In May 1882, a political opportunity
presented itself with a by-election called for the Brisbane seat of Bulimba. Douglas was
requested by “some influential gentlemen” to stand for the seat once the
by-election was declared, but unsure whether or not he had sufficient support,
published a lengthy advertisement in both the Brisbane Courier and the Queensland
Punch obliquely canvassing the electorate.[1] In this unusual communication he reiterated
his achievements in the political arena, offered a manifesto of what was still
required, and indicated that if elected he could work with the Liberals, but as
an advisor rather than a member.[2]
Douglas was diffident in the extreme in this tortuous
call for electoral support:
I do not
seek for the responsibility of a seat in parliament, and yet I am presumptuous
enough to believe that I might be of some service in assisting to formulate the
principles upon which we ought to be governed.[3]
The Queensland
Punch was unimpressed with Douglas’s
attitude, likening it to:
an
unmarried lady who, while too maidenly to propose on her own account, has yet
no objection to let it be known that she is willing to be asked.[4]
The necessary
support did not eventuate, and Douglas
therefore decided not to nominate.[5]
The following
year (1883) saw a general election and this time Douglas,
as a former career politician, was unable to resist. The election was called following
McIlwraith’s inability to gain support for a transcontinental railway funded
through land grants, a policy Douglas
enthusiastically supported. [6] It was widely expected that Griffith and the
liberal faction would easily win the general election,[7]
as they would be aided by disaffection in the ministerialist ranks over the
transcontinental railway, economic contradictions in government policy, and the
push in the north of the colony for regional separatism.[8] The election itself was fought predominantly
over the issue of Pacific Islander labour, and McIlwraith and his faction were,
as expected, buried under a Griffith
liberal avalanche.[9]
Douglas chose to stand as an independent, a fatal mistake
in an era increasingly dominated by ruthless, political factional
groupings. Although still widely admired
by the electorate for his honesty and integrity and still able to draw large
and enthusiastic crowds to his campaign speeches, his attempt to secure a
parliamentary seat was now peripheral to the general election outcome and the
voters reacted accordingly.[10] Nevertheless, Griffith and his faction were
to find out how just how much pain a dogged, independently minded former
liberal premier could cause them.
Before the
writs for the new general election were announced, Douglas wrote to Griffith announcing that he would be standing against him,
as an independent for the latter’s seat of North Brisbane,
the “premier electorate of the colony.”[11] In reply, Griffith
expressed his regret at Douglas’s proposed course of action, and intimated that
if Douglas successfully contested another seat
then he would be offered the speakership.[12]
It is
difficult to understand why Douglas did not
accept this offer if he was serious about resuming his parliamentary
career. The liberals were almost certain
to be elected, and had Douglas aligned himself
with them then a safe seat would have been found and the considerable resources
of the liberal faction put at his disposal.
There was also the lure of drawing the speaker’s salary, this in an era
when backbenchers received no payment.[13]
However,
because Douglas was actuated by loftier
motives than personal aggrandisement, he declined the offer.[14] His opinions on the Liberal faction were made
public when he used his election notice to warn voters that “the inevitable
result, if Mr. Griffith
succeeds at the polls, must be utter rout to the really progressive party. I claim to speak for that party.”[15]
On a more
practical note, Douglas also had irreconcilable differences with Griffith over land-grant
railways. Griffith
opposed them, whereas Douglas had passionately
supported them.[16] In 1878, when premier, he had successfully
piloted the Railway Reserves Bill, based on land-grant principles,
through the parliament. Now he was again
advocating them, this time as the central plank of his election manifesto. Douglas saw
land-grant railways as a land issue, a way to break down existing land
monopolies.[17]
This support
for land-grant railways appeared to align him with McIlwraith, because he and
the current premier were in complete agreement on the necessity for large
railway schemes financed through land grants.[18] McIlwraith wanted to build a transcontinental
railway from Brisbane to the Gulf
of Carpentaria financed through land-grant sales.[19]
However, his supporters quickly let it
be known that Douglas would not be welcome as
their candidate, because he had refused to pledge himself not to vote against
them in any want-of-confidence motions.[20]
Douglas’s employer, the Brisbane Courier, enthusiastically
supported his candidacy, maintaining there was a need:
for a real
Liberal party: one not composed of mere political nonentities, but of men who
can be of assistance to their leader in debate, and whose wise counsels he dare
not reject.[21]
Despite the
paper extolling Douglas as a candidate who is
“now in the very ripeness of intellectual maturity, and yet is troubled with no
diminution of vigour,” the liberal faction and its supporters considered
Douglas a ‘turncoat,’[22]
while others were simply confused. As
William Hemmant wrote to Griffith from London on 19 October 1883 , “Whatever can have induced John
Douglas to act as he has done? I thought
he was driven from parliament by the low Blackguardism of the supporters of
McIlwraith, and now he comes to their rescue.”[23]
In his speech
to the electorate Douglas defended his decision to stand in North Brisbane,
expressed admiration for Griffith, supported McIlwraith’s push for land-grant
railways, and called for the current balance between European and non-white
labour in the colony to be maintained through regulation, despite not being
“prejudiced against any man, white or black.”[24] As far as Douglas
was concerned, the principle of nationality could not be tampered with, and he
saw no contradiction in being a humanitarian and yet at the same time
restricting entry to the colony on the grounds of race or colour.
