BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

85
minimizing the irreversible gains made by democracy through the
extension of the franchise. 2
If Salisbury was somewhat overshadowed in his rhetorical
talents by the most vibrant speakers of his day, Gladstone,
Chamberlain, and Churchill, he nevertheless proved supreme in his
management of the party machine.3
By 1888 his primacy was
unchallenged, extending from the corridors of Westminster to Chief
Agent Middleton's vast enterprise.
The Tatter's field of operations
was maintained by the efforts of agents dispersed throughout the
country, the assistance of regional and urban party bosses, and the
intricate local
networks operating under the auspices of the National
Union and the Primrose League. They would serve Salisbury well in the
years to come.
The essential
core of Salisbury's future strategy was sketched
out in his article entitled "Disintegration" published by Quarterly
Review in October of 1882.
In the essay he made a strong case for an
innovative, vibrant Conservatism which worked actively to promote and
maintain two of Britain's most prized achievements: her empire and the
conciliatory relations existing between the social classes.4
According to Salisbury, the weakest link in the imperial armor
lay in Ireland.
In calling for an alliance of political and social
2
See Salisbury's speech to the London and Westminster Working
Men's Constitutional Association. The Times, 15 May 1884, p. 10.
3
Taylor, Lord Salisbury, p. 77.
4 Reprinted in Paul Smith, Lord Salisbury on Politics
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1972), p. 341.