From Crow-Scaring to Westminster: An AutobiographyEdwards, George, Sir
History
From Crow-Scaring to Westminster: An Autobiography
Edwards, George, Sir
George Edwards, 1850-1933
of the clause of the Corn Production Act being strengthened so that
the farmer could pay the wage which might be fixed from time to
time. He did not suppose he should live to see it, but he wanted
the land nationalized. (Cheers.) He, however, wanted to see the
antiquated land laws repealed. Mr. Edwards also touched upon the
housing question, and remarked that if Governments could find money
for war they could find money for houses. Proper medical attention
must be put within the reach of the poorest, and the National
Insurance Act must be radically altered, and there should be State
paid medical attendants. (Hear, hear.) He also advocated better
wages for teachers, who were the greatest moulders of character in
the country.
The campaign commenced in all earnestness. Meetings were arranged
throughout the constituency, but at this time no other candidate was in
the field. Mr. Soames, the Liberal Member for the old South Norfolk
Division, had informed the Liberal Party that he did not intend to seek
re-election, and it appeared for some days that I was not going to have
an opponent at all. But in due course the two political parties combined
to find an opponent in the person of the Hon. W. H. Cozens-Hardy, son of
the late Lord Cozens-Hardy, and a most honourable opponent he was. It
soon became evident that, while the fight would be fierce, it would be
fought on clean and honourable lines. We both decided that we would
fight on principles alone, and that we ourselves would not indulge in
personalities, nor would we allow any of our supporters to do so. This
we both carried out to the very letter. On one occasion we occupied the
same pitch. I spoke for ten minutes first and he spoke for the next ten
minutes, which was the allotted time of the meeting, it being held at
the factory gates at the dinner hour. This spirit was manifest right
through the contest. On the nomination day we both met in the Returning
Officer's room and had a very friendly chat and arranged if possible to
lunch together on the day of the poll at Diss. This arrangement,
however, I was unable to carry out, as my motor failed me on my way and
made me late. There is one peculiar feature about this contest. My
opponent was the eldest son of the man, Mr. Herbert Cozens-Hardy, for
whom I had worked so strenuously in 1885 as a Liberal and whom I had
helped to win. For doing so I had lost my situation, been turned out of
my house and, as stated before, had been compelled to travel twelve
miles a day to work as an agricultural labourer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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