Cardiganshire by-election, 1921
Encyclopedia
The Cardiganshire by-election, 1921 was a parliamentary by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency of Cardiganshire on 18 February 1921. The election was important for the bitterness of the contest between the Coalition
and Independent factions within the Liberal Party
and the deepening of this division within the party as a factor in the long term decline of Liberalism in Wales
.
David Lloyd George
to find a Parliamentary seat for his private secretary Captain Ernest Evans
. Lloyd George persuaded the sitting Coalition Liberal MP, Matthew Vaughan-Davies
, who had represented the constituency for more than twenty-five years, to accept a peerage so creating an opportunity for Evans to enter Parliament.
partners in the Coalition government
.
a political party
founded in 1921 by Lord Rothermere. The party campaigned against what they saw as excessive government spending. It is not clear if Loveden Pryse was formally connected to the Anti-waste League or if he just taking advantage of a well-known political position close to his own views.
To resolve the issue of its choice of candidate, the Cardiganshire Liberal Association invited five potential candidates to address a meeting of the Association and to invite them to accept the outcome of the democratic decision, to use the secretary of the Association as their election agent, and to state if they were Coalitionists or ‘free and independent Liberals'. These men were Evans, Loveden Pryse, W. Llewelyn Williams
, KC
the former MP for Carmarthen
and Recorder
of Cardiff
and two local Aldermen, J M Howell and D C Roberts. In the meantime at a meeting in London of the newly formed Welsh Independent Liberal Association, attended by Llewelyn Williams, it was decided that if Cardiganshire Liberals chose a Coalition Liberal candidate, they would oppose him. As the other possible candidates dropped out of contention, the choice for Cardiganshire Liberals crystallised between Evans and Llewelyn Williams. Evans declared that if the Association selected a candidate who would not support the Coalition, he would stand anyway.
In the event, at a rowdy meeting, Cardiganshire Liberals voted to adopt Llewelyn Williams. Of the 350 delegates invited to the selection meeting on 26 January 1921, 347 attended and voted by a majority of 206 to 127 in favour of Llewelyn Williams.
stated they had a candidate ready to stand if the outcome of the Liberal selection process produced a candidate who was unacceptable to them. It was assumed, that given Labour’s opposition to the Coalition, that if Evans was chosen therefore Labour would contest the election. In the end however they chose not to do so and Llewelyn Williams claimed he had secured Labour’s wholehearted support in the by-election. He later received the public support of William Harris the organiser of the South Wales Miners' Federation
who declared it was the duty of Labour to vote against the present government which, he said, was the enemy of the working man.
, Carsons
, Balfours
and Bonar Laws who only a few years before had been trying to cut his political throat over the Marconi case
.
Llewelyn Williams was fiercely opposed to Lloyd George, his one-time friend, whom he had broken with over the issue of conscription
in 1916. According to one historian, Llewelyn Williams was paranoid about Lloyd George calling him a ‘dictator’ and a ‘little devil who plagues us so.’ He also disliked intensely the government action against nationalist forces in Ireland and the use of the so-called Black and Tans
.
Llewelyn Williams sought to counter Evans’ credentials as a Cardiganshire man by getting his wife to make an appeal to women voters as a native of the county. This appeal was however decisively trumped by the appearance in the constituency of the wife of the Prime Minister. Mrs Lloyd George
made a visit lasting four days in support of Captain Evans when she was received enthusiastically with bouquets and brass bands according to one source and addressed a special meeting of women at Aberystwyth
. Her campaigning concluded only on election day itself with a tour of polling stations and a last minute plea for votes published in the Cambrian News
.
Evans based his appeal on the reasons for maintaining the Coalition after 1918 and appealed for loyalty to Lloyd George as a great Welshman and war hero. There was an unashamed appeal to patriotism. Mrs Lloyd George told electors that the Germans were anxiously watching the result of the contest and the Cambrian News published a cartoon showing Prussian Militarism trying in vain to woo Miss Cardiganshire away from Lloyd George. Evans associated himself with the points made by Lloyd George at the executive meeting of the Welsh National Liberals on 8 February 1921. These were chiefly, the recognition that the emergency extended into the post-war phase; the need for national unity to face the challenges of the economy and demobilization after the war; the need for unity to enforce the post-war international settlement agreed at the Paris Peace Conference
and the moves to find a solution to the question of Home Rule for Ireland. In a letter of support to Evans, Conservative leader Andrew Bonar Law also made similar points about the need for national unity and government o be carried on in a non-partisan way. Loyalty to the Prime Minister as a great Welsh figure was also reported to have been a factor in swaying the voters.
