ENGLISH POLITICAL ACTION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 117, 19 May 1914, Page 10

ENGLISH POLITICAL ACTION

"NURSING" A CONSTITUENCY. A political libel action, in which Major W. A. Adam, formerly Unionist member for Woolwich, sued Mr. W. Hayes Fisher, Unionist' member for Fulham, threw some light on the large amount of money required to nurse a constituency and to fight an election (writes a London correspondent). Major Adam's complaint against Mr. Hayes Fisher was that the latter, who had been connected with the central office of the Conservative Association, wrote" to two newspapers in the Woolwich electorate, . stating in reply to a letter which had appeared from Major Adam, that certain information which had been conveyed to him (Mr. Hayes Fisher) led him to believe that it was improbable that Major Adam could regain at next election the Woolwich seat, which is now held by Mr. Will Crooks, the Labour member. According to Major Adam's evidence, a number of rumours of a damaging nature have been in circulation about him in the Woolwich electorate, and he regarded the letter of Mr. Hayes Fisher as equivalent to an endorsement of these rumours. But the admissions made by Major Adam in cross-examination were damaging enough to prevent the possibility of his being accepted ac a party candidate at any future election. For the election, of January, 1910, when he won the seat, the central office of the Conservative Association contributed £700 towards his election expenses, and the Woolwich branch of the Conservative Association also raised money for the same object. When another general election was pending in, December, 1910, Major' Adam wrote to 'the central office, asking for £1000 to meet election expenses incurredtfduring the year.. He stated that if he' did not get the amount he would be unable to stand for the seat. There was not sufficient time to enable the central office to get a candidate to replace him, and the central office- decided to give him the £1000. With this sum from the central office, and the money raised by the local branch of the Conservative Association at Woolwich, there was & balance of £462 after the election was over, and Major Adam, according to his own evidence, kept thie substantial sum. He stated in cross-examination' that he intended to use the money for the expenses of the next election. After his damaging cross-examination Major Adam withdrew the case against Mr. Hayes Fjsher. Although the Woolwich constituency is not regarded as an expensive one. the central Conservative Association spent £2578 in it m, six years. In addition a considerable amount, the total of which was not disclosed in Court, was raised and spent by the Woolwich branch of the association. Tho Unionist who held the seat previous fo Major Adam had contributed £500 a year to the funds of the Woolwich branch.