The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-11-08 00:00:00

COUNTRY CONSERVATIVE DINNERS.

Coder the title of "Country Conaervative Dinners " a
country cone- pendent contributues an interesting article
to the Deily New, in which I. ohown the decline of these
once mainificent " feeds." Nothing was more striking
in the last general election than the numerous proofs of
the weakening of the Coneervative hold on our counties.
Perhaps even more remarkable prods of the same fact are
to be found in the Conservetive dinners wlech are being
held in the agricultural district's at this season. Twenty
or thirty years ago • county Conservative dinner was an
event of importance and brought t egetber a very con.
siderablegatheriog. Tremendous dinners were congealed,
and at the subsequent proceedings the Liberals, of whom
the farmers, good souls, knew but little beyond what
they were told by their members of Parliament and their
squires, were denounced with comfortable unanimity al
rogues bent upon ruining agriculture and determined
generally to undermine the Constitution. Daring the
last few years, however, • great change has cam, over
these dinners. They still continue to be held annually,
and they are still the occasion. for abuse being heaped
upon political opponents, but they are now, comparatively
speaking, very thinly attended, and there is in them a
lack of that fervour which comes from deep and unshaken
conviction. The attendance has fallen off fully one-
half, and the majority of those who still make it • rule
lobe present are either landlords or farmers whose chief
pride is that they have not m'esed one of the dinners in
their perticular district for EA years or more, and who
have a firm b-lief that it is *Weeds?. for a
Liberal Government to do any good. There is • marked
Owen°e of the active farmers of the present generation.
These mee, of retiree, have not IWO' over Ins holy to the
Liberals, but their ardour in the Conservivi es cause hes,
to • very considerable exteet, been diminished by the
occurrences of the last two or three !eye, and, although
they may still call themselves Conservatives, end vote
accordingly, they ill so with an uncertain mind, end pert] y
because thee are reluctant to break down the traditions
ot their families. However much the Hares and lisbbite
Rill and the abolition of the malt tax may be ridiculed,
they—certainly the more intelligent amongst them—ere
able C. perceive that the measures are useful ones, and that,
at all eventa, they are proofs of the desire of the 0 overn-
meet to benefit the tenant farmers. Landlords, with their
friends and the neighbouring c'ergy, attend the dinner',
as might be expected in quite as strong form as they have
done at any time, and they are 'imported toy the member
of fesreamenr, Or the members of Parliament, as the rAle
may he, for the division. One of the latellords acts as
chairman, mei care is taken to retain the affection of the
most influential farmer present lay putting him into that
responaible position of vice-obeirtnan. The members of
l'arliamear, of course, sit on the right and left of the
chairman, and the other lando +nem anxioat that they
should not be coinpallod to herd with tbe men of the
Plough and horeaw, collect together, so as In form • select
company at the heel of the table. This gravitation
towards the chairman seems to affect even the meanest of
the company, and the result is that the unfortunate vice-
chairman is sometimes in speaking distance of only the
shoemaker of the village and the farmer of, perhaps,
60 sass. Among the honoured guests are the old gentle-
men who look upon the dinners as being indispensable to
the welfare and happiness of the kingdom, and who,
having some years ago became attached to the organ of
their perty, have not yet heard of the complaint+ in
reference to it, and regard it as the very model of what •
Conservative newspaper should be. SOOl.l who had for
year, been amongst the most devoted adherents of the
clubs in conneci ion with which the dinners are held are
missing, however, and the mormur, which arise whoa
their names are mentioned explain sufficiently well that
they have gone over to the ever-increaiing Liberal
majority. Thete are numerous instances in which
farmers, who were once strong Contervetiees,
have not only entered the ranks of the leaders
of the Farm. re Alliance, but have also become uncom-
proiniaine Radical.. Hr aselstone is naturally the chief
hut of the eloquence awl wit at these dinners, and the
most marvellous circuoustence in regard to this marvellous
man is that he contrives to bear no under the weight of
all this heavy criticism. The criticism, too, is of such a
high order! and to all appearances the ibtellettnal land-
lords who attack the Prime Minister are as courteous and
refined as they are grammatical. Anything said in depre-
ciation of the Prime Minister is applauded heartily enough;
but the farmers inoonsoitantly refrain from Helps any
signs of approbation when the Hares and Rabbits Bill is
termed an unnecessary measure and the abolition of the
Malt Tax is described as a method of taking money
from one pocket butted of another. Even these
, Tories amongst the Tory farmers are able to se*
in spite frequently of the misreprelentetion by their
member., that there may aft•r all be some good in these
measures, and wish to give them oi triad, being convinced,
however, that no thanks are due f r them to the terrible
Prime Minister, but rather, in some uoexplained w.y, to
the Coneervattyse who heal always ie.ed as, and therefore
must be, tee fermata' friends. Cheers are loud enough
when the Liberal forego and domeatic ia con-
demned, and especially this is the case when the speakers
refer to Ireland, the agriculturists bevies no sympathy
with the agriculturists in the sister island, who for so
long had justice refused to them. Tbe speeches at these
gatherings are varied with songs—the songs which have
been sung at the same mewings year after year; but
occasionally • young man is inveigled to the dinner by
meens of &deep and grellinatuteed plot, and be is requested
to "oblige the compaly," an appeal to which he invariably
responds with "Over the ear ten wall," or some equally
choice selection. This young man, when hie presenee can
he otealned, is petted almost as much as the Conservative
working man IS In • borough.

The Channel Squadron are returning to Ireland, not
because of agb.-avated disturbances in that unhappy
countiy, but bemuse they have had a sufficiently long
manwuvring cruisv in the Mediterranean. Vice.
Admiral Hood's fleet will remain only • short time in
Bantry Bay; but it is said, without apparent
authority, that they will not proceed direct from there
to the English ports, although, apart from accidents,
the officer, and men may expect to spend Christmas at
home—a privilege for which they will be devoutly
thankful.

The misleader of the Irish mob take great delight
In inventing nicknames for their opponents. Thus
Mr. Forster is called 'Buckshot," became he is
supposed to have recommended the use of that par-
ticular kind of charge against the enemies of law and
seder. It would be easy to retaliate with names bred
on the same principle.; and, fnr my part, I would
manor be called " Buck.hot Forster Of " Judas
Gladstone " than "Crop-the-ears Healy" or "Hough.
donkey O'Donnell"