tried to raise the issue in a speech at Aberystwyth, attacking Lloyd George for re-endowing the Anglican Church with taxpayers’ money. But it seemed to leave the audience cold. The many sects in the Welsh Nonconformism
found themselves divided between the different candidates, a dilemma with which they were highly unfamiliar and perhaps this lack of unity served to lessen the profile and importance of the disestablishment
tradition. However, Evans was a Methodist, which was the dominant denomination in the area, as was Mrs Lloyd George while most supporters of Llewelyn Williams were Congregationalists. Ministers of religion frequently appeared on political platforms and political factionalism within the Liberal tradition spilled over into the politics of the chapels both between the demoninantions and within. So religion certainly seems to have been, after all, more of factor than was believed by commentators at the time.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency of Cardiganshire on 18 February 1921. The election was important for the bitterness of the contest between the Coalition
Coalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
and Independent factions within the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and the deepening of this division within the party as a factor in the long term decline of Liberalism in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the desire of Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
to find a Parliamentary seat for his private secretary Captain Ernest Evans
Ernest Evans (politician)
Ernest Evans was a Liberal Party politician from Wales.-Family and education:Ernest Evans was born at Aberystwyth, the son of Evan Evans, the Clerk to the Cardiganshire County Council and his wife Annie Davies...
. Lloyd George persuaded the sitting Coalition Liberal MP, Matthew Vaughan-Davies
Matthew Vaughan-Davies, 1st Baron Ystwyth
Matthew Lewis Vaughan-Davies, 1st Baron Ystwyth was a Welsh Liberal Party politician.-Background and education:Vaughan-Davies was born at Tan-y-Bwlch, Cardiganshire. He went to Harrow School, but only stayed for a year....
, who had represented the constituency for more than twenty-five years, to accept a peerage so creating an opportunity for Evans to enter Parliament.
Coalition Liberals and Unionists
Unsurprisingly the Coalition Liberals chose Ernest Evans as their candidate. Evans was a lawyer. He had been called to the Bar in 1910 and after the First World War he became private secretary to Lloyd George. He held that post until 1920. Evans was supported by Lloyd George’s UnionistConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
partners in the Coalition government
Coalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
.
Liberal split
At first it was reported that Evans might not be opposed as he was a Cardiganshire man; his father was Clerk to the County Council. However, the local Liberal Association was representative of both Coalition and Independent Liberal wings of the party and neither group had a permanent advantage over the other. Attempts by those opposed to the Coalition had earlier tried to ensure that any replacement for Vaughan-Davies would not be another Coalition Liberal but although this resolution passed the executive committee, it was never ratified by the membership. Once Vaughan–Davies’ peerage was announced, a number of other possible by-election candidates put their names forward. First it was announced that Sir Lewes Loveden Pryse, a local land owner, would stand in the by-election as a Liberal Anti-Waste candidate. A number of by-elections at this time were contested by members of the Anti-Waste LeagueAnti-Waste League
The Anti-Waste League was a political party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1921 by Lord Rothermere.The formation of the League was announced in a January 1921 edition of the Sunday Pictorial with Rothermere attacking what he saw as government waste during a time of recession. As such the party...
a political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
founded in 1921 by Lord Rothermere. The party campaigned against what they saw as excessive government spending. It is not clear if Loveden Pryse was formally connected to the Anti-waste League or if he just taking advantage of a well-known political position close to his own views.
To resolve the issue of its choice of candidate, the Cardiganshire Liberal Association invited five potential candidates to address a meeting of the Association and to invite them to accept the outcome of the democratic decision, to use the secretary of the Association as their election agent, and to state if they were Coalitionists or ‘free and independent Liberals'. These men were Evans, Loveden Pryse, W. Llewelyn Williams
W. Llewelyn Williams
W. Llewelyn Williams , was a Welsh journalist, lawyer and Liberal Party politician.He was born at Brownhill Llansadwrn, Towy Valley, Carmarthenshire; a memorial plaque was erected in front of the house in 1938...
