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 In the politically charged atmosphere of 1937 Alberta,
nine men - seven of them lawyers – were identified in a government-sponsored
leaflet as “Bankers’ Toadies.” The contents of this leaflet—a public
information circular—went on to discuss how human toadies were related to
the insect world. Between the opening and a somewhat baffling dénouement,
was an exhortation to “exterminate them!”
When Major General Griesbach, famous soldier and sometime
lawyer, saw his name on the list, he slapped the pamphlet’s authors with
criminal charges for libel and for counseling murder. Although the latter
charge was quickly dismissed, the two men charged, Joseph Unwin and George
Powell, would still have to defend themselves against the accusation of
libel.
Before the trials were over, Unwin and Powell would point
fingers at the government, the printer, and each other, in one of the most
significant libel cases Alberta had ever seen.
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Heritage Community Foundation Presents
;)
