Letter from Mar Edwards to the Premier

South Slocan. March 10, 1925,

To the Honorable John Oliver
Premier,
Victoria B.C.

Sir,

I have been asked by a number of working stiffs the same as myself to write you and express our unqualified approval of the stand taken by you at Grand Forks on your recent visit there on the Doukhobor question. We would respectfully urge you to take a firm stand and bring these people to time not only on the school question but compel them to comply with the marriage and divorce laws also on the registration of births and death laws. We feel that it is sufficient injustice to compel us to compete with them in the labor market as we have to do without having to listen to their mockery of Canadian laws and customs. Personally I wouldn't own land in their immediate vicinity.

They are not citizens, never will be and have not the slightest notion of complying with any Canadian law that they can by any means flout. I know this people since the first day they landed in Western Canada and I can't see that they have made the slightest advance toward Canadian citizenship. You took the only right stand and we sincerly hope you will follow it through to the creidt of your Government and those who had faith enough in you to back you with their votes. As matters stand now with all this school burning etc. going on I for one won't take any chances with any of these fanatics wandering on to any premises. I dont have any truck with them to give them an excuse for trespassing and will hang them of lively if they do. With the amount of rope they have been given for some years it is no wonder they gave grown bold. Here is a clipping from the Nelson Daily News I have enclosed. In all probability you have already seen it.