Normanton by-election, 1904
Encyclopedia
The Normanton by-election, 1904 was held to elect a member to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
.
the sitting Lib-Lab
Member of Parliament
for Normanton
in 1904 meant a vacancy and a by-election
in the division. Since 1885 the Yorkshire Miners Association had had an agreement with the Liberals
allowing them nominate the candidate for elections to Parliament. Pickard had held the seat at each election under this arrangement since the 1885 general election
and generally supported the Liberals in Parliament in return.
and their treasurer Fred Hall
. However there was a third candidate, William Parrott
, another Yorkshire Miners Association official. Although he had been canvassed as a possible candidate he was not expected to put his name forward as he was thought to be committed to a different constituency. However by the time the miners were asked to vote, the names of all three men were on the ballot paper. Parrott was selected and abandoned his candidature for the Liberals in East Leeds
. The Liberals again decided not to oppose the miners’ candidate and the Independent Labour party also chose not stand a candidate. Parrott, as a member of the Liberal Party, could anticipate the votes of the general body of Liberals in his seat as well as the support of the miners. In addition he had a strong and close association with the late MP, Benjamin Pickard, through his work as a trade unionist going back nearly 30 years.
selected a London man, Marcus R P Dorman to oppose Parrott.
Parrott’s election address emphasised four points. First he wanted an amendment of the law to secure greater freedoms for trade unions. He was particularly arguing for the restoration of the law on Trade Unions to what it had been before the Taff Vale case
. His next policy opposed the 1902 Education Act. He regretted the abolition of School Boards elected by ratepayers in their district, which had been popular with radicals and their replacement by Local Education Authorities under the control of County
or Borough Councils
. Nonconformist electors objected that their local taxes were being used to support the teaching of religious views to which they were opposed, ‘Rome on the Rates’ was their rallying cry. Anglican and Roman Catholic Church schools, supported by public funds, were not under public control and teachers in these sectarian schools were subject to religious tests. Parrott’s third policy priority was fiscal reform, in particular opposing a levy on the export of coal, as coal-owners were cutting wage rates and laying off miners to pay for this tax. Finally he was strongly in favour of the temperance movement
.
In addition to these points, Parrott made clear during the campaign hat he was strongly opposed to preferential tariffs and in favour of the traditional Liberal policy of Free Trade, which was largely thought to favour working people with cheap food. Also, the constituency had about 800 Irish electors who were expected to vote for Parrott. As a Liberal he was believed to be in favour of Home Rule
but the religious aspects of the education issue complicated matters.
Dorman's campaign mostly consisted of his defence of the Conservative government and trying to convince the miners and other workingmen that he had their interests at heart. He was in favour of taxation reform to protect British markets and opposed the immigration into Britain of what he described as destitute aliens.
One interesting aside, the two candidates took part in a football match on Saturday 27 February between teams from Normanton
and Dewsbury
, with Dorman kicking off the first half and Parrott kicking off the second. The result is not reported.
On polling day the weather continued cold and there was light snow in the air but the snow was not severe enough to interfere with the election. Parrott toured the constituency in a carriage and pair, Dorman had the use of a motor-car.
Parrott served as MP for Normanton until his death in November 1905. He was succeeded as MP by his former Yorkshire Miners Association colleague Fred Hall.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
.
Vacancy
The death of Benjamin PickardBenjamin Pickard
Benjamin Pickard was a British coal miner, trade unionist and Lib–Lab politician.-Early life and family:...
the sitting 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...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Normanton
Normanton (UK Parliament constituency)
Normanton was a county 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:...
in 1904 meant a vacancy and a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in the division. Since 1885 the Yorkshire Miners Association had had an agreement with the Liberals
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...
allowing them nominate the candidate for elections to Parliament. Pickard had held the seat at each election under this arrangement since the 1885 general election
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:...
and generally supported the Liberals in Parliament in return.
Lib-Lab successor
Miners’ officials were expecting a contest between their president John WadsworthJohn Wadsworth
John Wadsworth was a British trade unionist and politician.Born in West Melton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Wadsworth worked as a coal miner and was elected checkweighman...
and their treasurer Fred Hall
Frederick Hall (politician)
Frederick Hall was a Liberal Party then Labour Party politician in England.He was elected to the House of Commons at a by-election in 1905 as a Liberal, following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament , William Parrott. In 1909 his trade union instructed him to take the Labour Party whip...
