A period of crisis--Conditions in the House of Commons--Conservative paralysis--The new champion--Power and popularity of Lord Randolph Churchill--The Tory Democrat--A ‘Trilogy’ at Edinburgh--The Blackpool speech--The Birmingham candidature--‘Peace, Retrenchment and Reform’--Tory democracy and Fair Trade--Tory democracy and the Constitution--The Church of England--The main achievement.....268 CHAPTER VII 1883-1884 THE PARTY MACHINE A daring enterprise--The Fourth Party: final phase--The National Union and the Central Committee--The conference at Birmingham--The proceedings of the new council--Dispute with Lord Salisbury--Lord Randolph elected chairman--The ‘charter’ letter--‘Notice to quit’--A declaration of war--Close fighting--Lord Randolph resigns--Satisfaction in the House of Commons--Dismay in the Conservative party--Intervention of the provincial leaders--Lord Randolph reinstated--Progress of the conflict.....302 CHAPTER VIII 1884 THE REFORM BILL Embarrassments of the Ministry--‘Too late!’--The advent of the Reform Bill--Divisions in the Conservative party--Lord Randolph and reform--The ‘mud cabin’ argument--Power of Lord Randolph Churchill in the House of Commons--The second vote of censure--The Reform Bill in the Lords--Conflict between the two Houses--The conference of the National Union at Sheffield--Lord Randolph’s victory--Agreement with Lord Salisbury--The autumn campaign--Aston riots--The Aston debate--Correspondence with Chamberlain--Differences with Gorst--An Indian voyage.....332 CHAPTER IX 1885 THE FALL OF THE GOVERNMENT 1885-1785: a comparison--Increasing weakness and perplexities of the Ministry--Lord Randolph returns--His authority over the Conservative party--Penjdeh and the Vote of Credit--Correspondence with Lord Salisbury--Lord Randolph’s attacks upon Mr. Gladstone and Lord Granville--The Crimes Act--A mortal blow--Strange constitutional situation--Relations with the Irish party--Defeat of the Government--A threefold crisis--Formation of Lord Salisbury’s First Administration--Lord Randolph refuses to join--The _Interregnum_--Lord Randolph’s own account of these transactions--Appeals of various kinds--At the Inns of Court--A Parliamentary incident--Sir Stafford retires--Euthanasia of the Fourth party--_Moriturus te saluto_.....375 CHAPTER X 1885 THE ‘MINISTRY OF CARETAKERS’