Cleveland by-election, 1902
Encyclopedia
The Cleveland by-election, 1902 was a parliamentary by-election
held for the House of Commons constituency of Cleveland
in the North Riding of Yorkshire
on 5 November 1902.
MP, Alfred Edward Pease. Pease had held the seat since winning it at a by-election in 1897. He had previously served as MP for York
from 1885
until 1892
. Pease had apparently indicated that he was in declining health before the general election of 1900
but was pressed by his local Liberal Association to contest that election. He did so on condition that if his condition made it impossible for him to sit for the whole Parliament he would be allowed to resign and he now felt he had to step down. Despite this plea of poor health, Pease actually lived for another 37 years and spent much of the rest of his life in British East Africa hunting game and entertaining travellers who came for the safaris.
on 18 October 1902, two possible candidates were put forward, the Hon. Philip Stanhope who had been Liberal MP for Wednesbury
and Burnley
and Herbert Samuel
. Stanhope was said by his proposer, Joseph Walton MP
to be acceptable to Labour leaders, including Keir Hardie
. Samuel, who had been left a fortune by his father, a partner in the banking firm of Samuel and Montagu, had taken more or less full time interest in Liberal politics since before going to Balliol College, Oxford
. He had tried unsuccessfully to enter the House of Commons twice before at South Oxfordshire
. Samuel was supported at the meeting by the retiring Liberal MP, Alfred Pease and emerged the victor by a majority of about three-to-one.
miners in the Cleveland Division were minded to bring forward a Labour
candidate. A visit to the constituency by John Bruce Glasier
, the chairman of the Independent Labour Party
took place on 17 September 1902. Glasier said that if the miners wanted a Labour candidate the ILP would assist but that if they decided to combine with the Liberals in support of a progressive representative, (as had traditionally been the case) the ILP would oppose that, raising the prospect of a split in the anti-Tory
vote. The Cleveland Miners held a meeting at Middlesbrough
on 29 September to discuss their approach. While they were not opposed in principle to supporting the Liberals if a candidate sympathetic to the cause of labour could be found, probably to stand as a Lib-Lab
, the officials felt the time had come for labour to be more directly represented. On 23 September, Keir Hardie made a speech at Marske
and urged the miners and other trade unionists
to bring forward their own candidate. Rather hectoringly, he said that if they failed in their obvious duty, the ILP would stand a candidate. The miners resolved to stand their own man and called on the Labour Representation Committee to hold a conference on 11 October to discuss the matter. Despite Keir Hardie’s presence, and the moving of a resolution welcoming the prospect of a labour candidate, reservations were expressed about the timing and cost of standing such a candidate and the conference outcome was inconclusive. There was a call for the Cleveland Miners to take their own vote and a meeting was to be held at Saltburn
on 23 October. In the end however no Labour candidate of any description was put forward at the by-election. The decision not to put forward a distinctively labour candidate and, in effect to maintain the traditional collaboration with the Liberals upset Keir Hardie and other labour leaders. Philip Snowden of the Independent Labour Party is said to have dismissed Samuel as ‘a plutocratic Jew.’
chose Geoffrey Drage, formerly MP for Derby
from 1885
-1900
. Drage had qualified as a barrister
and was a member of Lincoln’s Inn and the Middle Temple
but never practised. Like Herbert Samuel, he seems to have dedicated himself full-time to political and public affairs.
reactionary and mischievous. He claimed it would make the system of education more complicated, weaken the control of the people over the Board Schools
, deprive women of their right of election to the educational authorities and throw the whole of the cost of the Church
and other denominational schools onto the rates and taxes while leaving the local control including the appointment of teachers in the hands of sectarian managers.
Drage also referred to the Education Bill in his address. He said that its passing was vital to every branch of industry in the country. He claimed it was designed to create a ladder up which the poorest child could climb to the top of the tree. It also provided systematically for technical education, without which British workers could not hope to compete with foreign rivals.
children. He claimed that labour and welfare reforms
were more likely under a Unionist than a Liberal government. He wanted the law on all labour questions to be codified and administered by a separate department of state. This was daring given his opponent’s well known advanced position on the need for social and welfare reforms. Samuel was a prominent member of the Rainbow Circle
, a grouping of Liberals, Fabians and Socialists in favour of working together for the cause of political, industrial and social reform.
