Industrial Democracy. Sidney Webb
annals of democracy in making express provision for the " caucus." ^
included in two important " provinces," Oldham and Bolton, which possess elaborate federal constituJtioDS of their own. These follow, in general outline, the federal constitution, but both retain some features of the older form. Thus in Oldham, where the ofiScers enjoy permanence of tenure and are responsible only to the representative assembly, any vacancy is filled by general vote of the members. And though the representative assembly has supreme legislative and executive powers, it is required to take a ballot of all the members before deciding on a strike. On the other hand, Bolton, which leaves everything to its repre- sentative assembly, shows a lingering attachment to rotation of office by providing that the retiring members of its executive council shall not be eligible for re-election during twelve months.
> The nineteen thousand members of the Amalgamated Association of Opera- tive Cotton-spinners command the services of ten permanent officials, besides numerous local officers still working at their trade.
' The "caucus," in this sense of the term, is supposed to have been first VOL. I C 2
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The rules of 1891 ordain that "whenever the business to be transacted by the representatives attending the quarterly or special meetings of the Amalgamation is of such import- ance and to the interest of this association as to require unity of action in regard to voting by the representatives from this province, the secretary shall be required to summon a special meeting of the said representatives by announcing in the monthly circular containing the minutes the date and time of such meeting, which must be held in the council room at least seven days previous to the Amalgamation meeting taking place. The provincial representatives on the amalga- mated council shall be required to attend such meeting, to give any information required, and all resolutions passed by a majority of those present shall be binding upon all the representatives from the Oldham province attending the amalgamated quarterly or special meetings, and any one acting contrary to his instructions shall cease to be a repre- sentative of the district he represents, and shall not be allowed to stand as a candidate for any office connected with the association for the space of twelve months. The allowance for attending these special meetings shall be in accordance with the scale allowed to the provincial executive council."* But even without so stringent a rule, there would be but little danger_of_the.. representatives failing to express the desires of the rank and file. Living the same life as thefT constifu entiTand sub ject to annual election, they can scarcely fail tp be in touch, wjth ..the general body, of the members. The common practice of requiring each representatrve'To repor^ his action to the next meeting of his constituents, by whom it is discussed in his presence, and the wide circulation
introduced about the beginning of this century, in the United States Congress, by the Democratic Party. See the Statesman's Manual, vol. i. pp. 294, 338; Woodrow Wilson, Congressional Government, 1 2th edit. (New York, 1896), pp. 327–330; Lalor's Cyclopedia of Political Science (New York, 1891), vol. 1. p. 357. The "caucus" in the sense of "primary assembly" is regulated by law in many American States, especially in Massachusetts. See Nominations for Elective Office in the United States, by F. W. Dallinger (London, 1897).
1 Rule 64, pp. 41–42, of Rules and Regulations for the Government of thi Oldham Operative Cotton-spinners' Provincial Association (Oldham, 1891).
Representative Institutions 43
of printed reports among all the members furnish efficient substitutes for the newspaper press. On the other hand, the. facts that the representative assembly is a permanent insti- tution wielding supreme power, and that in practice its' membership changes little from year to year, give it a very real authority over the executive council which it elects every six months, and over the officers whom it has appointed. The t5^ical member of the " Cotton-spinners' Parliament " is not only experienced in voicing the desires of his constituents, but also possesses in a comparatively large measure that knowledge of administrative detail and of current affairs which enables him to understand and control the proceedings of his officers.
The Coalminers are, as we have elsewhere mentioned, not so unanimous as the Cotton Operatives in their adoption of representative institutions. The two great counties of Northumberland and Durham have unions which preserve constitutions of the old-fashioned type. But when we pass to other counties, in which the Miners have come more thoroughly under the influence of the modern spirit, we find representative government the rule. The powerful * associations of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Midlands are all governed by elected representative assemblies, which appoint the executive committees and the permanent officers. But the most striking example of the adoption of repre- sentative institutions among the Coalminers is presented by 1 the Miners' Federation of Great Britain, established 1887, This great federal organisation, which now comprises two- thirds of the Coalminers in union, adopted from the outset a completely representative constitution. The supreme authority is vested in a "conference," summoned as often as required, consisting of representatives elected by each county or district association. This conference exercises ' uncontrolled power to determine policy, alter rules, and levy unlimited contributions.^ From jits decision there is no
• This was expressly pointed out, doubtless with reference to some of the old- fashioned county unions which still clung to the custom of the Referendum or the
44 Trade Union Structure
appeal. No provision is made for taking the votes of the general body of members, and the conference itself appoints the executive committee and all the officers of the Federa- tion. Between the sittings of the conference the executive committee is expressly given power to take action to promote the interests of the Federation, and no rule savoring of Rotation of Ofifice deprives this executive of the services of its experienced members.
The " Miners' Parliament," as this conference may not improperly be termed, is in many respects the most im- portant assembly in the Trade Union world. Its regular annual session, held in some midland town, lasts often for a whole week, whilst other meetings of a couple of days' dura- tion are held as business requires. The fifty to seventy members, who represent the several constituent bodies, consti- tute an exceptionally efficient deliberative assembly. Among them are to be found the permanent ofificers of the county unions, some of the most experienced of the check weigh-m en and the influential leaders of opinion in the mining villages. The official element, as might be expected, plays a prominent part in suggesting, drafting, and amending the actual pro- posals, but the unofficial members frequently intervene with effect in the business-like debates. The public and the press are excluded, but the conference usually directs a brief and guarded statement of the conclusions arrived at to be supplied to the newspapers, and a full report of the proceedings—sometimes extending to over a hundred printed pages—is subsequently issued to the lodges. The subjects dealt with include the whole range of industrial and political policy, from the technical grievance of a particular district up to the ' " nationalisation of mines." ^ The actual carrying out of the
Imperative Mandate, in the circular summoning the important conference oi July 1893 : "Delegates must be appointed to attend Conference with full power to deal with the wages question. "
1 Thus the agenda for the Annual Conference in 1894 comprised, besides formal business, certain revisions of rules and the executive committee's report, the Eight Hours Bill, the stacking of coal, the making of Saturday a regular whole holiday, the establishment of a public department to prevent unscrupulous competition in trade, the amendment of the Mines Regulation and Employers'
Representative Institutions 45
policy determined on b y the conference is left unreserved ly '■• to the executive committee, but the conference expects to be called together whenever any new departure in policy iss required. In times of stress the executive committee shows its real dependence on the popular assembly by calling it together every few weeks.^ And the success with which the. Miners' Federation wields its great industrial and political power over an area extending from Fife to So merset and a
Liability Acts, international relations with foreign miners' organisations and the nationalisation of mines. It may here be observed that the representatives at the Federal Conference have votes in