On 8 August 1883 , an article
appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, where its Brisbane
correspondent, Frederick Thomas Brentnall, criticised Douglas’s decision to
contest the election, ridiculed his election manifesto, and, in dismissing his
chances, revealed information that could only have been obtained through Griffith supplying Brentnall with the contents of Douglas’s recent letter.[25] Douglas was incensed at the leaking of what
he considered “a private and personal communication,” wrote to Griffith accordingly and
concluded with the ominous warning: “As I feel that confidence has not been
kept with me, I reserve to myself the right of publishing if necessary.”[26]
Although
Griffith did eventually apologise, by then Douglas had imprudently admitted the
existence of the correspondence to Bobby Byrne, who promptly demanded through
his paper, Queensland Figaro, that Griffith confirm or deny whether
Douglas had been offered the speakership.[27] Griffith
replied that:
the
statement is a deliberate falsehood. It
must have been imagined.[28]
This emphatic
denial by Griffith forced Douglas to release the
relevant correspondence,[29]
humiliating Griffith
and forcing him to back down publicly.[30] As one paper accurately summed up the
disagreement between Douglas and Griffith:
The former
has always been looked upon as a gentleman, and a man of truth. The latter seems to be in danger of losing
both reputations.[31]
Griffith was furious,
coldly “wishing Mr. Douglas joy of his new allies and associates.”[32] Nevertheless, however embarrassing and
demeaning this episode may have been for Griffith,
he was never in any danger of losing his seat.[33] North Brisbane
sent two representatives to parliament, and the real contest was for the second
position. Douglas,
campaigning as an independent, had little chance against the second liberal
faction candidate and sitting member, William Brookes. He had indicated in his public meetings that
he could not support either faction,[34]
so what was the point of voting for him?
Douglas himself recognised this dilemma, but believed there was no other
option open to him:
He had such
confidence in what he felt to be right that he should despise himself if he did
not take that independent course.[35]
As the
anonymous Brisbane correspondent for the Sydney Town
and Country Journal, Douglas had the rare
luxury of commenting on own his candidacy!
Again, he appears to have recognised the hopelessness of his position:
As a
Liberal, and that he really is, Mr. Douglas would have come in easily enough,
but he does not choose, it appears, to be regarded as a Liberal of the
recognised pattern at present in fashion, so he stands a good chance of being
defeated.[36]
Douglas, as
he himself predicted, was soundly defeated, polling 640 votes while Griffith received 1,118
and Brookes 972.[37] His supporters were in no doubt as to why he
had lost:
Against him
were arranged the strong party feelings of the more unintelligent voters, the
whole influence of Mr. Griffith – who asked for his defeat as a personal favour
from the constituency – and all the electioneering devices which a liberal
expenditure of money could procure.[38]
However, an
interjector in the crowd at the declaration of the poll best summed up the
sorry saga: “You should have stuck to
your old friends, John.”[39]
Why did
Douglas stand against Griffith in North Brisbane?
After all, they were both liberals, and Griffith had been his deputy when he was
premier. Was it revenge for Griffith’s disloyalty in
the 1878 election? If so, it would have
been out of character for Douglas, as there is
no evidence elsewhere that he harboured deep-seated grudges. Douglas
played his politics fairly, and this occasion was no different. The North Brisbane seat returned two
candidates to the parliament so Douglas could
have justified his actions by explaining that both of them could be
returned. If he did believe this then he
displayed a remarkable naivety, for everyone else would have seen it as a
direct challenge to Griffith. Whatever his motives, the fracas over the
speakership would have afforded Douglas a
certain satisfaction, even if it did Griffith and his faction little good. This incident illustrates how fortuitous it
was that Douglas was unsuccessful in obtaining
a seat at this time. The political
environment in 1880s was markedly different to that in the 1860s and
1870s. Politics and the political
process in the colony had changed.
