BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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Political Secretary.
A decision was also made to keep the Chief Agent
informed of political activities. The renewed expectation of elections
in September led to a resolution by the Council authorizing the Finance
Committee "to expend such sums as it may deem necessary before the date
of the General Elections."
To this end the Political Secretary was
empowered to engage a staff of lecturers and supply them free of charge
to local Habitations.18 Middleton's presence at the meeting gave a
clear indication of the party's endorsement of League functions.
The General Election of November, 1885 served as the first
significant test of the value of Primrose League activities. While
individual efforts had been made on the part of League members to
support a number of Conservative candidates, there had been no national
campaign to test their talents.
The growth of the League in the period
just prior to the election, particularly at the Dame and Associate
levels, which were beginning to "take off," suggested its correlation
with larger political developments as manifested on the national scene.
The election was of particular significance as the first
nationwide contest since the introduction of the celebrated reforms of
1883-85. The ability of the League to perform within the prescribed
limits of the Corrupt Practices Act would, in large measure, determine
its future viability.
The Corrupt Practices Act of 1883 was the
product of a heightened parliamentary and public awareness of illegal
campaign practices and the spiraling cost of elections.
Its passage
marked the first truly comprehensive and enforceable set of regulations
IS Minutes of the Grand Council of the Primrose League, 17
June 1885; 9 September 1885.