Samuel took his message on social reform to the mining and industrial districts. He supported the extension of the compensation a worker could recover from an employer in case of accident and the introduction a Bill which would limit the time a miner could be forced to work to eight hours a day. Samuel made it a priority to meet the miners and their leaders to try remove their disappointment at not having a candidate of their own and persuade them that the Liberal Party remained the party of progress and labour. At one point he announced he would stand as a ‘Liberal and Labour’ candidate but this backfired as he was attacked by Glasier of the ILP who denounced it a ‘vulgar piece of electioneering which ought to be strongly resented by all respectable working men.’ Samuel found it hard to gain endorsements from labour leaders in the country at large but local officials like Joseph Toyn worked hard to keep the Cleveland miners on the Liberal side. In the end even Glasier had to acknowledge that a Liberal MP, even one like Samuel of whom he disapproved, was better than another Tory. While he denounced Samuel’s candidacy as ‘discreditable’ he nevertheless wanted him to win saying, “I don’t want to see the working class vote Tory – there is no hope in such folly.” Glasier himself was obliged to vote Liberal in the High Peak
by-election in 1909 to support the People’s Budget and for traditional Radical causes
such as Free Trade
and anti-militarism
.
. It was reported that the result was a surprise to both the Liberals and Conservatives. The Unionists had high and realistic hopes of gaining the seat, albeit narrowly, based on their canvass returns. The Liberals were said to have expected to hold on but by a reduced majority and Samuel himself recorded that there was considerable local nervousness about the result given that the former member had been well-established and he was an outsider.
In the event, the Liberals increased their vote and the Tory vote went down. The deciding factor was thought to be the Education Bill and the opposition from nonconformist voters to the idea of Church and Roman Catholic schools financed by the rates
.
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 House of Commons constituency of Cleveland
Cleveland (UK Parliament constituency)
Cleveland was a county constituency in the North Riding of Yorkshire.-Electorate:It returned one Member of Parliament to the British House of Commons, using the first past the post voting system...
in the North Riding of Yorkshire
North Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the English county of Yorkshire, alongside the East and West Ridings. From the Restoration it was used as a Lieutenancy area. The three ridings were treated as three counties for many purposes, such as having separate...
on 5 November 1902.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the resignation on the grounds of ill-health of the sitting LiberalLiberal 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...
MP, Alfred Edward Pease. Pease had held the seat since winning it at a by-election in 1897. He had previously served as MP for York
City of York (UK Parliament constituency)
The City of York was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
from 1885
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
until 1892
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
. Pease had apparently indicated that he was in declining health before the general election of 1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
but was pressed by his local Liberal Association to contest that election. He did so on condition that if his condition made it impossible for him to sit for the whole Parliament he would be allowed to resign and he now felt he had to step down. Despite this plea of poor health, Pease actually lived for another 37 years and spent much of the rest of his life in British East Africa hunting game and entertaining travellers who came for the safaris.
Liberals
The Liberals had a large number of potential candidates to choose from, including officials from the local Miners’ Association. The miners had always supported the Liberal candidates in the Cleveland Division and the Liberals wished to ascertain the attitude of the Miners before selecting a candidate. The local Association resolved to wait for the outcome of a conference called by the miners on 11 October before deciding on their candidate. In the event, the miners were unable to make a decision in time. The delay meant that the Liberals had to press ahead with the selection of a candidate. At a meeting at GuisboroughGuisborough
Guisborough is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England....
on 18 October 1902, two possible candidates were put forward, the Hon. Philip Stanhope who had been Liberal MP for Wednesbury
Wednesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Wednesbury was a borough constituency in England's Black Country which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until it was abolished for the February 1974 general election....
and Burnley
Burnley (UK Parliament constituency)
Burnley is a borough constituency centred on the town of Burnley in Lancashire, which is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
and Herbert Samuel
Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel GCB OM GBE PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Early years:...