Factional men beholden to political groupings had replaced independent
men with short-lived shifting allegiances.
There was now simply no room for a maverick such as Douglas,
and even though he did not realise this, the electorate did and voted
accordingly.
Although
Douglas lost in his bid to win a seat in North Brisbane,
he, supremely confident in his abilities, craved another opportunity to
convince an electorate of his value. The
elections were held over a 10 week period,[40]
and he, after being persuaded to stand elsewhere,[41]
nominated for the Darling Downs seat of Drayton and Toowoomba[42]
against the sitting members, William Henry Groom and Robert Aland, both members
of the liberal faction. Griffith
quickly travelled to Toowoomba to lend support to his colleagues’ campaigns,[43]
while Douglas arrived shortly afterwards.[44]
Douglas
launched into an energetic campaign and addressed several meetings in the
district where he espoused the same views as when he had campaigned in North Brisbane, and, mindful of the significant Germanic
population residing in the electorate, championed his role in bringing German
migrants to the colony.[45] Nevertheless, Douglas’s
cause was hopeless, and he knew it.
Again, he permitted himself the luxury of reflecting on his campaign for
the benefit of the Town and Country Journal readers:
[Douglas]
with a pertinacity which is almost incomprehensible, still sticks to the land
grant railway projects as a sufficient solution for everything… people regard his opinions on this subject as
a sort of craze, but Mr. Douglas, with a kind of quixotic obstinacy, still
sticks to his universal remedy which some one told him the other day he
regarded as a kind of political hop bitters.[46]
On polling
day, Douglas again lost heavily.[47] It was the last time he contested an
election. In his words, his candidacy
“had been a demonstration, and perhaps not much more.”[48] A man as principled as himself was now an
anachronism in a new political age when strong leaders enforced loyalty through
the factional machine. It is doubtful
that Douglas saw it this way, for if he did,
he would not have stood for parliament.
Nevertheless, whatever the reasons for his defeat, he understood well
enough the consequences. Forlornly
reflecting on his defeat, Douglas solemnly
informed his Town and Country Journal readership: “It is thus that our
great ones perish.”[49]
With politics
now closed to him, Douglas sought other
avenues of employment. The Queensland civil service
was one option, but the very idea was anathema.[50] A man used to leading and governing, one who
made the rules and interpreted them, he did not follow them. As a former premier, he perceived working for
the government in a lowly civil service capacity to be degrading and
humiliating, and injurious to his honour and reputation. Douglas may
have believed in service and duty, but it had to be at the appropriate
level. None of the other Queensland premiers had
worked in the colony’s public service following their premierships - and
neither would he.
-----------------------------
[1] John Douglas. “To the Electors of Bulimba.” Queensland Punch, 1 June 1882. No page no., but it is in the advertisement section at the back of the issue; John Douglas. “To the Electors of Bulimba.” Brisbane Courier, 23 May 1882, p. 3
[2] John Douglas. “To the Electors of Bulimba.” Brisbane Courier, 23 May 1882, p. 3
[3] Ibid.
[4] “The passing Show.” Queensland Punch, 1 June 1882, p. 129
[5] Bulimba Election. Brisbane Courier, 12 July 1882, p. 3; Bulimba Election. Brisbane Courier, 14 July 1882, p. 3. When nominations took place on 13 July 1882, John Francis Buckland was the only candidate and was elected unopposed.
[6] “The Hon. John Douglas and the Transcontinental Railway.” The Queensland Guardian. 15 February 1883, p. 14; Douglas (1882); Bernays, pp. 91-92. The Transcontinental (Land Grant) Railway Bill was defeated by 11 votes (27 to 16) on 3 July 1883.
