88-470: Rexton may refer to: Rexton, New Brunswick , Canada KGM Rexton , a sport utility vehicle manufactured by KG Mobility A hearing aid brand manufactured by WS Audiology See also [ edit ] Port Rexton Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Rexton . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
176-532: A "Truce of God" to discuss the Lords. The meetings were kept almost entirely secret: apart from the party representatives, the only people aware were F. E. Smith , J. L. Garvin , Edward Carson and Law. The group met about twenty times at Buckingham Palace between June and November 1910, with the Unionists represented by Arthur Balfour , Lord Cawdor , Lord Lansdowne and Austen Chamberlain . The proposal presented at
264-550: A "self-improver"; despite his lack of formal university education, Law sought to test his intellect, attending lectures given at Glasgow University and joining the Glasgow Parliamentary Debating Association, which adhered as closely as possible to the layout of the real Parliament of the United Kingdom . This helped Law hone the skills that served him so well in the political arena. By the time he
352-443: A board on the train between Helensburgh and Glasgow, challenging other commuters to matches. He eventually became a very good amateur player, and competed with internationally renowned chess masters. Despite his good academic record, it became obvious at Glasgow that he was better suited to business than to university, and when he was sixteen, Law left school to become a clerk at Kidston & Sons. At Kidston & Sons, Law received
440-559: A disputed seat. They considered Law a prime candidate, and after debating it for a month he guardedly agreed, enthusiastic about the idea but worried about the effect of a defeat on the Party. Law was selected as the candidate for Manchester North West , and became drawn into party debates about how strong a tariff reform policy should be put in their manifesto. Law personally felt that duties on foodstuffs should be excluded, something agreed to by Alexander Acland-Hood , Edward Carson and others at
528-527: A former Conservative who had joined the Liberal party because of his disagreement with tariff reform. In the end, Law narrowly lost, with 5,114 votes to Kemp's 5,559, but the election turned him into a "genuine [Conservative] hero", and he later said that the defeat did "more for him in the party than a hundred victories". In 1911, with the Conservative Party unable to afford him being out of Parliament, Law
616-583: A front-rank politician; he was made a junior minister, Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade , in 1902. Law joined the Shadow Cabinet in opposition after the 1906 general election . In 1911, he was appointed a Privy Councillor , before standing for the vacant party leadership. Despite never having served in the Cabinet and despite trailing third after Walter Long and Austen Chamberlain , Law became leader when
704-489: A good idea to scrap tariff reform altogether. Law disagreed, successfully arguing that tariff reform "was the first constructive work of the [Conservative Party]" and that to scrap it would "split the Party from top to bottom". With this success, Law returned to the constitutional crisis surrounding the House of Lords. The death of King Edward VII on 6 May 1910 prompted the leaders of the major political parties to meet secretly in
792-431: A land area of 6.29 km (2.43 sq mi), it had a population density of 139.0/km (359.9/sq mi) in 2021. Population trend Religious make-up (2001) Income (2006) Mother tongue language (2011) Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law ( / ˈ b ɒ n ər ˈ l ɔː / BONN -ər ; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who
880-540: A meeting of the Constitutional Club on 8 November 1910, but they failed to reach a consensus and the idea of including or excluding food duties continued to be something that divided the party. During the constitutional talks the Conservatives had demanded that, if the Lords' veto were removed, Irish Home Rule should only be permitted if approved by a UK-wide referendum. In response Lord Crewe , Liberal Leader in
968-494: A meeting on 9 November to discuss the possibility of a deadlock. Chamberlain suggested that he would withdraw if this became a strong possibility, assuming Long did the same. Long, now concerned that his weak health would not allow him to survive the stress of party leadership, agreed. Both withdrew on 10 November, and on 13 November 232 MPs assembled at the Carlton Club , and Law was nominated as leader by Long and Chamberlain. With
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#17328546206731056-473: A motion reversing the previous vote. As the MPs filed out at the end of the day, Winston Churchill began taunting the opposition, and in his anger Ronald McNeil hurled a copy of Standing Orders of the House at Churchill, hitting him on the head. Law refused to condemn the events, and it seems apparent that while he had played no part in organising them, they had been planned by the party whips. As party leader, he
