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Unionist rhetoric and Irish local government reform, 1895–9

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2016

Andrew Gailey
Andrew Gailey*
Affiliation:
Eton College
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Extract

Gerald Balfour's appointment as chief secretary for Ireland on 4 July 1895 was as unexpected as it was intriguing. Recording the event in his diary Sir Edward Hamilton, Gladstone's former private secretary and now assistant financial secretary to the Treasury, described it as ‘quite a surprise and a considerable experiment’, and the Carlton Club, noted more for its relentless suspicion of Irish chief secretaries than its welcoming of surprises and experiments, grumbled ominously. After all Gerald Balfour had led an uneventful academic life at Cambridge followed by a back-bench career in the house of commons that had proved neither prominent nor promising, and he clearly owed his new position to the support of his illustrious brother, Arthur, and the unbridled nepotism of his uncle, Lord Salisbury, the prime minister. Like his avuncular patron, he soon developed a weakness for ‘blazing indiscretion’ and in his first major policy speech to his Leeds constituents after his election he spoke of ‘killing home rule with kindness’ This rather glib phrase provoked a furore among the Irish nationalists and aroused the scepticism of many Irish unionists, though, as Gerald Balfour subsequently protested, he was merely echoing the strategy his brother had pursued with full unionist support in the 1880s.

Type
Articles
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 24 , Issue 93 , May 1984 , pp. 52 - 68
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1984

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References

1 Sir Edward Hamilton's diary, 5 July 1895 (B.L., Add. MS 48677, p. 58); Annual Register, 1895, p. 213.

2 D.N.B. 1941–50 (Oxford, 1959), pp 51–2; Egremont, Max, Balfour: a life of Arthur James Balfour (London, 1980), pp 17, 46, 50Google Scholar; Young, Kenneth, Balfour (London, 1963), p. 11 Google Scholar.

3 Leeds Mercury, 17 Oct. 1895.

4 Ibid., 5 July 1895; Hansard4(commons), xxxvi, 134 (Gerald Balfour, 15 Aug. 1895).

5 Curtis, L. P Jnr, Coercion and conciliation in Ireland, 1880–1892: a study in conservative unionism (Princeton, 1963), pp 406–9CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

6 Balfour, Arthur, Nationality and home rule (London, 1913)Google Scholar.

7 ‘Conciliation, in short, was supposed to cure an essentially “bread and butter” question’ ( Curtis, , Coercion & conciliation, p. 332 Google Scholar).

8 For Curtis it was the combination of coercion and conciliation that held the key to Balfour's achievement (ibid., pp viii, 332–3).

9 Ibid., p. 332.

10 Ibid., p. 374.

11 Hansard 3 (commons), cccx, 86–94 (Gerald Balfour, 27 Jan. 1887); Hansard 4 (commons), xxxvi, 134–6 (Gerald Balfour, 15 Aug. 1895).

12 The Times, 25 Sept. 1900.

13 Curtis, , Coercion & conciliation, p. 416 Google Scholar; Lyons, F S. L., Ireland since the Famine (2nd ed., London, 1973), pp 203–4, 211–12, 217Google Scholar; O'Farrell, Patrick, Ireland's English question (New York, 1971), pp 208–9Google Scholar.

14 Curtis, , Coercion & conciliation, pp 381–7Google Scholar; Brendon, Piers, Eminent Edwardians (London, 1979), p. 93 Google Scholar.

15 Lyons, F S. L., John Dillon (London, 1968), pp 187–8Google Scholar.

l6 ‘Return of the local government elections, Ireland 1899’, n.d. (P.R.O., CO. 904/184/1). Rather more sinister were police findings that 114 (or 10%) of county councillors and 468 (or 5%) of district councillors had I.R.B. links, (ibid.).

17 Annual Register, 1899, pp 241–2.

18 Robinson to Gerald Balfour, 14 Mar., 1900 (Scottish R.O., Gerald Balfour papers).

l9 Horace Plunkett's diary. 2 May and 19 June 1895 (Plunkett Foundation, Oxford).

20 The Times, 23 Aug. 1895; Sir Edward Hamilton's diary, 18 July 1895 (B.L., Add. MS 48667, p. 74).

21 Leeds Mercury, 5 July 1895.

22 Salisbury to Arthur Balfour, 22 and 28 Aug. 1895 (Scottish R.O., Arthur Balfour papers). Walter Long was Salisbury's first choice but J. W Lowther, Gorst and Stuart Wortley were also considered.