, KC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
the former MP for Carmarthen
Carmarthen (UK Parliament constituency)
Carmarthen was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1542 and 1997...
and Recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and two local Aldermen, J M Howell and D C Roberts. In the meantime at a meeting in London of the newly formed Welsh Independent Liberal Association, attended by Llewelyn Williams, it was decided that if Cardiganshire Liberals chose a Coalition Liberal candidate, they would oppose him. As the other possible candidates dropped out of contention, the choice for Cardiganshire Liberals crystallised between Evans and Llewelyn Williams. Evans declared that if the Association selected a candidate who would not support the Coalition, he would stand anyway.
In the event, at a rowdy meeting, Cardiganshire Liberals voted to adopt Llewelyn Williams. Of the 350 delegates invited to the selection meeting on 26 January 1921, 347 attended and voted by a majority of 206 to 127 in favour of Llewelyn Williams.
Labour
The Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
stated they had a candidate ready to stand if the outcome of the Liberal selection process produced a candidate who was unacceptable to them. It was assumed, that given Labour’s opposition to the Coalition, that if Evans was chosen therefore Labour would contest the election. In the end however they chose not to do so and Llewelyn Williams claimed he had secured Labour’s wholehearted support in the by-election. He later received the public support of William Harris the organiser of the South Wales Miners' Federation
South Wales Miners' Federation
The South Wales Miners' Federation , nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union for miners in South Wales.The union was founded on 24 October 1898, following the defeat of the South Wales miners' strike of 1898...
who declared it was the duty of Labour to vote against the present government which, he said, was the enemy of the working man.
Agriculture
Agricultural policy was an early issue raised in the election. This was because the Cardiganshire Farmers’ Union, a generally pro-Conservative organisation, held a meeting to question Captain Evans and decided to ask all candidates the same series of questions. They wanted to know if the candidates approved of farmers having to give up land to ex-soldiers, if they would support a reduction in the number of government inspectors supervising farmers and their work, particularly those operating under the Wages Boards. Although Loveden Pryse decided not to put himself up as a candidate, the issue of waste and government expenditure was raised in the election. The farmers wanted to know if the candidates would oppose increased spending on education, public health, land settlement and housing. Despite the conservatism of the country people it was reported that Llewelyn Williams was receiving a good reception in the rural areas.Waste
Llewelyn Williams picked up the Anti-Waste theme and declared that it was not by returning a tame official of the government that the Coalition could be held to account for its extravagance and its loss of control over the nation’s finances.The record of the Coalition and the position of Lloyd George
Llewelyn Williams tried to rally traditional Liberal support by emphasising the influence in Lloyd George’s government of the Conservatives (who were in the majority in the Coalition). He would be happy to support the Prime Minister he said, when he got rid of the CurzonsGeorge Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC , known as The Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and as The Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman who was Viceroy of India and Foreign Secretary...
, Carsons
Edward Carson, Baron Carson
Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson PC, PC , Kt, QC , often known as Sir Edward Carson or Lord Carson, was a barrister, judge and politician from Ireland...
, Balfours
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
and Bonar Laws who only a few years before had been trying to cut his political throat over the Marconi case
Marconi scandal
The Marconi scandal was a British political scandal that broke in the summer of 1912. It centred on allegations that highly-placed members of the Liberal government, under H. H...
.
Llewelyn Williams was fiercely opposed to Lloyd George, his one-time friend, whom he had broken with over the issue of conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
in 1916. According to one historian, Llewelyn Williams was paranoid about Lloyd George calling him a ‘dictator’ and a ‘little devil who plagues us so.’ He also disliked intensely the government action against nationalist forces in Ireland and the use of the so-called Black and Tans
Black and Tans
The Black and Tans was one of two newly recruited bodies, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland...
.
