BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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95 application, the Primrose League frequently modified its electoral campaign procedures, never quite sure which actions properly placed it within the confines of the law. At various points, legal advice was sought and in each instance a different interpretation appears to have been given.24 prior to the November, 1885 election Habitations were sent notices instructing them on "What Members of the League Must Not Do." Statutes and Precepts repeatedly urged members to observe the law. Nevertheless, its exact contours remained unclear. In June, 1886, anticipating the July General Election, the Council issued a Precept to Habitations instructing them "to use every effort consistent with the law" in placing themselves at the disposal of the agent representing the local (Unionist) candidate. 2^ Confusion continued. It was reflected in the disparate practices which grew up surrounding League election activities. Some Habitations formally dissolved, placing themselves as individuals under the instruction of agents. Others worked directly for the local representative. Many preferred maintaining an independent stance, aligned to the agent and Conservative association but principally involved in registration and conveyancing, functions that might easily be carried out apart from existing party operations. As late as July, 1887 the Grand Council remained divided regarding the legal status of election and registration procedures 1888. 24 25 Ibid., 14 January 1885; 22 July 1885; 16 July 1887; 18 June Ibid., 21 October 1885; 15 June 1886.
97 practiced by Habitations. 26 By June of the following year, the Council appeared to have reached agreement, devising what was, in effect, a universal strategy for Habitations. All members who qualified as voters were expected to register. Wardens assigned to subdistricts would be responsible for supervising registration and canvassing activities associated with the local Habitation. They were also charged with consulting voter lists posted annually on Church doors and post office buildings during the month of August in order to ensure that qualified members had placed their names on the rolls. 27 The Ruling Council of the Habitation in the constituency where the election was being held was responsible for determining the candidate which best represented Primrose principles. Habitations were advised to plan the best means of assisting local candidates before elections. The district under the Habitation's supervision was to be parceled out "street by street, village by village, and hamlet by hamlet" with active members distributed accordingly and assigned the task of determining the names and politics of every voter, providing conveyances where needed.28 Under the 1888 procedures, Habitations were instructed to operate independently, although in harmony with local candidates and Unionist associations. Assistance given to local political figures was 26 Ibid., 16 July 1887. 27 Primrose League Special Minute Book, 1886-1900, 18 June 1888; 26 June 1888. 1888. 2^ Primrose League Special Minute Book, 1886-1900, 18 June
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BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMRO
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ABSTRACT BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND
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TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables Li
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LIST OF GRAPHS 1 Cumulative Distri
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PREFACE For a scholar embarking on
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Materials were also consulted at th
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INTRODUCTION The Primose League wa
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3 Conservative party leadership. Th
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5 government. It is, for him, a sys
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7 up in the early twentieth century
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9 Through an examination of a numbe
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11 . CHAPTER ONE Early Years, 1883
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country, albeit with the tacit supp
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15 districts to reflect the distrib
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17 marked most dramatically in the
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19 my allegiance to the Sovereign o
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21 leadership. 1 ? yhe Registrar wa
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23 at the meetings of .the Habitati
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25 Women in a sense had been active
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Although this was precisely the rol
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29 Ill As early as January, 1884 t
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The gains made in the recruitment o
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33 move intended to suggest the ass
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35 The Ruling Council enlarged its
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37 members charged with overseeing
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39 chairmanship of Gorst. 57 The P
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41 The political responsibilities o
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43 Conservative Cabinet. Balfour, A
Page 57 and 58: 45 been taken, presumably at the in
Page 59 and 60: 47 In many respects the formal adop
Page 61 and 62: 49 existing institutions by means o
Page 63 and 64: Gains made in other spheres helped
Page 65 and 66: 53 PRIMROSE LEAGUE LOCAL ORGANIZATI
Page 67 and 68: 55 day decisions to its Executive C
Page 69 and 70: 57 Between the years 1886 and 1888
Page 71 and 72: 59 By contrast, District. Agents we
Page 73 and 74: 61 As the organization expanded, ne
Page 75 and 76: 63 meetings should be conducted at
Page 77 and 78: 65 While the move to shift registra
Page 79 and 80: 67 League. Consequently in Janyary,
Page 81 and 82: 69 The idea of a great loose body o
Page 83 and 84: 71 the League's formation. 44 A mor
Page 85 and 86: The controversy, which assumed its
Page 87 and 88: 75 Habitations. 55 The dispute bet
Page 89 and 90: 77 The direct-mail solicitation suc
Page 91 and 92: Lord Salisbury, as Grand Master, li
Page 93 and 94: 81 Agency, a Primrose Gazette Commi
Page 95 and 96: 83 CHAPTER THREE Politics, 1885-18
Page 97 and 98: 85 minimizing the irreversible gain
Page 99 and 100: 87 implementation until January, 18
Page 101 and 102: 89 a source of popular support. In
Page 103 and 104: anquet held just prior to the 1885
Page 105 and 106: 93 Political Secretary. A decision
Page 107: self-imposed restraints exercised d
Page 111 and 112: 99 The exact extent of League compl
Page 113 and 114: 101 Lady Churchill recalled that at
Page 115 and 116: 103 charge 1,222,000 pamphlets, lea
Page 117 and 118: 105 He was perfectly prepared to dr
Page 119 and 120: 107 Increasingly the party made inr
Page 121 and 122: 109 in promoting a voluntary extrap
Page 123 and 124: Ill activities brought about by th
Page 125 and 126: 113 "representative" conservative o
Page 127 and 128: Churchill's prospects further dimin
Page 129 and 130: 117 Despite the lapse of time since
Page 131 and 132: 119 Maximum annual earnings for the
Page 133 and 134: 121 The Rev. J.S. Beckwith, speakin
Page 135 and 136: 123 the most jealous religious comm
Page 137 and 138: 125 Between the years 1885 and 1888
Page 139 and 140: Honorary Secretaries. At the bottom
Page 141 and 142: 129 the highest level by the operat
Page 143 and 144: 131 promoting supporters of denomin
Page 145 and 146: The women were prime movers in the
Page 147 and 148: 135 Women assumed a proportionately
Page 149 and 150: 137 More typical, perhaps, is Nails
Page 151 and 152: agents, and even the Vice Chancello
Page 153 and 154: 141 which the revenues of the Grand
Page 155 and 156: 143 TABLE 2 Grand Council Revenue
Page 157 and 158: 145 TABLE 3 SGC Ledger and Membersh
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147 A Grand Council Precept was iss
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149 become involved in party politi
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151 notable female initiatives incl
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153 Perhaps more than anything else
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period of several years and found i
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157 However, the declining membersh