. Stanhope was said by his proposer, Joseph Walton MP
Sir Joseph Walton, 1st Baronet
Sir Joseph Walton, 1st Baronet DL, JP was an English coalowner and Liberal Party politician.-Family and education:...
to be acceptable to Labour leaders, including Keir Hardie
Keir Hardie
James Keir Hardie, Sr. , was a Scottish socialist and labour leader, and was the first Independent Labour Member of Parliament elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
. Samuel, who had been left a fortune by his father, a partner in the banking firm of Samuel and Montagu, had taken more or less full time interest in Liberal politics since before going to Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. He had tried unsuccessfully to enter the House of Commons twice before at South Oxfordshire
Henley (UK Parliament constituency)
Henley is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It covers south Oxfordshire, including Henley-on-Thames. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It has long been a safe Conservative...
. Samuel was supported at the meeting by the retiring Liberal MP, Alfred Pease and emerged the victor by a majority of about three-to-one.
Labour
It was reported that the ironstoneIronstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
miners in the Cleveland Division were minded to bring forward a Labour
Labour 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...
candidate. A visit to the constituency by John Bruce Glasier
John Bruce Glasier
John Bruce Glasier was a Scottish socialist politician.Glasier was born in Glasgow as John Bruce, but grew up near Newton Ayr. Following the death of his father in 1870, he returned to Glasgow and followed his mother in adding the additional name of "Glasier", thereafter using Bruce as his middle...
, the chairman of the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
took place on 17 September 1902. Glasier said that if the miners wanted a Labour candidate the ILP would assist but that if they decided to combine with the Liberals in support of a progressive representative, (as had traditionally been the case) the ILP would oppose that, raising the prospect of a split in the anti-Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
vote. The Cleveland Miners held a meeting at Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
on 29 September to discuss their approach. While they were not opposed in principle to supporting the Liberals if a candidate sympathetic to the cause of labour could be found, probably to stand as a Lib-Lab
Liberal-Labour (UK)
The Liberal–Labour movement refers to the practice of local Liberal associations accepting and supporting candidates who were financially maintained by trade unions...
, the officials felt the time had come for labour to be more directly represented. On 23 September, Keir Hardie made a speech at Marske
Marske
Marske is the name several places in North Yorkshire, England:* Marske-by-the-Sea, a small town in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire* New Marske, a village just south of Marske-by-the-Sea* Marske, a village near Richmond in North Yorkshire...
and urged the miners and other trade unionists
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
to bring forward their own candidate. Rather hectoringly, he said that if they failed in their obvious duty, the ILP would stand a candidate. The miners resolved to stand their own man and called on the Labour Representation Committee to hold a conference on 11 October to discuss the matter. Despite Keir Hardie’s presence, and the moving of a resolution welcoming the prospect of a labour candidate, reservations were expressed about the timing and cost of standing such a candidate and the conference outcome was inconclusive. There was a call for the Cleveland Miners to take their own vote and a meeting was to be held at Saltburn
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a seaside resort in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The town is around east of Middlesbrough, and had a population of 5,912 at the 2001 Census.-Old Saltburn:...
on 23 October. In the end however no Labour candidate of any description was put forward at the by-election. The decision not to put forward a distinctively labour candidate and, in effect to maintain the traditional collaboration with the Liberals upset Keir Hardie and other labour leaders. Philip Snowden of the Independent Labour Party is said to have dismissed Samuel as ‘a plutocratic Jew.’
Conservatives
The UnionistsConservative 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...
chose Geoffrey Drage, formerly MP for Derby
Derby (UK Parliament constituency)
Derby is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950. It was represented by two Members of...
from 1885
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
-1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
. Drage had qualified as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and was a member of Lincoln’s Inn and the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
but never practised. Like Herbert Samuel, he seems to have dedicated himself full-time to political and public affairs.
Education
Samuel raised the question of education in his election address. He called the Conservative government Education BillEducation Act 1902
The Education Act 1902 , also known as Balfour's Act, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting education in England and Wales. At the time of passage of the Act, the Conservative Party was in power...
reactionary and mischievous. He claimed it would make the system of education more complicated, weaken the control of the people over the Board Schools
Elementary Education Act 1870
The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales...