. However there was a third candidate, William Parrott
William Parrott
William Parrott was a British coalminer, trade union official and Liberal–Labour politician.-Early life:...
, another Yorkshire Miners Association official. Although he had been canvassed as a possible candidate he was not expected to put his name forward as he was thought to be committed to a different constituency. However by the time the miners were asked to vote, the names of all three men were on the ballot paper. Parrott was selected and abandoned his candidature for the Liberals in East Leeds
Leeds East (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds East is a borough constituency 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.-Boundaries:...
. The Liberals again decided not to oppose the miners’ candidate and the Independent Labour party also chose not stand a candidate. Parrott, as a member of the Liberal Party, could anticipate the votes of the general body of Liberals in his seat as well as the support of the miners. In addition he had a strong and close association with the late MP, Benjamin Pickard, through his work as a trade unionist going back nearly 30 years.
The by-election issues
The election was called for 1 March 1904. The ConservativesConservative 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...
selected a London man, Marcus R P Dorman to oppose Parrott.
Parrott’s election address emphasised four points. First he wanted an amendment of the law to secure greater freedoms for trade unions. He was particularly arguing for the restoration of the law on Trade Unions to what it had been before the Taff Vale case
Taff Vale Case
Taff Vale Railway Co v Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants [1901] , commonly known as the Taff Vale case is a formative case in UK labour law...
. His next policy opposed the 1902 Education Act. He regretted the abolition of School Boards elected by ratepayers in their district, which had been popular with radicals and their replacement by Local Education Authorities under the control of County
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
or Borough Councils
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
. Nonconformist electors objected that their local taxes were being used to support the teaching of religious views to which they were opposed, ‘Rome on the Rates’ was their rallying cry. Anglican and Roman Catholic Church schools, supported by public funds, were not under public control and teachers in these sectarian schools were subject to religious tests. Parrott’s third policy priority was fiscal reform, in particular opposing a levy on the export of coal, as coal-owners were cutting wage rates and laying off miners to pay for this tax. Finally he was strongly in favour of the temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
.
In addition to these points, Parrott made clear during the campaign hat he was strongly opposed to preferential tariffs and in favour of the traditional Liberal policy of Free Trade, which was largely thought to favour working people with cheap food. Also, the constituency had about 800 Irish electors who were expected to vote for Parrott. As a Liberal he was believed to be in favour of Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
but the religious aspects of the education issue complicated matters.
Dorman's campaign mostly consisted of his defence of the Conservative government and trying to convince the miners and other workingmen that he had their interests at heart. He was in favour of taxation reform to protect British markets and opposed the immigration into Britain of what he described as destitute aliens.
The campaign atmosphere
On the whole it was reported as being a quiet campaign compared with some. There was the usual round of public meetings but with the preponderance of outside help and speakers being on the Lib-Lab side and the Conservative candidate suffering more at the expense of hecklers at his events. A later report indicated that Dorman had more or less had to cope single-handedly with very few outside speakers coming in to support his candidature. It was also reported that support for Parrott from Parliamentary speakers had been less than anticipated with many village meetings in the mining areas having been only sparsely attended but this was not helped by the weather which was generally cold and snowy.One interesting aside, the two candidates took part in a football match on Saturday 27 February between teams from Normanton
Normanton, West Yorkshire
Normanton is a town and civil parish within the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is northeast of Wakefield and southwest of Castleford, and at the time of the 2001 Census, the population was 19,949.-History:...
and Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, with Dorman kicking off the first half and Parrott kicking off the second. The result is not reported.
On polling day the weather continued cold and there was light snow in the air but the snow was not severe enough to interfere with the election. Parrott toured the constituency in a carriage and pair, Dorman had the use of a motor-car.
The result
Despite worries that there might be some apathy in the electorate in view of the previous Lib-Lab domination of the seat and a slow turn-out in the early part of the day Parrott polled 6,855 votes to Dorman's 2,909; a majority of 3,946 (from an electorate of 14,898). This was a larger vote than Pickard had received in all the five previous elections since 1885 and a larger majority than Pickard had ever achieved.Parrott served as MP for Normanton until his death in November 1905. He was succeeded as MP by his former Yorkshire Miners Association colleague Fred Hall.