Harley "Beattie" Munroe was born 1915 in Whitehead, a son of Thurlo Munroe and Mary Lavinia Uloth. These are some of the stories he recorded over the years.

h, yes the elections were quite the thing in those days. The country people were either staunch Tories or staunch Grits, and joined the different parades. The blind leading the blind. If Tories were elected they paraded around the homes of the Grits and if the Grits were elected, they paraded around the homes of the Tories. If you did not show your colors, or a turn coat as you would be known, you would stay home and no doubt end up getting a job on one of the light houses or foreman of the road work. We would always get a government grant of $2,000 to be spent on the roads every four years, or at least on the eve of every election (version I).
The campaigning was terrific; the two local papers were in stiff competition as the Herald was a Tory paper and the Chronicle Grit. One fellow down home said he hung up a catalogue in the outhouse on election years, as the newspapers had too much lye in them.
The Guysboro railroad was the biggest thing that ever happened in eastern Nova Scotia. It elected more candidates then the Trans Canada Highway in the more recent years. The railway covered a distance of about thirty miles, too bad it never ever had any rails laid on it, as some of the people are still waiting to see what a train looks like.
Pa was a dyed in the wool Tory as his father and his grandfather were Tories and I suppose I am a Tory partly because they were Tories. Nobody seems to have much concern these days, what party is in or who the local candidate as member is as they do not make the tours of the country places now and soapbox supporters have also lost their interest. In fact there have been periods in recent years, when I did not even know who my political member was.
They can sit in their own living room now and do their canvassing over television, and do not find it necessary to go out among the people. "Cigars "have" gone up in price."