1144-544: A nominal salary, on the understanding that he would gain a "commercial education" from working there that would serve him well as a businessman. In 1885 the Kidston brothers decided to retire, and agreed to merge the firm with the Clydesdale Bank . The merger would have left Law without a job and with poor career-prospects, but the retiring brothers found him a job with William Jacks , an iron merchant who had started pursuing
1232-528: A parliamentary career. The Kidston brothers lent Law the money to buy a partnership in Jacks' firm, and with Jacks himself no longer playing an active part in the company, Law effectively became the managing partner. Working long hours (and insisting that his employees did likewise), Law turned the firm into one of the most profitable iron merchants in the Glaswegian and Scottish markets. During this period Law became
1320-632: A statement about the necessity of Imperial tariff reform, promising reciprocal agreements and saying that failure by London to agree tariff reform would result in an "irresistible pressure" for Canada to make a treaty with another nation, most obviously the United States. Law decided that the November party conference was the perfect time to announce the withdrawal of the Referendum Pledge, and that Lord Lansdowne should do it, because he had been leader in
1408-604: A time to the Australian war correspondent Keith Murdoch ) and Catherine married, firstly, Kent Colwell and, much later, in 1961, The 1st Baron Archibald . In 1897, Law was asked to become the Conservative Party candidate for the parliamentary seat of Glasgow Bridgeton . Soon after he was offered another seat, this one in Glasgow Blackfriars and Hutchesontown , which he took instead of Glasgow Bridgeton. Blackfriars
1496-443: A visit by Arthur Balfour , Law lost his seat in the ensuing general election . In total the Conservative Party and Liberal Unionists lost 245 seats, leaving them with only 157 members of parliament, the majority of them tariff reformers. Despite his loss, Law was at this stage such an asset to the Conservatives that an immediate effort was made to get him back into Parliament. The retirement of Frederick Rutherfoord Harris , MP for
1584-519: Is here that he was first noted for his excellent memory. After Eliza Law died in 1861, her sister Janet travelled to New Brunswick from her home in Scotland to look after the Law children. When James Law remarried in 1870, his new wife took over Janet's duties, and Janet decided to return home to Scotland. She suggested that Bonar Law should go with her, as the Kidston family were wealthier and better connected than
1672-614: The Conservative Party and its coalition ally the Liberal Unionist Party into two wings – the Free Fooders , who supported free trade , and the Tariff Reformers, who supported Chamberlain's tariff reforms. Law was a dedicated Tariff Reformer, but whereas Chamberlain dreamed of a new golden age for Britain, Law focused on more mundane and practical goals, such as a reduction in unemployment. L. S. Amery said that to Law,
1760-642: The December 1910 electoral defeat issued an ultimatum demanding a review of party structure. The defeat on the House of Lords issue turned a wing of the Conservative Party led by Henry Page Croft and his Reveille Movement , against Balfour. Leo Maxse began a Balfour Must Go campaign in his newspaper, the National Review , and by July 1911 Balfour was contemplating resignation. Law himself had no problem with Balfour's leadership, and along with Edward Carson attempted to regain support for him. By November 1911 it
1848-648: The King's Own Scottish Borderers , was killed at the Second Battle of Gaza in April 1917. His eldest son, James, a captain in the Royal Fusiliers , was shot down and killed on 21 September 1917. The deaths made Law even more melancholy and depressed than before. The youngest son, Richard, later served as a Conservative MP and minister. Isabel married Sir Frederick Sykes (in the early years of World War I, she had been engaged for
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#17328546206731936-657: The Royal Albert Hall on 26 January 1912 he listed his three biggest concerns: an attack on the Liberal government for failing to submit Home Rule to a referendum; tariff reform ; and the Conservative refusal to let the Ulster Unionists be "trampled upon" by an unfair Home Rule bill. Both tariff reform and Ulster dominated his political work, with Austen Chamberlain saying that Law "once said to me that he cared intensely for only two things: Tariff Reform and Ulster; all
