BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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22 without the loss of personal liberties at home. 1 ** Disraeli's phrase has generally been interpreted over the years to refer to a policy favoring a strong empire combined with a commitment to social reform, trademarks of Disraelian Tory Democracy.19 The League in adopting the term shifted the focus to a union of all social classes working together toward the promotion of a strong "constitution" 2 *) and a vital empire. The political functions of the League were made explicit in statutes ten and twelve. In effect the association was designated a voluntary canvassing agency for the use of the Conservative party, a means of circumventing the restrictions imposed by the Corrupt Practices Act of 1883. In all towns and districts under a Habitation one or more Knights shall be assigned to sub-districts. Such sub-districts shall not contain more than one hundred houses. It will be the duty of such Knights to promote to the best of their ability the doctrines of the League throughout their sub-district, to obtain information as to the views and position of each inhabitant, details useful for registration, and to make reports on these and other subjects of importance * 8 William Flavelle Monypenny and George Earle Buckle, The Life of Benjamin Disraeli (New York: Macmillan Comp., 1929), pp. 1366 67; a revised edition. !9 This paper will assume that the moderate and even strong "Cowlingesque" position on Tory Democracy—that it was motivated more out of a desire for power and a need for a popular base than from any enthusiastic wish to transform the social order—is essentially correct. Nevertheless, one should not presume that because of this the approach was any less effective in extending and broadening the popular basis of support for the Conservative party than if it had endorsed a Radical program. 20 "Constitution" as defined by the League is an amorphous term, by turns applying to the nation and the preservation of all that is perceived as fundamental to British institutions.
23 at the meetings of .the Habitation. During any public election the Habitation will meet every evening, each Knight bringing a report of his proceedings during the day. Monthly reports to the Habitations, and during election time daily reports shall be forwarded by the Ruling Councils of the Habitations to the Registrar.21 Statute twelve made clear that any Knight or Councillor found guilty of corrupt or illegal practices was to be "degraded and expelled from the League."22 His name was to be erased from the Habitation roll and Ruling Council rolls and the reason stated for his removal. The statutes give the impression of a fairly well formulated organization emanating from the center to. the "periphery."23 j n f ac t little more existed by December than the bare-bones structure of the League, fortified by the personal support and enthusiasm of Churchill's close allies. No Habitations were formed as yet; membership was confined to personal persuasion; and the fees were generally beyond the means of the working class. Political clauses relating to canvassing remained, for the moment, fantasy and swagger; a dream and a boast of a grass-roots organization then unknown to the public. These claims likewise served as a potential smokescreen of official aims and 21 Robb, The Primrose League, p. 223, statute ten. 22 Ibid., statute twelve. 23 The terms "center" and "periphery" were also utilized by Feuchtwanger in explaining the transformation of the Conservative party in the mid-1880's from an elitist organization to one based on the popular support, above all, of the middle classes. For him the process was one of dictation from the center outward with little influence exerted at the level of the local constituency, despite its affiliation with the National Union. Thus it would seem that the Primrose League duplicated the essential framework of its parent party, but with a larger popular base. E.J. Feuchtwager, Disraeli, Democracy and the Tory Party (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1968), p. 190.
Page 1 and 2: BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMRO
Page 3 and 4: ABSTRACT BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND
Page 5 and 6: TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables Li
Page 7 and 8: LIST OF GRAPHS 1 Cumulative Distri
Page 9 and 10: PREFACE For a scholar embarking on
Page 11 and 12: Materials were also consulted at th
Page 13 and 14: INTRODUCTION The Primose League wa
Page 15 and 16: 3 Conservative party leadership. Th
Page 17 and 18: 5 government. It is, for him, a sys
Page 19 and 20: 7 up in the early twentieth century
Page 21 and 22: 9 Through an examination of a numbe
Page 23 and 24: 11 . CHAPTER ONE Early Years, 1883
Page 25 and 26: country, albeit with the tacit supp
Page 27 and 28: 15 districts to reflect the distrib
Page 29 and 30: 17 marked most dramatically in the
Page 31 and 32: 19 my allegiance to the Sovereign o
Page 33: 21 leadership. 1 ? yhe Registrar wa
Page 37 and 38: 25 Women in a sense had been active
Page 39 and 40: Although this was precisely the rol
Page 41 and 42: 29 Ill As early as January, 1884 t
Page 43 and 44: The gains made in the recruitment o
Page 45 and 46: 33 move intended to suggest the ass
Page 47 and 48: 35 The Ruling Council enlarged its
Page 49 and 50: 37 members charged with overseeing
Page 51 and 52: 39 chairmanship of Gorst. 57 The P
Page 53 and 54: 41 The political responsibilities o
Page 55 and 56: 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 and 108:
self-imposed restraints exercised d
Page 109 and 110:
97 practiced by Habitations. 26 By
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
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 and 176:
163 years later they proposed the e
Page 177 and 178:
165 On the political front the Gran
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
Page 227 and 228:
206 Another prominent feature exhib
Page 229 and 230:
egion it appears to have reached it
Page 231 and 232:
210 achievement is a significant on
Page 233 and 234:
316 or 8.3 percent of all officers.