[7] As a contemporary sarcastically observed, “the people of Queensland will deserve all that will assuredly await them if they give another term of power to the McIlwraith Ministry.” (Queenslander, p. 169)
[8] Waterson (1978), p. 126
[9] Ibid.; Fitzgerald, p. 248; Cilento, p. 394
[10] The Brisbane Courier accurately summed up the support Douglas would receive as follows: “most people will accord their sympathy if not their assent.” (Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4)
[11] John Douglas to Samuel Griffith, 13 August 1883. Griffith Papers, MSQ 185, pp. 353-57. Dixson Library, State Library of NSW; Brisbane Courier, 21 August 1883, p. 4
[12] John Douglas to Samuel Griffith, 23 August 1883. Griffith Papers, MSQ 185, pp. 359-62. Dixson Library, State Library of NSW; “The Douglas-Griffith Controversy.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 12 September 1883
[13] Brisbane Courier, 21 August 1883, p. 4. The speaker’s salary was £1,000 per annum. (Queensland Votes and Proceedings, vol 2, 1884, p. 43)
[14] In Douglas’s words; “I myself have never regarded that office as one to which I might aspire.” (John Douglas to Samuel Griffith, 23 August 1883. Griffith Papers, MSQ 185, pp. 359-62. Dixson Library, State Library of NSW.) Others considered Griffith’s offer to be a bribe. (“The Douglas-Griffith Controversy.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 12 September 1883.) As for the loftier motives, Spencer Browne observed of Douglas: “he was always more concerned in the welfare of the country than in small party advantage.” (Browne (1927), p. 78)
[15] John Douglas. “To the Electors of North Brisbane.” Brisbane Courier, 2 August 1883, p. 6; John Douglas. “To the Electors of North Brisbane.” Queensland Figaro, 4 August 1883, p. 542
[16] Douglas’s support for land-grant railways had been cemented by what he saw on his visit to America in 1871. (“Report from the Royal Commission on Railway Construction in Queensland: Minutes of the Evidence …,” pp. 6-9. Queensland Votes and Proceedings, 1872)
[17] Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4; John Douglas. “To the Electors of North Brisbane.” Brisbane Courier, 2 August 1883, p. 6; “Mr Douglas at the Albert Hall.” Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4
[18] Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4; Douglas to McIlwraith, 18 January 1882. McIlwraith / Palmer Papers, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, OM 64-19/12, letter no. 342
[19] Fitzgerald, p. 313; Douglas to McIlwraith, 18 January 1882. McIlwraith / Palmer Papers, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, OM 64-19/12, letter no. 342
[20] Brisbane Courier, 2 August 1883, p. 2. Douglas let it be known that the issue of land-grant railways was the only point of agreement between him and McIlwraith. (“Mr Douglas at the Albert Hall.” Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4)
[21] Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4
[22] Ibid.
[23] William Hemmant to Samuel Griffith, 19 October 1883. Griffith Papers. MSQ 185, pp. 363-68. Dixson Library, State Library of NSW
[24] “Mr Douglas at the Albert Hall.” Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4: “Our Queensland Letter.” Town and Country Journal, 8 September 1883, p. 459”
[25] “Our Brisbane Letter.” Sydney Morning Herald, 8 August 1883, p. 4. The revealing sentence was, “He did inform Mr. Griffith of his intention to come out for the city.”
[26] John Douglas to Samuel Griffith, 13 August 1883. Griffith Papers, MSQ 185, pp. 353-57. Dixson Library, State Library of NSW
[27] “Will Mr. Griffith Answer This?” Queensland Figaro, 18 August 1883, p. 578
[28] “Own up Sam.” Queensland Figaro, 1 September 1883, p. 623
[29] “Mr. Douglas at the Albert Hall.” Brisbane Courier, 20 August 1883, pp. 4-5; “The Douglas-Griffith Controversy.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 12 September 1883
[30] Brisbane Courier, 21 August 1883, p. 4; “Mr. Griffith in Explanation.” Brisbane Courier, 11 September 1883, p. 3; Brisbane Courier, 11 September 1883, p. 4; John Douglas. “Mr. Douglas in Reply.” Brisbane Courier, 11 September 1883, p. 5
[31] “The Douglas-Griffith Controversy.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 12 September 1883
[32] “Mr. Griffith in Explanation.” Brisbane Courier, 11 September 1883, p. 3
[33] Brisbane Courier, 21 August 1883, p. 4
[34] “Mr. Douglas at the Albert Hall.” Brisbane Courier, 20 August 1883, pp. 4-5
[35] Ibid.
