THE AFTERMATH OF THISTLES. 83 



Thus the activity of the men's leaders in the early years 

 of the 'eighties was more political than industrial. In 

 1884, the English agricultural labourer who had fought all 

 England's battles for her and produced her food, was gener- 

 ously allowed to become an English citizen with power 

 to vote as to how he should be taxed, policed, and governed 

 generally. Arch became a candidate for Parliament and in 

 doing so allied himself definitely with the Liberal Party. 

 Here he made a mistake ; but a very natural one in those 

 days when the political party keenest to give the agricultural 

 labourer his vote was the Liberal Party. Unfortunately, 

 Arch carried his Union with him in demanding such reforms 

 as the Disestablishment of the Church, which alienated the 

 sympathies of the many Churchmen who had hitherto sup- 

 ported the Union, and thus the whole of the agricultural 

 trade union movement came to be considered politically as 

 a Radical, anti-Church, Dissenting agitation, rather than as 

 an industrial one. 



It was no wonder, though, that Arch felt that the Con- 

 servatives were his implacable foes. Sir Stafford Northcote 

 writing on December 3rd, 1883, said : 



" I regard with anxiety the attempts which are being made to 

 introduce principles the full bearing of which is not at once 

 obvious, but which are pregnant with the greatest mischief. 

 If the country be brought to agree to an identical franchise based 

 on household suffrage we shall give Mr. Chamberlain all he wants 

 and shall repent our folly, as the trees in the fable repented of 

 having given the woodman a handle for his axe." 



Arch was elected to Parliament in November 1885- 

 His election throws some light upon a rural Parliamentary 

 contest in the mid-eighties. The well-to-do Liberals wanted 

 Sir W. Brampton-Gurdon to represent the constituency. The 

 labourers wanted Arch ; and when it was put to the vote 

 of the members of the political association, Arch received 

 twice the number of votes that Sir Brampton-Gurdon did. 

 Lord Henry Bentinck was the Conservative opponent, and 

 the Conservatives had held the seat for sixty or seventy 

 years. 



" They sent a troop of meii down," says Arch, " to one of my 