2024-570: The "Referendum Pledge". The suggestion was no more Law's than it was any of the dozens of Conservatives who had suggested this to Balfour, and his comment was simply an attempt to "pass the buck" and avoid the anger of Austen Chamberlain , who was furious that such an announcement had been made without consulting him or the party. While Law had written a letter to Balfour suggesting that a referendum would attract wealthy Conservatives, he said that "declaration would do no good with [the working class] and might damp enthusiasm of best workers". Parliament
2112-529: The British political world, and continued even after Salisbury retired and was replaced as prime minister by his nephew, Arthur Balfour . Law took advantage of this, making his first major speech on 22 April 1902, in which he argued that while he felt a general tariff was unnecessary, an imperial customs union (which would put tariffs on items from outside the British Empire, instead of on every nation but Britain)
2200-505: The Commons in three sessions of Parliament. This was immediately opposed by the Unionists, and both parties spent the next several months in a running battle over the bill. The Conservatives were led by Arthur Balfour and Lord Lansdowne , who headed the Conservatives in the House of Lords, while Law spent the time concentrating on the continuing problem of tariff reform. The lack of progress had convinced some senior Unionists that it would be
2288-423: The Conservative Party down the middle, offending the tariff reform faction, and that if such a split took place "I could not possibly continue as leader". Law postponed withdrawing the tariff reform "Referendum Pledge" because of the visit of Robert Borden , the newly elected Conservative prime minister of Canada , to London planned for July 1912. Meeting with Borden on his arrival, Law got him to agree to make
2376-658: The Conservative Party if they dropped food duties from their tariff reform plan, it would open them to accusations of bad faith and " poltroonery ". Law endorsed Lansdowne's argument, pointing out that any attempt to avoid food duties would cause an internal party struggle and could only aid the Liberals, and that Canada, the most economically important colony and a major exporter of foodstuffs, would never agree to tariffs without British support of food duties. Lord Salisbury , who opposed food duties, wrote to Law several weeks later suggesting they separate foodstuffs from tariff reform for
2464-454: The Conservative Party. Balfour had become increasingly unpopular as Leader of the Conservative Party since the 1906 general election; tariff reformers saw his leadership as the reason for their electoral losses, and the "free fooders" had been alienated by Balfour's attempts to tame the zeal of the tariff reform faction. Balfour refused all suggestions of party reorganisation, until a meeting of senior Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury after
2552-629: The Conservatives, he wrote a letter to the press giving only lukewarm support to the Government's actions over Chanak . After Conservative MPs voted to end the Coalition , he again became party leader and, this time, prime minister. Bonar Law won a clear majority at the 1922 general election , and his brief premiership saw negotiation with the United States over Britain's war loans. Seriously ill with throat cancer, Law resigned in May 1923, and died later that year. He
2640-465: The Exchequer and enthusiasm for tariff reform was not as skilled a speaker as Law. As a result, Law joined Balfour's Shadow Cabinet as the principal spokesman for tariff reform. The death of Law's wife on 31 October 1909 led him to work even harder, treating his political career not only as a job but as a coping strategy for his loneliness. Campbell-Bannerman resigned as prime minister in April 1908 and
2728-463: The House of Lords when the pledge was made and because of his relatively low profile during the original tariff reform dispute. When the conference opened the British political world was febrile; on 12 November the opposition had narrowly defeated the government on an amendment to the Home Rule Bill, and the next evening, amidst hysterical shouting from the opposition, Asquith attempted to introduce
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2816-407: The Kidston household and set up his own home at Seabank, with his sister Mary (who had earlier come over from Canada) acting as the housekeeper. In 1890, Law met Annie Pitcairn Robley, the 24-year-old daughter of a Glaswegian merchant, Harrington Robley. They quickly fell in love, and married on 24 March 1891. Little is known of Law's wife, as most of her letters have been lost. It is known that she
2904-461: The Lancashire party, the centre of discontent, on 21 December. Law was preoccupied with the problem of Irish Home Rule and was unable to give the discontent his full attention. He continued to believe that his approach to the problem of tariff reform was the correct one, and wrote to John Strachey on 16 November saying that "it was a case of a choice of two evils, and all that one could do was to take
