BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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164 Council. Both organizations were affiliated with existing Habitations, although they retained some measure of independence. The concept of a children's program had first been conceived by the Grand Council in 1885, but had been discarded when the Ealing Dames protested the induction of youths. As for the Cycling Corps, it was sufficiently advanced by 1900 to offer assistance to a number of Habitations during the period surrounding the General Election.68 Other institutional features of the 1890's were the introduction of regional conferences. In 1896-97 Primrose year, Nottingham and Rochdale sponsored gatherings. Similar meetings were held two years later in Bristol and Rochdale, in 1899 in Leicester, and in Exeter in 1901. Provincial Secretaries' Conferences were also sponsored in 1899 and 1900. Central Office committees underwent some transformation between 1889 and 1901 as in the case of the amalgamation of the Joint Literature and Consultative Committees (1890) and the introduction in 1899 of a Joint Committee to promote SGC and Grand Council relations.69 However, there was little substantive change. By 1901 the committees were little altered from those existing in 1888, namely, a General Purposes, Finance, Agency, Entertainment, Gazette, as well as joint bodies promoting harmonious relations with the LGC and SGC. 68 Ibid., 1 May 1894, p. 5; 1 November 1898, p. 11. Minutes of the Grand Council of the Primrose League, 24 June 1885; 9 September 1885. The Morning Post, 8 May 1901. 69 The Primrose League Gazette, 1 June 1897, p. 5; 1 May 1899, pp. 6-7; 1 December 1899, p. 7. Primrose League Special Minute Book, 1886-1900, 23 November 1899. Minutes of the Grand Council of the Primrose League, 13 December 1900; 19 December 1901. LGC Executive Committee Minutes, 16 May 1890.
165 On the political front the Grand Council continued to be troubled over just what constituted the legal boundaries of the Corrupt Practices Act. Repeated adjustments were to ensure compliance with the law as in restricting Dame Drawing Room meetings from occurring during election periods. Prior to the time of the 1895 General Election, the Grand Council formally approved Habitations working under the direction of the Unionist agents, although some continued to "dissolve" while others appear never to have disbanded.70 Charges of corrupt practices were levied against Habitations on many occasions. Mo convictions were obtained against the Primrose League. However, two Conservative party candidates were unseated in Hexham and Rochester because of their excessive contributions to local League entertainments during the period surrounding the 1892 General Election. During the 1895 campaign one petition was filed against a Habitation detailing multiple charges, but it was withdrawn before reaching the courts. A further claim was made in Lancaster and brought to trial in January of 1896. Despite the battery of citations and a network of Liberal agents employed investigating the charges, no conviction was obtained. 71 70 LGC Executive Committee Minutes, 3 June 1892. Primrose League Special Minute Book, 1886-1900, 18 June 1888. The Primrose League Gazette, 1 May 1895, p. 6; 1 May 1896, p. 2; 1 October 1900, p. 3. Scottish Branch Minute Book, 1904-1920, 6 December 1905; 14 February 1905. 71 The Primrose League Gazette, 18 April 1893, p. 6; 1 May 1896, p. 6; 1 June 1899, p. 7.
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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
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45 been taken, presumably at the in
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47 In many respects the formal adop
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49 existing institutions by means o
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Gains made in other spheres helped
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53 PRIMROSE LEAGUE LOCAL ORGANIZATI
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55 day decisions to its Executive C
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57 Between the years 1886 and 1888
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59 By contrast, District. Agents we
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61 As the organization expanded, ne
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63 meetings should be conducted at
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65 While the move to shift registra
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67 League. Consequently in Janyary,
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69 The idea of a great loose body o
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71 the League's formation. 44 A mor
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The controversy, which assumed its
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75 Habitations. 55 The dispute bet
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77 The direct-mail solicitation suc
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Lord Salisbury, as Grand Master, li
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81 Agency, a Primrose Gazette Commi
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83 CHAPTER THREE Politics, 1885-18
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85 minimizing the irreversible gain
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87 implementation until January, 18
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89 a source of popular support. In
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anquet held just prior to the 1885
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93 Political Secretary. A decision
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self-imposed restraints exercised d
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97 practiced by Habitations. 26 By
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99 The exact extent of League compl
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101 Lady Churchill recalled that at
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103 charge 1,222,000 pamphlets, lea
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105 He was perfectly prepared to dr
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107 Increasingly the party made inr
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109 in promoting a voluntary extrap
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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
Page 159 and 160: 147 A Grand Council Precept was iss
Page 161 and 162: 149 become involved in party politi
Page 163 and 164: 151 notable female initiatives incl
Page 165 and 166: 153 Perhaps more than anything else
Page 167 and 168: period of several years and found i
Page 169 and 170: 157 However, the declining membersh
Page 171 and 172: 159 multi-page handouts to single f
Page 173 and 174: 161 the 152 reported in 1890. 61 O
Page 175: 163 years later they proposed the e
Page 179 and 180: concerning Britain's economy and ov
Page 181 and 182: 169 feature of the later years was
Page 183 and 184: 171 on all great and vital question
Page 185 and 186: It seems significant that at the ti
Page 187 and 188: A new generation of imperial associ
Page 189 and 190: 177 the war was the extent to which
Page 191 and 192: 170 concerns in which Ireland was p
Page 193 and 194: 172 they failed in their result, bu
Page 195 and 196: estoration of British supremacy and
Page 197 and 198: 176 Certainly, the Primrose League
Page 199 and 200: Certainly the League was capable of
Page 201 and 202: 180 Their victory in 1868 brought g
Page 203 and 204: 182 II The best means available fo
Page 205 and 206: 184 Elections 3 which provides a de
Page 207 and 208: 186 stage of Habitation growth on a
Page 209 and 210: 188 Appendices A, B, C, D, and E pr
Page 211 and 212: League made early inroads, almost a
Page 213 and 214: 192 If we examine other regions of
Page 215 and 216: 194 V Four years later, the situat
Page 217 and 218: 196 The representation of the Primr
Page 219 and 220: 198 The use of the census as a meas
Page 221 and 222: Cheshire county, located in Fawcett
Page 223 and 224: Habitation influence in Wales as me
Page 225 and 226: 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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