Llewelyn Williams sought to counter Evans’ credentials as a Cardiganshire man by getting his wife to make an appeal to women voters as a native of the county. This appeal was however decisively trumped by the appearance in the constituency of the wife of the Prime Minister. Mrs Lloyd George
Margaret Lloyd George
Dame Margaret Lloyd George, GBE , née Margaret Owen, was the first wife of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George - from 1888 until her death in 1941.-Biography:...
made a visit lasting four days in support of Captain Evans when she was received enthusiastically with bouquets and brass bands according to one source and addressed a special meeting of women at Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
. Her campaigning concluded only on election day itself with a tour of polling stations and a last minute plea for votes published in the Cambrian News
Cambrian News
The Cambrian News is a weekly newspaper distributed in Wales. It was founded in 1860 and is based in Cefn Llan Science Park, Aberystwyth. Cambrian News Ltd was bought by media entrepreneur Sir Ray Tindle in 1998.- History :...
.
Evans based his appeal on the reasons for maintaining the Coalition after 1918 and appealed for loyalty to Lloyd George as a great Welshman and war hero. There was an unashamed appeal to patriotism. Mrs Lloyd George told electors that the Germans were anxiously watching the result of the contest and the Cambrian News published a cartoon showing Prussian Militarism trying in vain to woo Miss Cardiganshire away from Lloyd George. Evans associated himself with the points made by Lloyd George at the executive meeting of the Welsh National Liberals on 8 February 1921. These were chiefly, the recognition that the emergency extended into the post-war phase; the need for national unity to face the challenges of the economy and demobilization after the war; the need for unity to enforce the post-war international settlement agreed at the Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
and the moves to find a solution to the question of Home Rule for Ireland. In a letter of support to Evans, Conservative leader Andrew Bonar Law also made similar points about the need for national unity and government o be carried on in a non-partisan way. Loyalty to the Prime Minister as a great Welsh figure was also reported to have been a factor in swaying the voters.
Religion
One topic which was reported to have been a dead issue in the election was the Church question, a policy which for a generation was the central and burning issue of Welsh politics. Violet Bonham CarterViolet Bonham Carter
Helen Violet Bonham Carter, Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury, DBE was a British politician and diarist. She was the daughter of H. H. Asquith, Prime Minister from 1908-1916, and later became active in Liberal politics herself, being a leading opponent of appeasement, standing for Parliament and being...
tried to raise the issue in a speech at Aberystwyth, attacking Lloyd George for re-endowing the Anglican Church with taxpayers’ money. But it seemed to leave the audience cold. The many sects in the Welsh Nonconformism
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
found themselves divided between the different candidates, a dilemma with which they were highly unfamiliar and perhaps this lack of unity served to lessen the profile and importance of the disestablishment
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
tradition. However, Evans was a Methodist, which was the dominant denomination in the area, as was Mrs Lloyd George while most supporters of Llewelyn Williams were Congregationalists. Ministers of religion frequently appeared on political platforms and political factionalism within the Liberal tradition spilled over into the politics of the chapels both between the demoninantions and within. So religion certainly seems to have been, after all, more of factor than was believed by commentators at the time.
Mobilising the vote
In this respect the Coalition had an advantage. In particular they were able to make use of many more motor vehicles to get their supporters to the poll which was important in a constituency like Cardiganshire which was full of outlying villages and farms. On election day it was said that 250 motor cars, mostly owned by Conservative backers of the Coalition, were brought out for the purpose of ferrying voters to the polling stations and this was a significant factor whereas Independent Liberals could muster only 50 cars in response.The result
In what was reported to have been an unexpectedly heavy poll of 80%, Captain Evans won the seat for the Coalition by a majority of 3,590 votes. Despite this, the many votes received by Llewelyn Williams, the fact that Cardiganshire Liberal Association had chosen an Asquithian over Lloyd George’s candidate and the bitterness engendered in the campaign all sounded a warning to the Prime Minister for the future support of his Coalition and the risks to the unity and the future of the Liberal Party in Wales and beyond. As the historian David Powell has commented “Internecine war of this sort was inevitably damaging to Liberal unity and Liberal morale. It also prevented either Liberal faction from claiming undisputed right to the Liberal name and tradition and was doubly confusing to potential voters at a time when electoral loyalties were in a state of flux.” The damage was exemplified by the support Llewelyn Williams received from a number of literary and intellectual figures and from the representatives of organised Labour. Liberal divisions made so public during the course of the by-election undermined the previously unassailable hold the Liberals had had on the Welsh intelligentsia which began increasingly to switch its allegiance to Labour.The Votes
See also
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...