2992-537: The Laws, and Bonar would have a more privileged upbringing. Both James and Bonar accepted this, Bonar's father then accompanied him on his move to his aunt's. Bonar would never return to Kingston. Law went to live at Janet's house in Helensburgh , near Glasgow . Her brothers Charles, Richard and William were partners in the family merchant bank Kidston & Sons , and as only one of them had married (and produced no heir) it
3080-586: The Liberal Party. In August 1911 enough Unionist peers abstained or voted in favour of the Liberal bill for it to pass as the Parliament Act 1911 , ending that particular dispute. On the coronation of George V on 22 June 1911, Law was appointed as a Privy Councillor on the recommendation of the Prime Minister H. H. Asquith and Arthur Balfour . This was evidence of his seniority and importance within
3168-444: The Lords, had suggested sarcastically that tariff reform – a policy of questionable popularity because of the likelihood of increased prices on imported food – should also be submitted to a referendum. Arthur Balfour now announced to a crowd of 10,000 at the Royal Albert Hall that after the coming election, a Conservative Government would indeed submit tariff reform to a referendum, something he described as "Bonar Law's proposal" or
3256-402: The Unionists took office they would "do so with a free hand to deal with tariffs as they saw fit". Law then rose to speak, and in line with his agreement to let Lansdowne speak for tariff reform mentioned it only briefly when he said "I concur in every word which has fallen from Lord Lansdowne". He instead promised a reversal of several Liberal policies when the Unionists came to power, including
3344-432: The bill on 30 April, setting off a constitutional crisis. The Liberals called a general election for January 1910 , and Law spent most of the preceding months campaigning up and down the country for other Unionist candidates and MPs, sure that his Dulwich seat was safe. He obtained an increased majority of 2,418. The overall result was more confused: the Conservatives gained 116 seats, bringing their total to 273, but this
3432-460: The conference by David Lloyd George was a coalition government with members of both major parties in the Cabinet and a programme involving Home Rule , Poor Law reforms, imperial reorganisation and possibly tariff reforms . The Home Rule proposal would have made the United Kingdom a federation, with "Home Rule All Round" for Scotland, Ireland, and England and Wales . In the end the plans fell through: Balfour told Lloyd George on 2 November that
3520-543: The costs of the Second Boer War , Lord Salisbury 's Chancellor of the Exchequer ( Michael Hicks Beach ) suggested introducing import taxes or tariffs on foreign metal, flour and grain coming into Britain. Such tariffs had previously existed in Britain, but the last of these had been abolished in the 1870s because of the free trade movement. A duty was now introduced on imported corn. The issue became "explosive", dividing
3608-434: The day before Balfour resigned on 7 November. At the beginning of the election Law held the support of no more than 40 of the 270 members of parliament; the remaining 230 were divided between Long and Chamberlain. Although Long believed he had the most MPs, his support was largely amongst backbenchers , and most of the whips and frontbenchers preferred Chamberlain. With Long and Chamberlain almost neck-and-neck they called
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3696-460: The disestablishment of the Welsh Church , land taxes, and Irish Home Rule. The crowd "cheered themselves hoarse" at Law's speech. However, the reaction from the party outside the conference hall was not a positive one. Law had not consulted the local constituency branches about his plan, and several important constituency leaders led by Archibald Salvidge and Lord Derby planned for a meeting of
3784-419: The divided Conservatives into a single body, with him as the leader. During his early time as Conservative leader, the party's social policy was the most complicated and difficult to agree. In his opening speech as leader he said that the party would be one of principle, and would not be reactionary, instead sticking to their guns and holding firm policies. Despite this he left women's suffrage alone, leaving
3872-561: The hammering of a skilled riveter, every blow hitting the nail on the head". Despite Law's efforts to forge consensus within the Conservatives, Balfour was unable to hold the two sides of his party together, and resigned as prime minister in December 1905, allowing the Liberals to form a government. The new prime minister, the Liberal Henry Campbell-Bannerman , immediately dissolved Parliament. Despite strong campaigning and
