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POLITICAL gROUPINGS IN NEW' SOUTH WAr,s,
1872
-
1889
A STUDY IN THE WORKING OF RESPONSIBidE GOVERNMENT
I
A. W. Martin.
Thesis Submitted for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy.
The Australian National University.
June, 195'5'.
(i)
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
List of Appendices
Preface
vi
Note on Abbreviations
pmI
FACTIONS AND fBESSURE GROUPS IN NEW SOUTH
\lAmS, 1872-87
Chapter
1.
INTRODUCTION.
2.
PERSONAL FACTIONS IN THE POLITICS OF NEW
1
SOUTH WALES, 1872-87.
33
1.
The Governments of the Period.
31f
2.
The Poli tieians and a Dominant
Political Ideal.
1f6
3.
The Parliamentary Factions.
(i)
(11)
If.
The Concept and Role of the
Faction.
61
Voting Patterns within
Individual Parliaments.
65
(iii) Sequences of Loyalty frolll
Parliament to Parliament.
69
The Concept of Loyalty_
73
(11)
Chapter
3.
THE MAKING AND BBEAKING OF PARLIAMENTARY
MAJORITIES
lt~
1.
Personal Intrigue and Cabinet Formation.
2.
Parliamentary Manoeuvre.
3.
Patronage and Logrolling.
99
109
It.
The Early IIPartT' Caucus.
112
THE LAND QUESTION, AND SOME PRESSURE GROUPS
1.
The Land IIProblem.1I
,
2.
5.
79
80.
116
~
The Political Aspirations and Methods of
Squatters and Selectors.
121
THE ELECTORAL PICTURE
1.
The Electoral Framework.
2.
Electoral Abuses and Manipulation.
llt6
(1)
Double Voting and Personation.
151
(11)
Plumping and Bunching.
156
The Sources and Significance of Electoral
Manipulation.
165
6.
ELECTORAL MANIPULATION BY THE: PABLIAMENrARY
178
FACTION
1.
Aspects of the Election of 1872
(1)
The Work of Edward Butler.
(11)
The Hunter Electorates.
(111) The Case of W. H. Cooper .•
179
187
193
(iii)
.bU
Chapter
2.
Aspects of the Election of 18~
(1) . Cooper and the East Sydney and
(11)
3.
Hunter Elections.
203
Some other Contests.
220
Electoral 1t0rganisatio~ by
Parliamentary Factions.~
230
(i)
~he
232
(11)
~he
Electoral Agent.
Work of the Electoral
Agent.
238
(iii) The Question of Expenses.
2'+3
PAM
II
THE EMIllRGENQE OF TEE FIRST POLITICAL ItPARTIES,"
1887-89
7•
TEE EARLY PROTECTION MOVEMENT, 188'+-86.
1.
The Free Trade ItTradition.1t
,
8.
2~
,
2.
Early Protectionist Organisations.
3.
The "Political Conferencelt of
188,~
2,6
262
PARTY ItMACHINES" AND TEE ELECTIONS OF 1887
-
AND 1889
1.
The Tariff Issue in Parliament, 188,87.
268
2.
The Protection Union, 1886-87.
270
3.
The Freetrade Association.
2~
(iv)
Page
Chapter
If..
The Election of 1889.
,.
The Fate of the New "Party"
Structures: a Poatscript.
281
PART III
CONCLUSIOli?
9
CONCLUSIONS
1. The Period of Parliamentary Factions
in New South Wales.
288
2.
APPENDICES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Protectionist and Freetrade
"Parties," 1887-89.
291
299
If.2lf.
(v)
:gaT
OF
APPENDICES
Page
Appendix
Table 2.
I
u
.
.
,
299
3'.
Export Price Levels, N.S.V.,
If.
N.S.V., State Revenue, 1871-89. 301
,.
..
II
N.S.W. Trade, 1870-90.
6•
1870-89.
300
Male Breadwinners, N.S.Ttl.~
Grade or Occupation, 1 71
and 1891.
302
Male Breadwinners, N.S.Ttl.~
Grade or Occupation, 1 91~
306
Attitudes or Members or N.S.Ttl., Legislative
Assembly to Principal Governments, 1872~.
3~
III.
Summary or Attitudes to Principal Governments,
IV.
Sequences or Loyalties: Members Holding
Seats in Two or More Parliaments, 1872~.
V.
1872-87.
338
The Gardiner Case in Parliament, 18711-75.
~
31f8
3511-
VI.
Division on Farnell's Land Bill, 1878.
VII.
Stuart Government, 1883. Faction Position
prior to Crown Lands Bill.
355
VIII.
Land Bill of Sir John Robertson, 1882,
Division on Second Reading.
358
Members of N.S.V., Legislative Assembly,
1872-89: Biographical Notes.
360
-------
(vi)
PRE F ACE
The pres.ent study began as an exploratory a.ttempt
to discover patterns and meaning in the superficially
confused politics of New South Wales during the 'seventies
and 'eighties of last century_
period;
This has been a neglected
the dramatic political struggles ot the decades
at either end of the halt century provided the first
obvious focus ot attention for modern Australian historical
research, still largely in its infancy_
Closer examiDation of the subject soon made it
clear that two central questions required answering.
Simply stated, they were:
1.
How, in the absence of an established party
system, did Responsible Government f'unction
in New South Wales between 1872 and 1887?
2.
What was the Dature of the political parties
that appeared between 1887 and 1889, and
how did they emerge from the confused scene
ot previous years?
These problems have in a general sense determined the limits
ot the study_Attention is directed largely to the
(vii)
tormation ot groups in the parliamentary struggle, and to
the modes in which such groups strove tor power.
Hence
there is no attempt to provide a connected political
history ot the period.
Some explanation has also to be made ot the
apparently extreme importance accorded to Parkes in the
tirst part ot the discussion.
It is, ot course, true that
he was the dominant parliamentary personality ot his day,
and that the politics ot the period eould be written
largely in terms ot his career.
His constant reappearance
here, however, is due more to a methodological circumstance
than to any such judgment ot his role.
He was the only
contemporary politician to leave an important collection ot
private papers, and these - hitherto neglected - have proved
a fruitful source ot intormation on political machinations
ot the less obvious kind.
It is illuminating, on the basis
ot this material, to view Parkes as the type ot the taction
leader ot his day.
This study essays a number ot new interpretations
whose value will be open to debate.
But the approach
adopted has yielded at least two important discoveries:
that widespread electoral manipulation took place during the
'seventies in the interests ot parliamentary tactions;
and
that, well betore the tormation ot the Labour Party, the
electorate ot New South Wales had witnessed, and experienced
,
(viii)
the operation of, two highly organised party structureso
Both these conclusions suggest that accepted interpretations
of the early stages of growth in the Australian party system
require modification.
(ix)
NOTES
ON
ABBREVIATIONS
The following abbreviations have been used in footnote
references:
LQ...
PARKES CORRESPONDENCE, Mitchell Library,
Sydney.
(The Library's numbering of volume,
and page, have been given.
Hence,
e.g., ItA.915.25'lt1t refers to volume
~
,
no. A.915, page 25'lt).
N.S .W IP .D.
NEW
SOUTH WA!j!ijS PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES,
Series I.
S.M.H.
SYDNEY MORNING EEAAm,
DAILY TELEGRAPH, Sydney.