VILLAGE POLITICS 



THE political existence of our country villages 

 in any real sense began in 1884. Before the 

 extension of the franchise in this year rural 

 England had been represented by the votes of 

 a well-to-do minority of the inhabitants and 

 the suffrages of the non-resident plural voter. 

 The grant of the franchise to the labourer 

 appeared likely at first sight to produce a 

 complete change in the character of rural 

 representation in Parliament. The writer 

 remembers quite well the gloomy prophecies 

 uttered by his father, the strongly Tory Rector 

 of a Suffolk parish, to the effect that never 

 again would the agricultural counties return 

 a Conservative to Westminster. Such fears 

 have been completely falsified, and to-day 

 the poorest counties of southern and midland 

 England form a political stronghold of the 

 Conservative party. 



There are various reasons for this fidelity 

 to Tory principles in rural districts. The 

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