3960-519: The lesser of the two, and that I am sure we have done". Speaking to Edward Carson , F.E. Smith , Austen Chamberlain and Lord Balcarres in December after two weeks of receiving negative letters from party members about the change, Law outlined that he would not be averse to a return to the previous policy considering the negative feelings from the party, but felt that this would require the resignation of both himself and Lansdowne. Law again wrote to Strachey saying that he continued to feel this policy
4048-497: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rexton&oldid=1250248769 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Rexton, New Brunswick Rexton is a former village in Kent County , New Brunswick , Canada. It
4136-520: The new Chancellor of the Exchequer ( C. T. Ritchie ) had instead abolished Hicks Beach's corn duty altogether in his budget. Angered by this, Chamberlain spoke at the Birmingham Town Hall on 15 May without the government's permission, arguing for an Empire-wide system of tariffs which would protect Imperial economies, forge the British Empire into one political entity and allow them to compete with other world powers. The speech and its ideas split
4224-427: The opposition. These sections contained their previous speeches which supported and commended the policies which they now denounced. Although lasting only fifteen minutes and not a crowd- or press-pleaser (like the maiden speeches of F. E. Smith or Winston Churchill ), his speech attracted the attention of the Conservative Party leaders. Law's chance to make his mark came with the issue of tariff reform . To cover
4312-447: The party machine", selecting newer, younger and more popular whips and secretaries, elevating F. E. Smith and Lord Robert Cecil to the Shadow Cabinet and using his business acumen to reorganise the party, resulting in better relations with the press and local branches, along with the raising of a £671,000 "war chest" for the next general election: almost double that available at the previous one. On 12 February 1912, he finally unified
4400-685: The party unwhipped and saying that "the less part we take in this question the better". In terms of social reform (legislation to improve the conditions of the poor and working classes) Law was similarly unenthusiastic, believing that the area was a Liberal one, in which they could not successfully compete. His response to a request by Lord Balcarres for a social programme was simply "As the [Liberal Party] refuse to formulate their policy in advance we should be equally absolved". His refusal to get drawn in may have actually strengthened his hold over Conservative MPs, many of whom were similarly uninterested in social reform. In his first public speech as leader at
4488-457: The place in Hansard where Harcourt's speech was to be found. As a result of Law's proven experience in business matters and his skill as an economic spokesman for the government, Balfour offered him the position of Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade when he formed his government, which Law accepted, and he was formally appointed on 11 August 1902. As Parliamentary Secretary his job
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#17328546206734576-458: The proposal would not work, and the conference was dissolved a few days later. With the failure to establish a political consensus after the January 1910 general election , the Liberals called a second general election in December . The Conservative leadership decided that a good test of the popularity of the tariff reform programme would be to have a prominent tariff reformer stand for election in
4664-433: The referendum. If the electorate liked food duties, they would vote for the entire package; if not, they did not have to. Law replied arguing that it would be impossible to do so effectively, and that with the increasing costs of defence and social programmes it would be impossible to raise the necessary capital except by comprehensive tariff reform. He argued that a failure to offer the entire tariff reform package would split
4752-446: The region. The settlement was known from about 1825 as Kingston, but in 1901, the name was changed to Rexton. This was probably to avoid confusion with other Kingstons, particularly Kingston , Kings County, New Brunswick , which still carries the name. On 1 January 2023, Rexton annexed parts of five local service districts to form the new village of Five Rivers . The community's name remains in official use. Rexton (Kingston at
4840-406: The rest was only part of the game". After further review with members of his party, Law changed his initial beliefs on tariff reform and accepted the full package, including duties on foodstuffs. On 29 February 1912 the entire Conservative parliamentary body (i.e. both MPs and peers) met at Lansdowne House, with Lord Lansdowne chairing. Lansdowne argued that although the electorate might prefer
4928-493: The results came in on 4 October, Law was returned to Parliament with a majority of 1,000, overturning Provand's majority of 381. He immediately ended his active work at Jacks and Company (although he retained his directorship) and moved to London. Law initially became frustrated with the slow speed of Parliament compared to the rapid pace of the Glasgow iron market, and Austen Chamberlain recalled him saying to Chamberlain that "it
