From Crow-Scaring to Westminster: An AutobiographyEdwards, George, Sir
History
From Crow-Scaring to Westminster: An Autobiography
Edwards, George, Sir
George Edwards, 1850-1933
I obtained work for the season's brickmaking with Mr. Emery at Stibbard.
Strange to relate, before my notice expired to leave the cottage, my
landlord and late employer died. He had not been dead more than a month
before his brother, Mr. Herbert Cook, who was heir to the estate, called
at my house in my absence and informed my wife that he should carry out
his brother's notice. Now came the difficulty of getting another house,
and it looked for some time as if I should go homeless. I first hired a
cottage at Colby on the Gunton estate, but before I could move into it
it was let with the farm, and of course, being an agitator, I could not
have it. Thus within a few weeks of October 11th I had no prospect of a
home. It was then that a friend came along in the person of Mr. Horace
Car, who lived at Wickmere. He had hired a little farm in another
village and did not want his cottage at Wickmere and sub-let it to me.
The election of 1885 was doomed not to stand long. Mr. Gladstone
introduced his Irish Home Rule Bill, which caused a terrible split in
the ranks of the Liberal Party, and in July 1886 the Government was
defeated and a General Election took place. Mr. Cozens-Hardy again came
forward. This time his opponent was Mr. Ailwyn Fellowes, now Lord Ailwyn
of Honingham, a gentleman whom I hold in the highest esteem and who has
done me the honour of writing a foreword to this book. Mr. Arch was this
time fought by Lord Henry Bentinck, who defeated him by twenty votes. At
this election I was brought a great deal into Mr. Arch's company whilst
working in his division. I attended several of his meetings and spoke
for him. I remember being with him at one meeting during the election
when we spoke from a wagon standing close to a pond. During the
proceedings a young farmer rode into the company and endeavoured to
strike at Arch with his whip-stalk. No sooner did he do this than he was
unhorsed and ducked in the pond, greatly to his discomfort. This, I
should think, he never forgot.
Mr. Arch and I were destined in after years to work together in one
common cause, although, unfortunately, we were to belong to two
different Unions. Most of the meetings I attended in this election were
in my division and, smarting under the gross injustice that had been
meted out to me, I spoke out very strongly. My victimization had created
a bitter feeling in the division, and some very exciting scenes occurred
during the election. At one of these meetings, after being interrupted
by one or two of the most ignorant Tory farmers, I prophesied that after
the election the Tory political victimisers would be politically dead
and on their political tombstone would be written the following
epitaph:--
HERE LAY THE PARTY THAT NEVER DID ANY GOOD
AND, IF THEY HAD LIVED, THEY NEVER WOULD.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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