The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, MARCH 25, 1912. THE CAUCUS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 75, 25 March 1912, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER . MONDAY, MARCH 25, 1912. THE CAUCUS.

Public interest bus been centred quit: a lot lately on the doings of the Lib oral caucus, and it is therefore some what appropriate to recall, the “Lyt tolton Times” tells us, that the ori gin of the term “caucus” as appliec to political gatherings has never beer precisely ascertained, and goes on Lx say: The word comes from America of course, but the Americans theur selves give various accounts of its derivation. Whether the. original caucus was an Indian assembly or a meeting of caulkers in the Boston dockyards does not greatly concern us now, and it ma'y be loft to the philologists to argue the question, What is certain, however, .is that the first caucuses, both in America and in England, were meetings outside of Parliament, and were designed to influence the Legislature, not to decide on its internal management. Doubtless the meetings of the central committees were secret, but once a course of action was decided on, publicity became essential to the success of any agitation that was taken in hand. The first caucuses of which we have definite record were them eetings of the Caucus or Caucus Clubs in Boston, half a century before the date of the Revolution. The initial organisation of the kind included many of the most prominent men in Boston, and its practice was to decide, before an election was due, what men should be nominated for offices in the city. The influcnco of the members, working in concert in their private circles, became so pronounced and so well recognised that the caucus used to issue public appeals to the electorate, much as a oilmens’ association nowadays advertises its “ticket.” The success of the Boston method was so marked that similar organisations were formed all over the American colonies, and those committees became particularly active during the agitation against the British Government. It was natural that the system should be continued after the Revolution. The name was then applied by analogy to meetings of the Federalist members of Congress about the year 1800, but it docs not seem to have been generally used in this connection until tb.e Congressional caucus, going outside its recognised scope, interfered in the presidential elections. This particular action roused so much criticism that for the time the other significance of the word was forgotten, and the only caucus the Americans know was the secret meeting of the j Federalist members which threatened i to usurp the rights of the people and ! the functions of Congress itself. The essential features of the caucus in all its forms were that its meetings wore secret and that the decisions of the

majority wore regarded as being binding on all the members. it is in this sense that the word is properly used. Curiously enough, it >vas in the original rather than in

the secondary sense that the word was applied in England. The famous Birmingham caucus was an ex-tra-parliamentary organisation, created by Mr Schnadhorst and Mr Chamberlain primarily for the purpose of controlling the local elections. Its dm was to secure unanimity on the part of the Liberals and to direct the voting. Birmingham was fortunate in possessing men of marked ability and patriotism, and it was probably to the leaders rather than to the system that the success of the organisation was due. The system, however, was imitated all over the country, and the “Birmingham plan” was soon recognised to be a dominant factor in general politics. Then in a bitterly sarcastic attack on his opponents Disraeli flung at tbo new organisation the American nickname of “Caucus,” which had long been associated only with intrigues, wirepulling and political corruption. The name stuck, and after a period of resentment the Birmingham leaders accepted it as a title of distinction and honour. The word has almost lost ; ts special meaning now, however, and in terming the present meeting, of the Liberal Party in New Zealand a “caucus” we are following popular usage and incidentally giving sanction to popular inaccuracy.