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159 multi-page handouts to single f
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161 the 152 reported in 1890. 61 O
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163 years later they proposed the e
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165 On the political front the Gran
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concerning Britain's economy and ov
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169 feature of the later years was
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171 on all great and vital question
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It seems significant that at the ti
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A new generation of imperial associ
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177 the war was the extent to which
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170 concerns in which Ireland was p
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172 they failed in their result, bu
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estoration of British supremacy and
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176 Certainly, the Primrose League
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Certainly the League was capable of
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180 Their victory in 1868 brought g
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182 II The best means available fo
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184 Elections 3 which provides a de
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186 stage of Habitation growth on a
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188 Appendices A, B, C, D, and E pr
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League made early inroads, almost a
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192 If we examine other regions of
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194 V Four years later, the situat
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196 The representation of the Primr
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198 The use of the census as a meas
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Cheshire county, located in Fawcett
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Habitation influence in Wales as me
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204 Even allowing for varying regio
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206 Another prominent feature exhib
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egion it appears to have reached it
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210 achievement is a significant on
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316 or 8.3 percent of all officers.
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undoubtedly highly esteemed in thei
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216 Hanwell might best be character
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218 a number of judgements. Individ
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Members of the military, none of wh
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222 caused many to regard his achie
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area, although a cotton factory and
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were attracted by the unique opport
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228 CHAPTER SIX Political Subcultu
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230 urban and rural communities whi
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232 II The "invention of tradition
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League, "the maintenance of religio
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236 As late as 1886, Gladstone's pe
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following passage is quoted at leng
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material ran round the various balc
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Deference has fared somewhat better
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244 Times are altered, and we have
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Periodic meetings were held to prom
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248 offered differentiating the var
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250 Bagehot exaggerated the extent
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252 actually held positions as Knig
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254 The social advantages conferred
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256 existing order by appealing to
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258 House of Lords, and the Church
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260 Wish they were dead.57 A compa
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262 Conservatives were urged to uni
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265 Conservative M.P.s' thanking lo
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267 are Ladywood (Birmingham), Hudd
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269 and counterbalanced by the enti
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271 both in addition to an Honorary
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273 League. In large measure this w
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275 Prior to 1885 the rural communi
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277 that all qualified voters suppo
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279 Liberal Unionist member.*6 Des
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independently of ordinary Conservat
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283 Relations remained uneasy in Bi
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Woolen manufacturing was the primar
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287 speaker retained by Grand Counc
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In the case of both Bain and Helder
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291 Catholics favoring denomination
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293 The efforts of members of the e
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later, members reminisced "over the
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297 The increasingly cosmopolitan f
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299 in South Africa" and a donation
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difficulties, we have at last succe
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While special rights and privileges
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305 exclusively of Dames.79 The re
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dated 21 February 1890, Merrick com
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Begun in February of 1888, Whitehav
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311 CHAPTER EIGHT Epilogue We [th
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313 politics. Although it adopted t
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315 the party like Walter Long, Leo
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317 The years 1900-1914 were marked
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319 London executive following the
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321 Financial and minute records in
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who were occupiers in their own rig
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In part this misconception has been
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327 century received a mixed respon
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329 social and political reforms. I
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331 BIBLIOGRAPHY I Primrose League
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333 Thornbury Habitation Minutes,,
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Cannadine, David. "The Context, Per
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Gwyn, William B. Democracy and the
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339 Mathias, Peter. The First Indus
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341 Rempel, Richard A. Unionists Di
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343 APPENDIX A London 1899 cumula
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345 APPENDIX C Dorset 1899 cumula
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347 APPENDIX E West Riding, Yorksh
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APPENDIX G County by County Analys
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APPENDIX H (Cont'd) Comparison of
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