5016-542: The safe Conservative seat of Dulwich , offered him a chance. Law was returned to Parliament in the ensuing by-election , increasing the Conservative majority to 1,279. The party was struck a blow in July 1906, when two days after a celebration of his seventieth birthday, Joseph Chamberlain suffered a stroke and was forced to retire from public life. He was succeeded as leader of the tariff reformers by his son Austen Chamberlain , who despite previous experience as Chancellor of
5104-681: The size of Elsipogtog First Nation was reduced to the current boundaries. Two ships brought the majority of the settlers here from Scotland, one being the Dickies , captained by Simon Graham, and the other was the Isabella , sailed by Captain Thomas Carruthers. Fishing , lumbering and shipbuilding flourished throughout the 19th century. The first bridge over the Richibucto River was completed there in 1850, improving commerce and communications in
5192-684: The so-called "new style" of speaking, with harsh, accusatory rhetoric, which dominates British politics to this day. This was as a counter to Arthur Balfour, known for his "masterly witticisms", because the party felt they needed a warrior-like figure. Law did not particularly enjoy his tougher manner, and at the State Opening of Parliament in February 1912 apologised directly to Asquith for his coming speech, saying, "I am afraid I shall have to show myself very vicious, Mr Asquith, this session. I hope you will understand." Law's "warrior king" figure helped unify
5280-720: The status of the six counties in Ulster which would later become Northern Ireland , four of which were predominantly Protestant. Law first held Cabinet office as Secretary of State for the Colonies in H. H. Asquith 's Coalition Government (May 1915 – December 1916). Upon Asquith's fall from power he declined to form a government, instead he was Chancellor of the Exchequer in David Lloyd George 's Coalition Government. He resigned on grounds of ill health early in 1921. In October 1922, with Lloyd George's Coalition having become unpopular with
5368-644: The tariff reform programme was "a question of trade figures and not national and Imperial policy of expansion and consolidation of which trade was merely the economic factor". Keith Laybourn attributes Law's interest in tariff reform not only to the sound business practice that it represented but also that because of his place of birth "he was attracted by the Imperial tariff preference arrangements advocated by Joseph Chamberlain". Law's constituents in Blackfriars were not overly enthusiastic about tariff reform – Glasgow
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#17328546206735456-588: The time) was the birthplace of Bonar Law , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1922–1923. Until the election of Boris Johnson in 2019, who was born in New York City , Bonar Law was the only British Prime Minister to be born outside the British Isles . His name is honoured at a recently upgraded community attraction, Bonar Law Common, and also at Bonar Law Memorial High School in Rexton. His father Rev. James Law
5544-546: The two Unionist parties (Conservatives and Liberal Unionists) into the awkwardly named National Unionist Association of Conservative and Liberal-Unionist Organisations. From then on all were referred to as "Unionists" until the ratification of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1922, after which they became Conservatives again (though the name "Unionist" continued in use in Scotland and Northern Ireland). In Parliament, Law introduced
5632-531: The two front-runners withdrew rather than risk a draw splitting the party. As Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition , Law focused his attentions in favour of tariff reform and against Irish Home Rule . His campaigning helped turn Liberal attempts to pass the Third Home Rule Bill into a three-year struggle eventually halted by the start of World War I , with much argument over
5720-512: The unanimous support of the MPs, Law became Leader of the Conservative Party despite never having sat in Cabinet. Law's biographer, Robert Blake, wrote that he was an unusual choice to lead the Conservatives as a Presbyterian Canadian-Scots businessman had just become the leader of "the Party of Old England, the Party of the Anglican Church and the country squire, the party of broad acres and hereditary titles". As leader, Law first "rejuvenated
5808-479: Was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadian province). He was of Scottish and Ulster Scots descent and moved to Scotland in 1870. He left school aged sixteen to work in the iron industry, becoming a wealthy man by the age of thirty. He entered the House of Commons at the 1900 general election , relatively late in life for
