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Primitive Methodist Society Chapter 14

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This chapter begins in the year that five working-class MPs closely associated with the Primitive Methodist Connexion entered the House of Commons. It ends prior to the South African War: a test of Primitive Methodism’s commitment to peace.

It will demonstrate that the Church and its members engaged increasingly in political activity, primarily through a commitment to the Liberal Party. Their support for trade unions and the prominence they gave to the Land Question was notable, a reflection of the interests of their core membership: commonly miners and agricultural labourers residing in industrial villages and the countryside. Their allegiance to the Liberal Party began to fracture during the Home Rule debate and consequential to some …show more content…

The miners had refused to accept significant wage reductions and the owners had locked them out. The newspaper described the lockout as ‘The Coal War’ and the dispute dominated its pages for several months. Letters from Primitive Methodist ministers described the dire straits of those affected by the dispute and asked for donations of clothes and money to assist those on strike. Huge numbers of Primitive donors responded. However, in addition to alleviating distress, at least one minister took an active part in demonstrations in favour of the miners, marching under his chapel banner. Another chaired meetings in support of the miners and expressed ‘his indignation at the conduct of the Masters’ Federation’. Although one anonymous correspondent to Primitive Methodist, while supporting the justice of the miners’ case, blamed them for not accepting arbitration, the editorials and all other correspondence were firmly behind the miners. One editorial blamed the coalowners for seeking such a large reduction in wages, describing their actions as ‘positive greed’ and ‘a wrong-headed policy on their part’. He continued by affirming the Connexion’s sympathy with ‘the miners, and with other classes of toilers in this country’. The miners deserved to be ‘well-paid’. The Government eventually interceded to end the dispute; an intervention warmly welcomed by the paper, which hoped for the creation of Boards of Conciliation on which both employers and employees would be equally

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