[36] “Our Queensland Letter.” Town and Country Journal, 8 September 1883, p. 459
[37] “The General Elections.” Brisbane Courier, 22 August 1883, p. 3
[38] “Douglas Defeat.” Brisbane Courier, 22 August 1883, p. 2
[39] “The General Elections.” Brisbane Courier, 22 August 1883, p. 3
[40] “Our Brisbane Letter.” Sydney Morning Herald, 8 August 1883, p. 4
[41] “Queensland News.” Brisbane Courier, 30 August 1883, p. 5: “Queensland News.” Brisbane Courier, 15 September 1883, p. 5: “Our Queensland Letter.” Town and Country Journal, 13 October 1883, p. 699
[42] “General Election.” Brisbane Courier, 25 September 1883, p. 6
[43] “Important Arrival.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 12 September 1883; “Mr Griffith at Toowoomba.” Brisbane Courier, 28 September 1883, p. 5
[44] “Queensland News.” Brisbane Courier, 17 September 1883, p. 5
[45] “Mr. Douglas at Gowrie Road.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 26 September 1883; “Mr Douglas at Drayton.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 26 September 1883; “Mr. Douglas Defence of German Immigration.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 26 September 1883
[46] “Our Queensland Letter.” Town and Country Journal, 13 October 1883, p. 699
[47] “The Elections.” Brisbane Courier, 2 October 1883, p. 5; “The General Election.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 3 October 1863. Aland and Groom both retained their seats, with 874 and 854 votes respectively, with Douglas a distant last, polling only 410 votes.
[48] “Our Queensland Letter.” Town and Country Journal, 13 October 1883, p. 699
[49] Ibid.
[50] John Douglas to Edward Douglas, 4 September 1898. Douglas Papers, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, OM 89-3/B/2(b)/14
[2] John Douglas. “To the Electors of Bulimba.” Brisbane Courier, 23 May 1882, p. 3
[3] Ibid.
[4] “The passing Show.” Queensland Punch, 1 June 1882, p. 129
[5] Bulimba Election. Brisbane Courier, 12 July 1882, p. 3; Bulimba Election. Brisbane Courier, 14 July 1882, p. 3. When nominations took place on 13 July 1882, John Francis Buckland was the only candidate and was elected unopposed.
[6] “The Hon. John Douglas and the Transcontinental Railway.” The Queensland Guardian. 15 February 1883, p. 14; Douglas (1882); Bernays, pp. 91-92. The Transcontinental (Land Grant) Railway Bill was defeated by 11 votes (27 to 16) on 3 July 1883.
[7] As a contemporary sarcastically observed, “the people of Queensland will deserve all that will assuredly await them if they give another term of power to the McIlwraith Ministry.” (Queenslander, p. 169)
[8] Waterson (1978), p. 126
[9] Ibid.; Fitzgerald, p. 248; Cilento, p. 394
[10] The Brisbane Courier accurately summed up the support Douglas would receive as follows: “most people will accord their sympathy if not their assent.” (Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4)
[11] John Douglas to Samuel Griffith, 13 August 1883. Griffith Papers, MSQ 185, pp. 353-57. Dixson Library, State Library of NSW; Brisbane Courier, 21 August 1883, p. 4
[12] John Douglas to Samuel Griffith, 23 August 1883. Griffith Papers, MSQ 185, pp. 359-62. Dixson Library, State Library of NSW; “The Douglas-Griffith Controversy.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 12 September 1883
[13] Brisbane Courier, 21 August 1883, p. 4. The speaker’s salary was £1,000 per annum. (Queensland Votes and Proceedings, vol 2, 1884, p. 43)
[14] In Douglas’s words; “I myself have never regarded that office as one to which I might aspire.” (John Douglas to Samuel Griffith, 23 August 1883. Griffith Papers, MSQ 185, pp. 359-62. Dixson Library, State Library of NSW.) Others considered Griffith’s offer to be a bribe. (“The Douglas-Griffith Controversy.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 12 September 1883.) As for the loftier motives, Spencer Browne observed of Douglas: “he was always more concerned in the welfare of the country than in small party advantage.” (Browne (1927), p. 78)
[15] John Douglas. “To the Electors of North Brisbane.” Brisbane Courier, 2 August 1883, p. 6; John Douglas. “To the Electors of North Brisbane.” Queensland Figaro, 4 August 1883, p. 542
[16] Douglas’s support for land-grant railways had been cemented by what he saw on his visit to America in 1871. (“Report from the Royal Commission on Railway Construction in Queensland: Minutes of the Evidence …,” pp. 6-9. Queensland Votes and Proceedings, 1872)
[17] Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4; John Douglas. “To the Electors of North Brisbane.” Brisbane Courier, 2 August 1883, p. 6; “Mr Douglas at the Albert Hall.” Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4
[18] Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4; Douglas to McIlwraith, 18 January 1882. McIlwraith / Palmer Papers, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, OM 64-19/12, letter no. 342
[19] Fitzgerald, p. 313; Douglas to McIlwraith, 18 January 1882. McIlwraith / Palmer Papers, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, OM 64-19/12, letter no. 342
[20] Brisbane Courier, 2 August 1883, p. 2. Douglas let it be known that the issue of land-grant railways was the only point of agreement between him and McIlwraith. (“Mr Douglas at the Albert Hall.” Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4)
[21] Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4
[22] Ibid.
