Sheffield Attercliffe by-election, 1909
Encyclopedia
A by-election
was held for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Sheffield Attercliffe on 4 May 1909.
, due to long-term ill health. He had been the Liberal Party
Member of Parliament for the seat since an 1894 by-election
. He had been re-elected unopposed at the 1895 and 1900 UK general elections. Arnold Muir Wilson
, a local Conservative Party
councillor and honorary consul for Serbia
had contested the seat in 1906, taking 46.8% of the vote.
Attercliffe
, a district of north east Sheffield
, was a strongly working class area, with much heavy industry. At the time of the election, there was high unemployment
in the area.
, then a local councillor, but he declined nomination. Only one candidate then put themselves forward for nomination: Richard Cornthwaite Lambert
, a London-based barrister who had narrowly failed to win Sheffield Ecclesall
at the 1906 election.
As Wilson was out of the country, the Conservatives nominated a new candidate, Sydney Charles King-Farlow. A newcomer to politics, he was a barrister
based in the south east of England. Wilson objected to the decision to stand an outsider, and decided to stand as an independent
candidate. He was adopted by an unofficial panel of Conservative Party members, and offered to withdraw if the party apologised to him, withdrew King-Farlow and instead adopted a candidate of his choice. This offer was not accepted.
The Labour Party
asked President of the Yorkshire Miners' Association
Herbert Smith
to stand, but he declined. Instead, they stood Joseph Pointer
, Chair of Sheffield Trades Council and a local councillor. He was a member of the Independent Labour Party
and the United Patternmakers Association
, but both organisations initially refused to sponsor his candidacy, the Patternmakers finally agreeing on 20 April to finance him.
, and announced that he would not say a word of apology or in defence of the government, but that its conduct had been admirable.
Muir Wilson stood on a protectionist platform, under the slogan "Vote for the Tory Chicken!! Kill the London Cuckoo!!". Surprisingly for a Conservative, he called for the redistribution of wealth and the nationalisation of railways and collieries. King-Farlow promised "more work for Englishmen and less work for foreigners". The two engaged in a widely discussed dispute, Muir Wilson writing to King-Farlow "I think you have found out by now how you have been fooled and betrayed, so you have better throw the sponge up and return to London". The two held rival meetings a few feet apart in Heeley
, and Muir Wilson attacked local Conservative MP Samuel Roberts
for appearing on King-Farlow's platform. Roberts called Muir Wilson a "mountebank", but subsequently suggested that the party should withdraw their candidate and apologies to Muir Wilson. Other Tories advocated both candidates standing down in favour of Fred Kelley
, a local brewer, but he stated that he would not stand even if asked.
Ramsay Macdonald
, Keir Hardie
and Arthur Henderson
, among others, came to campaign for Pointer. His campaign was criticised for being poorly organised, and suffered from a lack of resources, being largely based on open air speeches.
At the end of April, Captain Hunnable, an eccentric poet from Ilford
, arrived in the constituency, promising to raise wages to £2 a week and form a government within five years. He considered supporting Muir Wilson, but rejected the idea after a meeting, and briefly attempted to stand as a fifth candidate, but gave up after he divined a horoscope
stating the Muir Wilson would win.
The Women's Social and Political Union
intervened in the election, with Emmeline Pankhurst
speaking. The organisation was broadly sympathetic to the Labour Party, but all four candidates endorsed women's suffrage
. However, they were pelted with rotten eggs and vegetables during at least one open-air meeting, and appealed for police protection. During the campaign, they collected 5,000 signatures from local voters to a petition to enfranchise women.
The Manchester Guardian predicted that Lambert would win easily, taking at least 5,000 votes, with eight or nine thousand shared between the other three candidates.
