Local Journalism Initiative
Remembering the St. Johns riot
Americans have to reach back to 1814 — when British soldiers invaded Washington during the War of 1812 — for the last time an angry mob ransacked their legislature. In the winter of 1931-32, many folks in Newfoundland were living on a dole of just a few cents a day. The fishery had collapsed, and the national government (Newfoundland was then a self-governing dominion, like Canada and Australia) was crippled by massive debt and was forced to cut spending. Sir Richard Squires was well into his second stint as prime minister, and some old tendencies were already resurfacing. He was no stranger to charges of corruption, having been ousted 10 years earlier on suspicion of bribery. This time, he was accused of redirecting public funds into his own pocket and then covering it up. When his finance minister, Peter Cashin,…