[23] William Hemmant to Samuel Griffith, 19 October 1883. Griffith Papers. MSQ 185, pp. 363-68. Dixson Library, State Library of NSW
[24] “Mr Douglas at the Albert Hall.” Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1883, p. 4: “Our Queensland Letter.” Town and Country Journal, 8 September 1883, p. 459”
[25] “Our Brisbane Letter.” Sydney Morning Herald, 8 August 1883, p. 4. The revealing sentence was, “He did inform Mr. Griffith of his intention to come out for the city.”
[26] John Douglas to Samuel Griffith, 13 August 1883. Griffith Papers, MSQ 185, pp. 353-57. Dixson Library, State Library of NSW
[27] “Will Mr. Griffith Answer This?” Queensland Figaro, 18 August 1883, p. 578
[28] “Own up Sam.” Queensland Figaro, 1 September 1883, p. 623
[29] “Mr. Douglas at the Albert Hall.” Brisbane Courier, 20 August 1883, pp. 4-5; “The Douglas-Griffith Controversy.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 12 September 1883
[30] Brisbane Courier, 21 August 1883, p. 4; “Mr. Griffith in Explanation.” Brisbane Courier, 11 September 1883, p. 3; Brisbane Courier, 11 September 1883, p. 4; John Douglas. “Mr. Douglas in Reply.” Brisbane Courier, 11 September 1883, p. 5
[31] “The Douglas-Griffith Controversy.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 12 September 1883
[32] “Mr. Griffith in Explanation.” Brisbane Courier, 11 September 1883, p. 3
[33] Brisbane Courier, 21 August 1883, p. 4
[34] “Mr. Douglas at the Albert Hall.” Brisbane Courier, 20 August 1883, pp. 4-5
[35] Ibid.
[36] “Our Queensland Letter.” Town and Country Journal, 8 September 1883, p. 459
[37] “The General Elections.” Brisbane Courier, 22 August 1883, p. 3
[38] “Douglas Defeat.” Brisbane Courier, 22 August 1883, p. 2
[39] “The General Elections.” Brisbane Courier, 22 August 1883, p. 3
[40] “Our Brisbane Letter.” Sydney Morning Herald, 8 August 1883, p. 4
[41] “Queensland News.” Brisbane Courier, 30 August 1883, p. 5: “Queensland News.” Brisbane Courier, 15 September 1883, p. 5: “Our Queensland Letter.” Town and Country Journal, 13 October 1883, p. 699
[42] “General Election.” Brisbane Courier, 25 September 1883, p. 6
[43] “Important Arrival.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 12 September 1883; “Mr Griffith at Toowoomba.” Brisbane Courier, 28 September 1883, p. 5
[44] “Queensland News.” Brisbane Courier, 17 September 1883, p. 5
[45] “Mr. Douglas at Gowrie Road.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 26 September 1883; “Mr Douglas at Drayton.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 26 September 1883; “Mr. Douglas Defence of German Immigration.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 26 September 1883
[46] “Our Queensland Letter.” Town and Country Journal, 13 October 1883, p. 699
[47] “The Elections.” Brisbane Courier, 2 October 1883, p. 5; “The General Election.” Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 3 October 1863. Aland and Groom both retained their seats, with 874 and 854 votes respectively, with Douglas a distant last, polling only 410 votes.
[48] “Our Queensland Letter.” Town and Country Journal, 13 October 1883, p. 699
[49] Ibid.
[50] John Douglas to Edward Douglas, 4 September 1898. Douglas Papers, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, OM 89-3/B/2(b)/14