5896-569: Was Thomas Powel who arrived in 1790. There was considerable colonization by English shipbuilders, Scottish merchants and Irish immigrants followed, including many Irish Protestants who arrived to work in the Jardine Shipbuilding Yards around the year 1819. They eventually cleared enough land to receive land grants following the 1820s survey by a Mr. Layton conducted around the Molus River area of nearby Weldford Parish, New Brunswick and
5984-413: Was a good idea, particularly since other nations such as (Germany) and the United States had increasingly high tariffs. Using his business experience, he made a "plausible case" that there was no proof that tariffs led to increases in the cost of living, as the Liberals had argued. Again his memory came into good use – when William Harcourt accused Law of misquoting him, Law was able to precisely give
6072-520: Was a poor area at the time that had benefited from free trade. In parliament, Law worked exceedingly hard at pushing for tariff reform, regularly speaking in the House of Commons and defeating legendary debaters such as Winston Churchill , Charles Dilke and H. H. Asquith , former home secretary and later prime minister. His speeches at the time were known for their clarity and common sense; Sir Ian Malcolm said that he made "the involved seem intelligible", and L. S. Amery said his arguments were "like
6160-611: Was a village in its own right until the end of 2022 and is now part of the village of Five Rivers . Situated on the Richibucto River , the village was originally inhabited by Mi'kmaq First Nations , many of whose descendants still reside in the nearby Elsipogtog First Nation , formerly referred to as the Big Cove Band. Acadian settlers colonized the general area in the 18th century, in places such as Bouctouche, Miramichi and Richibucto Village. The first English-speaking settler
6248-492: Was accepted that Balfour was likely to resign, with the main competitors for the leadership being Law, Carson, Walter Long and Austen Chamberlain . When the elections began, Long and Chamberlain were the frontrunners; Chamberlain commanded the support of many tariff reformers, and Long that of the Irish Unionists. Carson immediately announced that he would not stand, and Law eventually announced that he would run for Leader,
6336-544: Was dissolved on 28 November, with the election to take place and polling to end by 19 December. The Conservative and Liberal parties were equal in strength, and with the continued support of the Irish Nationalists the Liberal Party remained in government. Law called his campaign in Manchester North West the hardest of his career; his opponent, George Kemp, was a war hero who had fought in the Second Boer War and
6424-464: Was elected in a March 1911 by-election for the safe Conservative seat of Bootle . The Liberal attempt to curb the veto power of the House of Lords was now backed by a threat, if necessary, to create hundreds of Liberal peers. Law favoured surrender on pragmatic grounds, as a Unionist-dominated House of Lords would retain some ability to delay Liberal attempts to introduce Irish Home Rule, Welsh Disestablishment or electoral reforms gerrymandered to help
6512-639: Was generally accepted that Law would inherit the firm, or at least play a role in its management when he was older. Immediately upon arriving from Kingston, Law began attending Gilbertfield House School , a preparatory school in Hamilton . In 1873, aged fourteen, he transferred to the High School of Glasgow , where with his good memory he showed a talent for languages, excelling in Greek, German and French. During this period, he first began to play chess – he would carry
6600-408: Was most likely aware of the plans even if he did not actively participate. The conference was opened on 14 November 1912 by Lord Farquhar , who immediately introduced Lord Lansdowne. Lansdowne revoked the Referendum Pledge, saying that as the government had failed to submit Home Rule to a referendum, the offer that tariff reform would also be submitted was null and void. Lansdowne promised that when
6688-406: Was much liked in both Glasgow and London, and that her death in 1909 hit Law hard; despite his relatively young age and prosperous career, he never remarried. The couple had six children: James Kidston (1893–1917), Isabel Harrington (1895–1969), Charles John (1897–1917), Harrington (1899–1958), Richard Kidston (1901–1980), and Catherine Edith (1905–1992). Law's second son, Charlie, a lieutenant in
6776-546: Was not a seat with high prospects attached; a working-class area, it had returned Liberal Party MPs since it was created in 1884, and the incumbent, Andrew Provand , was highly popular. Although the election was not due until 1902, the events of the Second Boer War forced the Conservative government to call a general election in 1900 , later known as the khaki election . The campaign was unpleasant for both sides, with anti- and pro-war campaigners fighting vociferously, but Law distinguished himself with his oratory and wit. When