Page 235 and 236:
undoubtedly highly esteemed in thei
Page 237 and 238:
216 Hanwell might best be character
Page 239 and 240:
218 a number of judgements. Individ
Page 241 and 242:
Members of the military, none of wh
Page 243 and 244:
222 caused many to regard his achie
Page 245 and 246:
area, although a cotton factory and
Page 247 and 248:
were attracted by the unique opport
Page 249 and 250:
228 CHAPTER SIX Political Subcultu
Page 251 and 252:
230 urban and rural communities whi
Page 253 and 254:
232 II The "invention of tradition
Page 255 and 256:
League, "the maintenance of religio
Page 257 and 258:
236 As late as 1886, Gladstone's pe
Page 259 and 260:
following passage is quoted at leng
Page 261 and 262:
material ran round the various balc
Page 263 and 264:
Deference has fared somewhat better
Page 265 and 266:
244 Times are altered, and we have
Page 267 and 268:
Periodic meetings were held to prom
Page 269 and 270:
248 offered differentiating the var
Page 271 and 272:
250 Bagehot exaggerated the extent
Page 273 and 274:
252 actually held positions as Knig
Page 275 and 276:
254 The social advantages conferred
Page 277 and 278:
256 existing order by appealing to
Page 279 and 280:
258 House of Lords, and the Church
Page 281 and 282:
260 Wish they were dead.57 A compa
Page 283 and 284:
262 Conservatives were urged to uni
Page 285 and 286:
265 Conservative M.P.s' thanking lo
Page 287 and 288:
267 are Ladywood (Birmingham), Hudd
Page 289 and 290:
269 and counterbalanced by the enti
Page 291 and 292:
271 both in addition to an Honorary
Page 293 and 294:
273 League. In large measure this w
Page 295 and 296:
275 Prior to 1885 the rural communi
Page 297 and 298:
277 that all qualified voters suppo
Page 299 and 300:
279 Liberal Unionist member.*6 Des
Page 301 and 302:
independently of ordinary Conservat
Page 303 and 304:
283 Relations remained uneasy in Bi
Page 305 and 306:
Woolen manufacturing was the primar
Page 307 and 308:
287 speaker retained by Grand Counc
Page 309 and 310:
In the case of both Bain and Helder
Page 311 and 312:
291 Catholics favoring denomination
Page 313 and 314:
293 The efforts of members of the e
Page 315 and 316:
later, members reminisced "over the
Page 317 and 318:
297 The increasingly cosmopolitan f
Page 319 and 320:
299 in South Africa" and a donation
Page 321 and 322:
difficulties, we have at last succe
Page 323 and 324:
While special rights and privileges
Page 325 and 326:
305 exclusively of Dames.79 The re
Page 327 and 328:
dated 21 February 1890, Merrick com
Page 329 and 330:
Begun in February of 1888, Whitehav
Page 331 and 332:
311 CHAPTER EIGHT Epilogue We [th
Page 333 and 334:
313 politics. Although it adopted t
Page 335 and 336:
315 the party like Walter Long, Leo
Page 337 and 338:
317 The years 1900-1914 were marked
Page 339 and 340:
319 London executive following the
Page 341 and 342:
321 Financial and minute records in
Page 343 and 344:
who were occupiers in their own rig
Page 345 and 346:
In part this misconception has been
Page 347 and 348:
327 century received a mixed respon
Page 349 and 350:
329 social and political reforms. I
Page 351 and 352:
331 BIBLIOGRAPHY I Primrose League
Page 353 and 354:
333 Thornbury Habitation Minutes,,
Page 355 and 356:
Cannadine, David. "The Context, Per
Page 357 and 358:
Gwyn, William B. Democracy and the
Page 359 and 360:
339 Mathias, Peter. The First Indus
Page 361 and 362:
341 Rempel, Richard A. Unionists Di
Page 363 and 364:
343 APPENDIX A London 1899 cumula
Page 365 and 366:
345 APPENDIX C Dorset 1899 cumula
Page 367 and 368:
347 APPENDIX E West Riding, Yorksh
Page 369 and 370:
APPENDIX G County by County Analys
Page 371 and 372:
APPENDIX H (Cont'd) Comparison of
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