Note : For reasons unknown, the Legislative Council election of 1878 appears to have incited very little interest. Multiple newspapers were consulted, none of which contained information of great value aside from which candidates were ultimately elected. The results for 2nd Queens, 1st Prince, and 2nd Prince are not official numbers; as for the affiliations of the candidates, it’s a mixture of known, unknown, and uncertain.
Citation : Source: Patriot - July 14 1877 to June 28 1879 (Microfilm @ Robertson Library, UPEI:
9 November 1878 p.3 cols.3-4 - Election Cards
9 November 1878 p.2 cols.4-5
9 November 1878 p.4 col.5 - Nomination Day
9 November 1878 p.4 col.6 - Political Meeting at Belle Creek
16 November 1878 p.2 col.1 - An Unlooked-For Result
Source: Examiner - June 7 1878 to December 14 1878 (Microfilm @ Robertson Library, UPEI)
18 November 1878, p.2 col.2 - “State of the Poll” (Prince County)
Results
Districts
Charts
Legislature
Result
Total Electors
Valid Ballots
Valid Votes
Invalid Votes
Turnout Rate
Unavailable
1,728
1,728
Unavailable
Unavailable
Party
Candidates
Seats Won
% of Seats Won
% of Vote
Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island
6
5
71.43%
46.88%
Unknown
4
1
14.29%
7.23%
Liberal-Conservative
6
1
14.29%
45.89%
Independent
1
0
0%
0%
Additional information for Liberal-Conservative
Citation : The Liberal-Conservatives were a political party that came to prominence in March of 1878. The party's origins can be traced back to the general election of 1876. While the Island’s political scene had been the mainstay of Liberals and Conservatives, these two traditional parties gave way to coalitions. The issue of public vs. sectarian schools, and the provincial government’s stance on the matter, reigned supreme, and polarized politicians and the Island into two groups based largely on religion: The Free School Coalition (Protestant Liberals, and some Conservative Liberals), and the Denominationalist Coalition (remaining Conservatives, and some Liberal Catholics). The “Free Schoolers” advocated for adherence to the Free Education Act (passed in 1855), and supported public/secular schools. The sitting Free School Coalition (Liberals) resigned in March of 1878, placing the Opposition party - which had morphed from the Denominationalists into the Liberal-Conservatives - in power, at which point a general election was called.
Citation : Source: Patriot - July 14 1877 to June 28 1879 (Microfilm @ Robertson Library, UPEI)
8 March 1879 p.2 col.5 - The Situation
13 March 1879 p.2 col.6-7 - After Many Days
3 April 1879 p.2 col.4 - Nomination Day
3 April 1879 p.3 col.4 - The Nominations
5 April 1879 p.2 col.1 - The Candidates
5 April 1879 p.3 col.4 - To the Free and Independent Electors of the Fourth District of Queens County
10 April 1879 p.2 cols.5-6 - The Result
10 April 1879 p.3 col.1 - The Result
26 April 1879 p.1 col.7 - To the Editor of the Patriot
Source: Examiner - December 16 1878 to June 25 1879 (Microfilm @ Robertson Library, UPEI)
10 April 1879, p.2 cols.1-2 “The Victory”; “The Contest and the Result”
Candidacy :
Source for the Nov 14th 1878 Legislative Council Election is unsure whether Barclay was a liberal or conservative. It is inferred that Barclay ran as conservative given he ran for the conservative party in the following election (1900).
Note :
Data are incomplete. Vote totals for each candidate were not recorded.
Attributes
Acclamation
No
Incomplete Data
Yes
Electorial Formula
SMP
District Magnitude
1
Notes for William McNeill
Candidacy :
Unclear whether William S. McNeill ran as an Independent or as a Liberal-Conservative. He is referred to as both an Independent and Liberal-Conservative. The exact nature of his candidacy is unknown.