6864-418: Was referred to as Bonar Law by the public. James Law was the minister for several isolated townships, and had to travel between them by horse, boat and on foot. To supplement the family income, he bought a small farm on the Richibucto River , which Bonar helped tend along with his brothers Robert, William and John, and his sister Mary. Studying at the local village school, Law did well at his studies, and it
6952-558: Was replaced by H. H. Asquith . In 1909, he and his Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George introduced the People's Budget , which sought through increased direct and indirect taxes to redistribute wealth and fund social reform programmes. By parliamentary convention, financial and budget bills are not challenged by the House of Lords . But in this case, the predominantly Conservative and Liberal Unionist Lords rejected
7040-563: Was still a separate colony, as the Canadian Confederation was not formed until 1867. His mother originally wanted to name him after Robert Murray M'Cheyne , a preacher she greatly admired, but as his older brother was already called Robert, he was instead named after Andrew Bonar , a biographer of M'Cheyne. Throughout his life he was always called Bonar by his family and close friends, never Andrew. He originally signed his name as A. B. Law, changing to A. Bonar Law in his thirties. He
7128-676: Was still less than the Liberal caucus, and produced a hung parliament , as neither had a majority of the seats (the Irish Parliamentary Party , the Labour Party and the All-for-Ireland League took more than 120 seats in total). The Liberals remained in office with the support of the Irish Parliamentary Party. The Budget passed through the House of Commons a second time, and – as it now had an electoral mandate –
7216-492: Was the Minister for St. Andrew's Church in Rexton for many years. William John Bowser , Premier of British Columbia (1915–1916), was born in Rexton. Former Premier of New Brunswick , Shawn Graham , was raised in Rexton. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Rexton had a population of 874 living in 396 of its 446 total private dwellings, a change of 5.3% from its 2016 population of 830 . With
7304-507: Was the correct one, and only regretted that the issue was splitting the party at a time when unity was needed to fight the Home Rule problem. At the meeting of the Lancashire party the group under Derby condemned Law's actions and called for a three-week party recess before deciding what to do about the repeal of the Referendum Pledge. This was an obvious ultimatum to Law, giving him a three-week period to change his mind. Law believed that Derby
7392-568: Was the fourth shortest-serving prime minister of the United Kingdom (211 days in office). Andrew Bonar Law was born on 16 September 1858 in Kingston (now Five Rivers ), New Brunswick , to the Reverend James Law, a minister of the Free Church of Scotland , and his wife Eliza Kidston Law. He was of Scottish and Irish (mainly Ulster Scots ) ancestry. At the time of his birth, New Brunswick
7480-471: Was then approved by the House of Lords without a division. However, the crisis over the Budget had highlighted a long-standing constitutional question: should the House of Lords be able to overturn bills passed by the House of Commons? The Liberal government introduced a bill in February 1910 which would prevent the House of Lords vetoing finance bills, and would force them to pass any bill which had been passed by
7568-567: Was thirty, Law had established himself as a successful businessman. He had time to devote to more leisurely pursuits. He remained an avid chess player, whom Andrew Harley called "a strong player, touching first-class amateur level, which he had attained by practice at the Glasgow Club in earlier days". Law also worked with the Parliamentary Debating Association, and took up golf , tennis and walking. In 1888 he moved out of
7656-595: Was to assist the President of the Board of Trade , Gerald Balfour . At the time the tariff reform controversy was brewing, led by the Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain , an ardent tariff reformer who "declared war" on free trade, and who persuaded the Cabinet that the Empire should be exempted from the new corn duty. After returning from a speaking tour of South Africa in 1903, Chamberlain found that
7744-437: Was very well for men who, like myself had been able to enter the House of Commons young to adapt to a Parliamentary career, but if he had known what the House of Commons was he would never had entered at this stage". He soon learnt to be patient, however, and on 18 February 1901 made his maiden speech. Replying to anti-Boer War MPs, including David Lloyd George , Law used his excellent memory to quote sections of Hansard back to
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