Book Review: United States: The National Guard in Politics
| Published date | 01 September 1966 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070206602100325 |
| Author | Richard A. Preston |
| Date | 01 September 1966 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
388
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
a
minority
report
in
1939
favouring
unification.
By
this
act,
Meighen
greatly
strengthened
the
opposition
to
Manion
in
Montreal
financial
circles
and
contributed
directly
to the
lack
of
money
that
made
the
party's
1940
election
campaign
so
"ineffectual.
It
is
in
question
with
the
York
South
by-election,
however,
that
Dr.
Graham
is
farthest
off
the
mark.
The
"shrill
mendacity"
of
the
C.C.F
campaign
and
the
efforts
of
Liberal
"ward-heelers"
were
decisive, we
are
told,
in
inducing
"the
bulk
of
the
normally
Liberal
vote"
to
go
to
Meighen's
opponent,
J.
W
Noseworthy.
Professor Graham,
while
devot-
ing pages
to
the
C.C.F
's
campaign
tactics,
cites
not
one
speck
of
evi-
dence-other
than
Meighen's
own
testimony-to
prove
his
contention
that
the
Liberals
backed
Noseworthy.
Compared
with
the
short
shrift
he
gives
the
myths
of
the Liberal
interpretation
of
history the author's
unquestioning acceptance
of
a
Conservative myth
is difficult
to
compre-
hend.
That there
was
some
Liberal
assistance
is
certain-Arthur
Roe-
buck
spoke
against
Meighen
and
some
Liberals
appeared
with
cars
on
election
day-but
my own
research into the
by-election
has
failed
to
uncover
any
evidence
whatsoever
of
"massive
retaliation
by
the national
Liberal
organization.
One
may
even
question
Graham's
assumption
about
the
disposition
of
the
"bulk
of
the
normally
Liberal
vote.
An
examination
of
the
poll-by-poll
results
indicates
quite
clearly
that
Meighen
won
the
wealthier
districts
of
the
constituency
including
some
previously
Liberal
areas,
but
lost
decisively
in
the
usually
Conservative
working-class
districts
of York
Township.
There
are
also
some
major
omnssions.
Meighen's
leadership
of
the
party
from the
York
South debacle
until
his
retirement
at
the
Winmpeg
Convention
in
December,
1942,
is
not
discussed.
Since
this
period
included
such
events
as
the
Hong Kong
Inquiry
and
Bill
80,
and
since
this
period
saw
the
Conservative
caucus
brought near
collapse
by
the
aging
Meig-
hen's stubborn
incompetence as
leader,
this
is
a
most
serious
gap.
Of
these months
we
are
told
only
that
Meighen
was
troubled
by
the
"lack
of
mettle"
in
the "unfortunate
Hanson.
Had
Professor
Graham
used
the
Hanson
Papers,
he
might
have
given
us
a
different
and
fuller
under
standing
of
the character
and leadership
capabilities
of
both Hanson
and
Meighen.
York
University
J. L.
GRANATSTEIN
United
States
THE
NATIONAL
GUARD
IN
POLITIcS.
By
Martha
Derthick.
1965.
(Cam-
bridge:
Harvard
University
Press.
Toronto:
Saunders.
viii,
202pp.
$4.95)
This
little
book
was
written
as
a
study
of one of
the
most
powerful
and
most
successful
political
pressure
groups
in
the
United
States.
It
contains
little
information
about
the
development
and
the
organization
of
its
subject,
the
National
Guard,
and
it
carefully
disclaims
any
in-
tention
of
passing judgement
on
its
military
effectiveness.
Nevertheless
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