, and a big crowd awaited the result of the contest. With the Conservative vote split, Pointer was able to take enough votes from the Liberals to achieve a narrow victory, with the Liberals dropping from first to third place. With only 27.5% of the vote, this remains the lowest ever winning share in a single-member by-election. At the time, the possibility of winning a seat with such a low share of the vote was described by the Daily Chronicle
as an "absurdity", making the case for preferential voting
. The Labour gain, and the dramatic fall in the Liberal vote, encourage David Lloyd George
to move the party to the left, and the next months saw a series of large Liberal victories in their safe seat
s. On 22 May, Winston Churchill
spoke in favour of the introduction of proportional representation
, claiming that "the present system has clearly broken down. The results produced are not fair to any party... all they secure is fluke representation".
Immediately after the announcement, Muir Wilson thanked Pointer and Lambert, but accused King-Farlow of being "warped by the prejudice of others". Later in the evening, King-Farlow confronted him, calling him a "cad and a liar", and the two Conservatives had to be separated. The following week, Muir Wilson called a public meeting, at which he complained that he had spent £1,100 on contesting the 1906 and 1909 elections, and "if that is not enough to buy the seat of Attercliffe, I don't know what is". Later in the month, he sued King-Farlow for assault on the election night, and for damage to his bowler hat. The case was dismissed before Muir Wilson was able to give evidence.
Pointer held the seat until his death in 1914. Lambert finally won a seat at Cricklade
in 1910. Wilson died a few months after the by-election, without ever having returned to the UK. King-Farlow contested the seat again in January 1910, then stood in Hackney South
in December, but was never elected, and instead became a judge in British East Africa.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was 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
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Sheffield Attercliffe on 4 May 1909.
Background
The election was caused by the resignation of J. Batty LangleyJ. Batty Langley
J. Batty Langley was a British Liberal Party politician.Born in Uppingham, Langley became a wealthy timber merchant in Sheffield, and one of the city's most prominent non-conformists. He was elected to Sheffield Town Council, serving many years and becoming an alderman.In 1892, Langley became...
, due to long-term ill health. He had been 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...
Member of Parliament for the seat since an 1894 by-election
Sheffield Attercliffe by-election, 1894
A by-election was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Sheffield Attercliffe on 5 July 1894. It was the first parliamentary election contested by the Independent Labour Party.-Background:...
. He had been re-elected unopposed at the 1895 and 1900 UK general elections. Arnold Muir Wilson
Arnold Muir Wilson
Arnold Muir Wilson was a British solicitor and politician.Born in Sheffield, Wilson studied in Germany before becoming a solicitor based at Clifford's Inn. He built up a large practice in Sheffield, usually representing the defence at the Police Court, against Arthur Neal...
, a local Conservative Party
Conservative 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...
councillor and honorary consul for Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
had contested the seat in 1906, taking 46.8% of the vote.
Attercliffe
Attercliffe
Attercliffe is an industrial suburb of northeast Sheffield, England on the south bank of the River Don.-History:The name Attercliffe can be traced back as far as an entry in the Domesday book -Ateclive- meaning at the cliffe, a small escarpment that lay alongside the River Don...
, a district of north east Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, was a strongly working class area, with much heavy industry. At the time of the election, there was high unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
in the area.
Candidates
The Liberal Party approached Arthur NealArthur Neal
Arthur Neal was a British politician.Born in Sheffield, Neal attended Wesley College before becoming a solicitor. He was elected to Sheffield City Council as a Liberal in 1903, holding a seat until 1921....
, then a local councillor, but he declined nomination. Only one candidate then put themselves forward for nomination: Richard Cornthwaite Lambert
Richard Cornthwaite Lambert
Richard Cornthwaite Lambert was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Member of Parliament for Cricklade from 1910 to 1918....
, a London-based barrister who had narrowly failed to win Sheffield Ecclesall
Sheffield Ecclesall (UK Parliament constituency)
Sheffield Ecclesall was a Parliamentary constituency represented by a single Member of Parliament in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1950. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.- Boundaries...
at the 1906 election.