, deprive women of their right of election to the educational authorities and throw the whole of the cost of the Church
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and other denominational schools onto the rates and taxes while leaving the local control including the appointment of teachers in the hands of sectarian managers.
Drage also referred to the Education Bill in his address. He said that its passing was vital to every branch of industry in the country. He claimed it was designed to create a ladder up which the poorest child could climb to the top of the tree. It also provided systematically for technical education, without which British workers could not hope to compete with foreign rivals.
Social reform
Drage took up the language of social reform in his election address. He argued for legislation for the protection of infant life and for wage-earning and vagrantVagrancy (people)
A vagrant is a person in poverty, who wanders from place to place without a home or regular employment or income.-Definition:A vagrant is "a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging;" vagrancy is the condition of such persons.-History:In...
children. He claimed that labour and welfare reforms
Welfare reform
Welfare reform refers to the process of reforming the framework of social security and welfare provisions, but what is considered reform is a matter of opinion. The term was used in the United States to support the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act...
were more likely under a Unionist than a Liberal government. He wanted the law on all labour questions to be codified and administered by a separate department of state. This was daring given his opponent’s well known advanced position on the need for social and welfare reforms. Samuel was a prominent member of the Rainbow Circle
The Rainbow Circle
The Rainbow Circle was a political group consisting of Liberals, Fabians and socialists who first began to meet in 1893 in London to consider if it was possible to resolve the relationship between the various progressive forces they represented, in order to advance the cause of political,...
, a grouping of Liberals, Fabians and Socialists in favour of working together for the cause of political, industrial and social reform.
Samuel took his message on social reform to the mining and industrial districts. He supported the extension of the compensation a worker could recover from an employer in case of accident and the introduction a Bill which would limit the time a miner could be forced to work to eight hours a day. Samuel made it a priority to meet the miners and their leaders to try remove their disappointment at not having a candidate of their own and persuade them that the Liberal Party remained the party of progress and labour. At one point he announced he would stand as a ‘Liberal and Labour’ candidate but this backfired as he was attacked by Glasier of the ILP who denounced it a ‘vulgar piece of electioneering which ought to be strongly resented by all respectable working men.’ Samuel found it hard to gain endorsements from labour leaders in the country at large but local officials like Joseph Toyn worked hard to keep the Cleveland miners on the Liberal side. In the end even Glasier had to acknowledge that a Liberal MP, even one like Samuel of whom he disapproved, was better than another Tory. While he denounced Samuel’s candidacy as ‘discreditable’ he nevertheless wanted him to win saying, “I don’t want to see the working class vote Tory – there is no hope in such folly.” Glasier himself was obliged to vote Liberal in the High Peak
High Peak (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 2000s :- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1980s :-Elections in the 1970s:-Elections in the 1960s:...
by-election in 1909 to support the People’s Budget and for traditional Radical causes
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
such as Free Trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
and anti-militarism
Antimilitarism
Antimilitarism is a doctrine commonly found in the anarchist and, more globally, in the socialist movement, which may both be characterized as internationalist movements. It relies heavily on a critical theory of nationalism and imperialism, and was an explicit goal of the First and Second...
.
The result
The result was a win for Samuel, holding a seat which had been Liberal since its creation for the general election of 1885United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
. It was reported that the result was a surprise to both the Liberals and Conservatives. The Unionists had high and realistic hopes of gaining the seat, albeit narrowly, based on their canvass returns. The Liberals were said to have expected to hold on but by a reduced majority and Samuel himself recorded that there was considerable local nervousness about the result given that the former member had been well-established and he was an outsider.
In the event, the Liberals increased their vote and the Tory vote went down. The deciding factor was thought to be the Education Bill and the opposition from nonconformist voters to the idea of Church and Roman Catholic schools financed by the rates
Rates (tax)
Rates are a type of property tax system in the United Kingdom, and in places with systems deriving from the British one, the proceeds of which are used to fund local government...
.
The votes
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- 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...