's report to Police Chief O'Neill on February 3, 1935. 33 Memorial University sociologist Jim Overton has written about the Unemployed Committee of 1934 and 1935. In his essay "Riots, Raids and Relief"(Violence and Public Anxiety, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Memorial University, 1992) Overton discusses the popular image of Newfoundlanders as passive, nonviolent people. |
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