As Wilson was out of the country, the Conservatives nominated a new candidate, Sydney Charles King-Farlow. A newcomer to politics, he was 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...
based in the south east of England. Wilson objected to the decision to stand an outsider, and decided to stand as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidate. He was adopted by an unofficial panel of Conservative Party members, and offered to withdraw if the party apologised to him, withdrew King-Farlow and instead adopted a candidate of his choice. This offer was not accepted.
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...
asked President of the Yorkshire Miners' Association
Yorkshire Miners' Association
The Yorkshire Miners' Association was a British trade union.The union was founded in 1881 with the merger of the South Yorkshire Miners' Association, and the West Yorkshire Miners' Association, agreed only because both organisations were weakened by unsuccessful disputes...
Herbert Smith
Herbert Smith (trade unionist)
Herbert Smith was a British trade unionist and miner.Born in Kippax, Smith was orphaned at a young age and spent time in a workhouse before being adopted by a local couple, one of whom was a miner. Smith then studied in Glasshoughton and Pontefract, and began working as a miner at the age of ten...
to stand, but he declined. Instead, they stood Joseph Pointer
Joseph Pointer
Joseph Pointer was a British Labour Party Member of Parliament.Born in the Attercliffe district of Sheffield, Pointer became a convinced socialist early in his life, and joined the Independent Labour Party...
, Chair of Sheffield Trades Council and a local councillor. He was a member 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...
and the United Patternmakers Association
United Patternmakers Association
The United Patternmakers Association was a trade union in the United Kingdom.The association was founded in 1872 to represent skilled patternmakers in England, following a strike by patternmakers based around the River Tyne and River Wear for a nine hour day...
, but both organisations initially refused to sponsor his candidacy, the Patternmakers finally agreeing on 20 April to finance him.
Campaign
The campaign was short, but hard-fought. Lambert campaigned as "the People's Candidate", opposing taxes on food. He described himself as a radicalRadicalism (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...
, and announced that he would not say a word of apology or in defence of the government, but that its conduct had been admirable.
Muir Wilson stood on a protectionist platform, under the slogan "Vote for the Tory Chicken!! Kill the London Cuckoo!!". Surprisingly for a Conservative, he called for the redistribution of wealth and the nationalisation of railways and collieries. King-Farlow promised "more work for Englishmen and less work for foreigners". The two engaged in a widely discussed dispute, Muir Wilson writing to King-Farlow "I think you have found out by now how you have been fooled and betrayed, so you have better throw the sponge up and return to London". The two held rival meetings a few feet apart in Heeley
Heeley
Heeley is a former cluster of villages now a suburb in the south of the City of Sheffield, England. The village has existed at least since 1343, its name deriving from Heah Leah, High Lea then Hely, meaning a high, woodland clearing...
, and Muir Wilson attacked local Conservative MP Samuel Roberts
Sir Samuel Roberts, 1st Baronet
Sir Samuel Roberts, 1st Baronet PC, DL was a British politician and businessman.A descendent of the Samuel Roberts who built Queen's Tower in Norfolk Park, Roberts grew up in the building and attended Repton School, Trinity College, Cambridge and then Inner Temple, becoming a barrister in 1877.He...
for appearing on King-Farlow's platform. Roberts called Muir Wilson a "mountebank", but subsequently suggested that the party should withdraw their candidate and apologies to Muir Wilson. Other Tories advocated both candidates standing down in favour of Fred Kelley
Frederic Arthur Kelley
Major Sir Frederic Arthur Kelley OBE was a British Unionist Party politician, Justice of the Peace for the West Riding of Yorkshire and Member of Parliament for Rotherham from 1918 to 1923....
, a local brewer, but he stated that he would not stand even if asked.
Ramsay Macdonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
, 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...
and Arthur Henderson
Arthur Henderson
Arthur Henderson was a British iron moulder and Labour politician. He was the 1934 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and he served three short terms as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1908–1910, 1914–1917 and 1931-1932....