23 McCarthy, M. J. F, Five years in Ireland (London, 1901), p. 32 Google Scholar; Leeds Mercury, 9 July 1895. Lord Cadogan, the lord lieutenant, was in the cabinet but, as his position as the queen's representative denied him a parliamentary role and as the chief secretary headed the Irish administration at Dublin Castle, Cadogan's function was restricted to that of an overseer

24 Hansard 4 (commons), xxxvi, 141–2 (Gerald Balfour, 15 Aug. 1895). On the divisions within the I.P.P., see Lyons, F S. L., The Irish parliamentary party, 1890–1910 (London, 1951), pp 38–67 Google Scholar.

25 Freeman's Journal, 13 Feb. 1895; Daily Independent 30 June and 7 Oct. 1895; Hansard 4 (commons), xxxvii, 202 (Gerald Balfour, 12 Feb. 1896).

26 Daily Independent, 26–7 June 1895; Freeman's Journal, 24 Sept. 1895. The latter was also highly conservative and catholic, and consequently deeply distrusted the liberals, especiallv in matters of social and educational reform.

27 Gerald Balfour to Salisbury, 23 Sept. 1895 (Hatfield House, Salisbury papers); Hansard 4 (commons), xxxvii, 202 (Gerald Balfour 12 Feb. 1896).

28 Cadogan to Salisbury, 30 Sept. 1895 (Hatfield House, Salisbury papers); Cadogan to Queen Victoria, (31 Aug. ?) 1895 (H.L.R.O., Cadogan papers, CAD/725).

29 Gerald Balfour to Salisbury, 30 Sept. 1895 (Hatfield House, Salisbury papers); Gerald Balfour to Cadogan, 23 Sept. 1895 (H.L.R.O., Cadogan papers, CAD/729).

30 Horace Plunkett's diary, 19 June 1895 (Plunkett Foundation, Oxford).

31 Ibid..23 Sept. 1895. See also National Review, xxvi, no. 153(Nov. 1895), pp 306–38.

32 The Times, 16 Aug. 1895.

33 Ibid., 17 Oct. 1895.

34 Hansard 4 (commons), lii, 132–9 (Gerald Balfour, 2 Aug. 1897).

35 SirRobinson, Henry, Memories, wise and otherwise (London, 1923), p. 114 Google Scholar.

36 The Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898 (61 & 62 Viet., c. 37) became law on 18 Aug. 1898.

37 Except from the Ulster liberal unionists. See Shannon, Catherine B., ‘The Ulster liberal unionists and local government reform, 1885–98’ in I.H.S., xviii, no. 71 (Mar. 1973), pp 407–23Google Scholar.

38 McCarthy, , Five vears in Ireland, p. 364 Google Scholar.

39 The tenants had already challenged with some success the landlord's monopoly of election to the poor-law boards ( Feingold, W L., ‘The tenants’ movement to capture the Irish poor law boards, 1877–86’ in Albion, vii, no. 3 (Fall 1975), pp 216–31CrossRefGoogle Scholar).

40 As such it was also a gesture to keep the liberal unionists in the fold ( Marsh, P. T, The discipline of popular government (Hassocks, Sussex, 1978), p. 215 Google Scholar; cf. Curtis, , Coercion & conciliation, pp 381–6Google Scholar).

