1909 Bermondsey by-election

UK parliamentary by-election April 2022 1909 Bermondsey by-election presidential United Kingdom Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1900s 1906 Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1910s Jan. 1910 28 October 1909 Dumphreys 65px Conservative Party (UK) 4,278 47.5% Hughes 65px Liberal Party (UK) 3,291 36.6% Salter 65px Labour Party (UK) 1,435 15.9% File:Bermondsey1885.png 250px MP Subsequent MP George Cooper Liberal Party (UK) Harold Glanville Liberal Party (UK) The 1909 Bermondsey by-election was a by-election held on 28 October 1909 for the British House of Commons constituency of Bermondsey in South East London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. Two suffragettes who tried to disrupt the men's election damaged the presiding officer and the ballots. Vacancy The by-election was called following the death of George Cooper, who had gained the seat as part of the Liberal Party victory in the 1906 general election. Electoral history The seat had been Liberal since they gained it at the last General Election in 1906; thumb|120px|Cooper General election January 1906 Liberal Party (UK) George Cooper 4,775 61.3 +13.2 Conservative Party (UK) Henry Cust 3,016 38.7 -13.2 1,759 22.6 N/A 7,791 73.4 +4.4 Liberal Party (UK) Conservative Party (UK) +13.2 Candidates The Labour party intervened in the contest having not stood in 1906. They selected 36-year-old Alfred Salter who had recently joined the Independent Labour Party. Back in 1906, Salter had been elected in succession to Cooper as the Progressive member for Bermondsey on the London County Council. On 8 October, Salter was officially announced as the party's candidate, just one day after the death of Cooper."Election Intelligence. Southwark (Bermondsey Division)". The Times. 9 October 1909. p. 10. The local Liberal Association selected 51-year-old journalist Spencer Leigh Hughes to defend the seat. He was not previously connected to the area and had unsuccessfully stood as Liberal candidate in the 1907 Jarrow by-election. Hughes was adopted unanimously as the candidate for the by-election.The Times, 13 October 1909 The local Liberals might have chosen Harold Glanville, a Bermondsey man who represented neighbouring Rotherhithe on the London County Council. With a General election pending, the Conservatives had already selected their candidate, Assheton Pownall. However, he was out of the country at the time and unable to campaign. Forced to find someone else at short notice, they settled on a local man, 64-year-old Cllr.John Dumphreys as their candidate. He had worked as a leather dresser, in an industry which was quite significant locally. In 1907 he became Mayor of Bermondsey. He was a supporter of Tariff Reform.The Times, 14 October 1909 Campaign Polling Day was fixed for the 28 October, just 21 days after the death of Cooper. There was a significant speech made by Chancellor of the Exchequer, David Lloyd George, at Limehouse on 30 July 1909 in which he outlined the proposals in the People's Budget. Since then, there had been no by-election in which to gauge public reaction to these proposals. The proposals therefore became central to the campaign. The Conservatives campaigned against the radicalism of the Liberals and their idea of massive state intervention in welfare. Hughes and the local Liberals embraced this New Liberal approach. Dumphreys was critical of the Liberal government's failure to act on the recommendation of the Poor Law Commission, which had been initiated by the previous Conservative government. In particular, he pressed for wholesale reform of the workhouse system, for better treatment of the deserving poor, and removal of the taint of pauper from children. "For every child a chance" was his philosophy.The Times, 15 October 1909 The Liberal campaign faced particular difficulties because their candidate was an outsider while both the Conservative and Labour candidates were local.By-elections in British Politics, 1832-1914 Suffragette protest On polling day, Alice Chapin and Alison Neilans from the Women's Freedom League poured corrosive liquids over ballot boxes in protest at the Prime Minister's refusal to meet with suffrage campaigners.Crawford Elizabeth https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Women_s_Suffrage_Movement/a2EK9P7-ZMsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=1909+Bermondsey+election+protest+suffragette&pg=PA722&printsec=frontcover The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide 1866-1928 2003-09-02 Routledge 978-1-135-43402-1 en A presiding officer, George Thornley, had his eye damaged. He testified at Chapin's trial that this was an accidental consequence of the attempt to damage ballots.5 November 1909 Ballot Box Raid: Suffragists Sent for Trial for Bermondsey Escapade The London Standard 12 The count was delayed while ballot papers were carefully examined, 83 ballot papers were damaged but legible but two ballot papers became indecipherable.The Times, 29 October 1909 Result Dumphreys gained the seat for the Conservatives and Unionists, though with less than half the votes; Bermondsey by-election, 1909Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12357, 30 October 1909, Page 5 Conservative Party (UK) John Dumphreys 4,278 47.5 +8.8 Liberal Party (UK) Spencer Leigh Hughes 3,291 36.6 -24.7 Labour Party (UK) Alfred Salter 1,435 15.9 New 987 10.9 N/A 9,004 73.6 +0.2 Conservative Party (UK) Liberal Party (UK) +16.8 Aftermath Dumphreys would lose the seat to the Liberals eleven weeks later in the general election, but not to Hughes who was to be elected as Liberal MP for Stockport, but this time to a Bermondsey man. After finishing bottom of the poll in the by-election, the Labour party withdrew from the contest; General election January 1910 Liberal Party (UK) Harold Glanville 5,477 54.9 +18.3 Conservative Party (UK) John Dumphreys 4,508 45.1 -2.4 969 9.8 N/A 9,985 82.4 +8.8 Liberal Party (UK) Conservative Party (UK) +10.4 Salter later became MP for West Bermondsey in 1922. The two suffragette protesters Alice Chapin and Alison Neilans, were sentenced to three months each in Holloway Prison.http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/4169 Centenary of Bermondsey suffragette protest London SE1 website team London SE1 References Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 (1 ed.). London: Macmillan. Who's Who: www.ukwhoswho.com Debrett's House of Commons 1916 Bermondsey by-election Bermondsey,1909 Bermondsey by-election Bermondsey,1909 Category:Bermondsey Bermondsey by-election