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In response to an 20 April 1918 order-in-council that
effectively removed military exemptions for farmers outlined in the Military
Service Act of 1917, emerged the Normal Earl Lewis trial.
Already in its fourth year, the First World War had
dominated the newspapers for quite some time and at first, coverage of the
trial regarding the revised conscription laws did not attract much
attention. Gearing up for their annual exhibition, the Stampede, Calgarians
were preoccupied with community festivities, not legal proceedings.
 However,
when reports of the military disobeying Alberta’s highest court graced the
local dailies, citizens turned out en masse to witness the conclusion of an
unprecedented dispute between two significant social bodies, the military
and the legal system.
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Heritage Community Foundation Presents
;)
