BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

86
groups working in opposition to the threat of national disintegration,
he appealed to Whigs as the natural ally of Conservatives in resisting
Irish Home Rule and the disruptive influence of Radical reforms.5 The
characterization of Conservatives as the rightful defenders of
Britain's imperial and national
interests would provide the party with
an effective battle cry in the years to come.
II
Salisbury's strategy of invoking the threat of imperial
disintegration to stave off domestic reforms was first tested in 1884.
He utilized the potential
hazards of the ill-fated Liberal decision to
send General Gordon on a rescue mission to the Sudan as a means of
obstructing passage of the 1884 Reform bill.
While ultimately
unsuccessful
in preventing the passage of the act, nevertheless,
Salisbury achieved a partial victory.
By forcing the bill to be linked
to a redistribution measure most suited to Conservative representation,
he indicated his ability to compromise where necessary in order to
achieve long term advantages instrumental to the future performance of
his party.
The settlement which was eventually agreed upon between
Salisbury and Gladstone in the fall of 1884 entailed a number of
provisions which proved beneficial to Conservatives.
Although the 1884
Reform bill would be immediately enacted, Gladstone agreed to delay its
5
Ibid., pp. 343-45, 350, 356, 358-60, 372-76.