Bolton by-election, 1912
Encyclopedia
The Bolton by-election, 1912 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons
constituency of Bolton
in Lancashire
on 23 November 1912. The seat had become vacant when George Harwood
, the sitting Liberal Party
member in this two-member constituency, died. There was an unexpectedly heavy turnout of about 90%.
for the Liberals (who had held the seat since 1895)
and A. H. Gill for the Labour Party
. There had been an arrangement between the Labour and Liberal parties in this seat since the time of the 1906
election when Gill was first returned and Labour agreed not to stand a candidate in the by-election and gave implicit support to Taylor's candidacy with a manifesto issued with the authority of the Bolton Trades Council warning of a "Tory conspiracy to smash the trade unions". As reported in The Times
on 25 November 1912, “It is probable that this manifesto had the effect of turning the full tide of the Labour vote in favour of the Liberal candidate. And the Labour vote decided the election.” Even the defeated Unionist candidate agreed that the Labour vote went solidly to the Liberals because of their “distorted” version of Tariff Reform. The winning candidate put his victory down to "the unalterable determination of the working people of Lancashire to have nothing to do with Tariff Reform", which he predicted would raise the price of food and "bring starvation again into [working class] homes".
Other by-elections in 1912 had produced a few seats changing hands but no significant anti-government feeling appears discernible in the results. In Bolton, despite the decrease in Liberal vote and majority, the local Liberals seemed genuinely pleased at retaining a four figure majority.
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 Bolton
Bolton (UK Parliament constituency)
Bolton was a borough constituency centred on the town of Bolton in the county of Lancashire. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons for the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system....
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
on 23 November 1912. The seat had become vacant when George Harwood
George Harwood
George Harwood was a British businessman and Liberal Party politician. He was born the second son of Richard Harwood who founded a firm of cotton spinners and who was at one time Mayor of Bolton and twice Mayor of Salford....
, the sitting 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...
member in this two-member constituency, died. There was an unexpectedly heavy turnout of about 90%.
Result
At the previous general election in December 1910, the two members elected were George HarwoodGeorge Harwood
George Harwood was a British businessman and Liberal Party politician. He was born the second son of Richard Harwood who founded a firm of cotton spinners and who was at one time Mayor of Bolton and twice Mayor of Salford....
for the Liberals (who had held the seat since 1895)
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
and A. H. Gill for the Labour Party
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...
. There had been an arrangement between the Labour and Liberal parties in this seat since the time of the 1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
election when Gill was first returned and Labour agreed not to stand a candidate in the by-election and gave implicit support to Taylor's candidacy with a manifesto issued with the authority of the Bolton Trades Council warning of a "Tory conspiracy to smash the trade unions". As reported in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
on 25 November 1912, “It is probable that this manifesto had the effect of turning the full tide of the Labour vote in favour of the Liberal candidate. And the Labour vote decided the election.” Even the defeated Unionist candidate agreed that the Labour vote went solidly to the Liberals because of their “distorted” version of Tariff Reform. The winning candidate put his victory down to "the unalterable determination of the working people of Lancashire to have nothing to do with Tariff Reform", which he predicted would raise the price of food and "bring starvation again into [working class] homes".
Other by-elections in 1912 had produced a few seats changing hands but no significant anti-government feeling appears discernible in the results. In Bolton, despite the decrease in Liberal vote and majority, the local Liberals seemed genuinely pleased at retaining a four figure majority.