41 Hansard 4 (commons), liv, 478 (D. H. Coghill, 21 Mar. 1898).

42 Ibid., col. 510 (Gerald Balfour, 21 Mar 1898).

43 Ibid., liii, 1227 (Gerald Balfour, 21 Feb. 1898).

44 Cabinet memorandum (P.R.O., Cab. 37/45/51).

45 Hansard 4 (commons), liv. 516 (Gerald Balfour, 21 Mar. 1898).

46 Ibid., liii, 1227 (Gerald Balfour, 21 Feb. 1898).

47 Sir Edward Hamilton's diary, 26 May 1897 (B.L., Add. MS 48671, p. 64).

48 Arthur Balfour to Dufferin and Ava, 3 May 1899 (P.R.O.N.I., 1st marquess of Dufferin and Ava papers, D1071).

49 This had found that Ireland was being over taxed by £23/4 million p.a.

50 Hansard 4 (commons), liii, 1227 (Gerald Balfour, 21 Feb. 1898).

51 Ibid., xxxix, 987 (Gerald Balfour, 15 Apr. 1896).

52 Annual Register, 1897. pp 107, 126–8.

53 Gerald Balfour to Secretary to the Treasury, 17 June 1896 (P.R.O., Treasury papers, TV9059 A/9486 /1896).

54 Memorandum written by Sir Edward Hamilton, 6 Jan. 1897 (P.R.O., Edward Hamilton papers, T168/37).

55 Lecky to H. de F Montgomery, 3 Dec. 1900 (P.R.O.N.I., Montgomery papers, T1089/298).

56 Sir Edward Hamilton's diary, 5 May 1897 (B.L., Add. MS 48671, p. 49).

57 Irish unionist M.P.s to Gerald Balfour, 18 May 1897 (T.C.D., Lecky papers, MS 1832/1535).

58 Plunkett to T P Gill, 28 Apr. 1897 (N.L.I., Gill papers, MS 13493 (13)).

59 Sir Edward Hamilton's diary, 9 May 1897 (B.L., Add. MS 48671, p. 51).

60 Plunkett to Gill, 10 May 1897 (N.L.I., Gill papers, MS 13493 (13)).

61 Memorandum by Arthur Balfour, 11 May 1897 (H.L.R.O., Cadogan papers, CAD/1094).

62 Robinson, , Memories, pp 124–5Google Scholar.

63 Plunkett to Cadogan, 23 May 1897 (H.L.R.O., Cadogan papers, CAD/1094). See also Plunkett to Gill, 12 Sept. 1899 (N.L.I., Gil papers, MS 13494).

64 Robinson, , Memories, pp 126–7Google ScholarPubMed

65 Abercorn to Cadogan, 12 Dec. 1897 (H.L.R.O., Cadogan papers, CAD/1261).

66 Hansard 4 (commons), liv, 479 (D. H. Coghill, 21 Mar 1898). See also Thomas Sinclair to Cadogan, 19 Jan. 1898 (H.L.R.O., Cadogan papers, CAD/1293).

67 Cabinet memorandum (P.R.O., CAB/37/45/51). See also, Gerald Balfour to Cadogan, 10 and 16 Dec. 1897(H.L.R.O., Cadogan papers, CAD/1259, CAD/1265) Sir George Frrington to Sir Patrick Coll, 6 Feb. 1898 (B.L., Arthur Balfour papers Add. MS 49850).

68 Dicey to Lecky, n.d. (T.C.D., Lecky papers, MS 1835/2417); Hansard (commons), liv. 455–6 (Lecky, 21 Mar 1898).

69 Hansard 4 (commons), liv. 478 (D. H. Coghill, 21 Mar. 1898); ibid., xlix, 1051 (Sir John Lubbock, 21 May 1897); ibid., xlix, 1056 (Sir Penrose Fitzgerald, 21 May 1897) Plunkctt to Betty Balfour, 19 Oct. 1897 (Plunkett Foundation, Oxford, Plunket papers, BAL 17).

70 Hansard 4 (commons), liv, 492 (Col. Saunderson, 21 Mar. 1898).

71 Plunkett to Gill, 17 Apr. 1899(N.L.I., Gill papers, MS 13494(1)); Arthur Balfour to C. M. Doyne, 18 Apr. 1899 (B.L., Arthur Balfour papers, Add. MS 49853).

72 Robinson to Gerald Balfour, 26 Dec. 1899. 19 Mar 1900 (Scottish R.O., Gerald Balfour papers); Robinson, , Memories, p. 132 Google Scholar; Catherine Shannon, ‘The Irish local government act of 1898’ (unpublished M.A. thesis, University College, Dublin, 1963).

73 Sir David Harrel, ‘Recollections and reflections’, 1926 (T.C.D., Harrel papers, MS 3918b, pp 132–9).

74 Rosenbaum, S., Against home rule (London, 1912), p. 240 Google Scholar.

75 Gerald Balfour to Cadogan, 8 Feb. 1899(H.F.R.O., Cadogan papers, CAD/1481); Cadogan to Betty Balfour, 21 Feb. 1900 (Scottish R.O., Gerald Ballour papers).

76 The Times, 5 Feb., 10 Oct., 18 Nov. 1898, 4 Feb. 1899

77 Ibid., 4 Feb. 1899.

78 Leeds Mercury, 5 July 1895.

79 Gutzke, D. W, ‘Roscberv and Ireland, 1898–1903 a reappraisal’ in I.H.R. Bull., liii (1980), pp 88–98 Google Scholar.

80 The Times, 4 Feb. 1899.

81 Ibid., 21 Dec. 1898, 25 Sept. 1900 (my italics).

82 Cadogan to Salisbury. 24 Apr. 1899 (H.L.R.O., Cadogan papers, CAD/1555/1).

83 I should like to express my gratitude to Professor David Harkness, Dr Roy Foster, Dr Henry Pclling and members of the Institute of Irish Studies seminar for many helpful comments on early drafts of this paper.