, among others, came to campaign for Pointer. His campaign was criticised for being poorly organised, and suffered from a lack of resources, being largely based on open air speeches.
At the end of April, Captain Hunnable, an eccentric poet from Ilford
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
, arrived in the constituency, promising to raise wages to £2 a week and form a government within five years. He considered supporting Muir Wilson, but rejected the idea after a meeting, and briefly attempted to stand as a fifth candidate, but gave up after he divined a horoscope
Horoscope
In astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, the astrological aspects, and sensitive angles at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person's birth. The word horoscope is derived from Greek words meaning "a look at the hours" In...
stating the Muir Wilson would win.
The Women's Social and Political Union
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union was the leading militant organisation campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom...
intervened in the election, with Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement which helped women win the right to vote...
speaking. The organisation was broadly sympathetic to the Labour Party, but all four candidates endorsed women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
. However, they were pelted with rotten eggs and vegetables during at least one open-air meeting, and appealed for police protection. During the campaign, they collected 5,000 signatures from local voters to a petition to enfranchise women.
The Manchester Guardian predicted that Lambert would win easily, taking at least 5,000 votes, with eight or nine thousand shared between the other three candidates.
Result
The result was announced on a large illuminated screen at Sheffield Town HallSheffield Town Hall
Sheffield Town Hall is a building in the City of Sheffield, England. The building is used by Sheffield City Council, and also contains a publicly displayed collection of silverware. The current building, Sheffield's fourth town hall, is located on Pinstone Street. It was designed by the...
, and a big crowd awaited the result of the contest. With the Conservative vote split, Pointer was able to take enough votes from the Liberals to achieve a narrow victory, with the Liberals dropping from first to third place. With only 27.5% of the vote, this remains the lowest ever winning share in a single-member by-election. At the time, the possibility of winning a seat with such a low share of the vote was described by the Daily Chronicle
Daily Chronicle
The Daily Chronicle was a British newspaper that was published from 1872 to 1930 when it merged with the Daily News to become the News Chronicle.-History:...
as an "absurdity", making the case for preferential voting
Preferential voting
Preferential voting is a type of ballot structure used in several electoral systems in which voters rank candidates in order of relative preference. For example, the voter may select their first choice as '1', their second preference a '2', and so on...
. The Labour gain, and the dramatic fall in the Liberal vote, encourage 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 move the party to the left, and the next months saw a series of large Liberal victories in their safe seat
Safe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
s. On 22 May, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
spoke in favour of the introduction of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
, claiming that "the present system has clearly broken down. The results produced are not fair to any party... all they secure is fluke representation".
Immediately after the announcement, Muir Wilson thanked Pointer and Lambert, but accused King-Farlow of being "warped by the prejudice of others". Later in the evening, King-Farlow confronted him, calling him a "cad and a liar", and the two Conservatives had to be separated. The following week, Muir Wilson called a public meeting, at which he complained that he had spent £1,100 on contesting the 1906 and 1909 elections, and "if that is not enough to buy the seat of Attercliffe, I don't know what is". Later in the month, he sued King-Farlow for assault on the election night, and for damage to his bowler hat. The case was dismissed before Muir Wilson was able to give evidence.
Pointer held the seat until his death in 1914. Lambert finally won a seat at Cricklade
Cricklade (UK Parliament constituency)
Cricklade was a parliamentary constituency named after the town of Cricklade in Wiltshire.From 1295 until 1885, Cricklade was a parliamentary borough, returning two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, previously to the House of Commons of...
in 1910. Wilson died a few months after the by-election, without ever having returned to the UK. King-Farlow contested the seat again in January 1910, then stood in Hackney South
Hackney South (UK Parliament constituency)
Hackney South was a parliamentary constituency in "The Metropolis" . It was represented by nine Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, only two of whom, Horatio Bottomley and Herbert Morrison, were returned.- History :The constituency was created...
in December, but was never elected, and instead became a judge in British East Africa.