Striving for a world transformed by justice and peace - a TL from 1827

[pipisme]

At the beginning of September 1863 Frances Haverly Gladstone became a journalist with The Sybil, a feminist newspaper. [1] In OTL it folded in 1864, but in this TL it was subsidised by Alice Haverly Gladstone and other advocates of women's rights and continued publication, at least for a few more years. Alice and Frances knew many of the movers and shakers in the Women's Rights Movement.

[1] It was also published in OTL and you can read about it here: http://google.co.uk/books?isbn=1135034052.

 

[pipisme]

Because Karl Marx died in Paris on 21 May 1849 during a cholera epidemic in this TL, the history of the Communist movement was profoundly different from OTL. All the works by Marx published up to and including 1848 were published in this TL. [1] Marxism does not exist in this TL.

The life of Freidrich Engels was the same as in OTL up to when he landed in England in November 1849, after travelling from Genoa. [2]

In this TL the ideas of Mikhail Bakunin and social anarchism are much more important in the anarchist/communist/socialist movements than in OTL. [3] The Commonwealth Party in the Federal Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland has been influenced by them.

[1] See Selected bibliography in his Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx.

[2] See his entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/printable/39022.

[3] For social anarchism see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_anarchism.

 

[pipisme]

From November 1850 Engels was an employee in the firm of Ermen and Engels, manufacturers of cotton twist in Manchester. From 1861 he was a partner in the firm. He had a relationship with Mary Burns and they lived together until she died of heart disease in 1863, then he and her sister Lizzie lived together. All this was in OTL also.

In this TL from 1850 he wrote books on economic theory and philosophy. He didn't support the Commonwealth Party because he believed it was not revolutionary enough and didn't have the right economic ideas.

He is remembered best as the author of The Condition of the Working Class in England.

 

[Archangel]

Keep it coming, pip!

 

[pipisme]

The Seward administration purchased Alaska from Russia in April 1862 for $7 million. There were mixed reactions to the purchase in the United States with opponents calling it Sumner's folly or Sumner's icebox, after Secretary of State Charles Sumner. The transfer ceremony took place six months later.

In June 1862 the Crown Colony of Vancouver and the Colony of British Columbia amalgamated to form the Colony of British Columbia with Victoria as its capital. James Douglas, the governor of both former colonies became governor of the new colony.

 

[pipisme]

In July 1863 the Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands and the Stickeen Terrritories became part of British Columbia. [1]

Some foreshadowing: the territory of Keewatin was hugely increased by the transfer of the North-Western Territory from the Hudson Bay Company on 1 June 1869, [2] and of the British Arctic Territories on 1 October 1875. [3]

For Keewatin see post # 457.

[1] See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_of_the_Queen_Charlotte_Islands and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stickeen_Territories.

[2] For a map of the Northwestern Territory see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canada_provinces_1867-1870.png.

[3] For British Arctic Territories see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Arctic_Territories.

 

[pipisme]

I discovered earlier today that Sir George Cornewall Lewis, Chancellor of the Exchequer in Liberal governments from August 1858, died on 13 April 1863 in OTL. He died on the same date in this TL. So there was the following cabinet reshuffle on 14 April:
Robert Lowe from President of the Board of Trade to Chancellor of the Exchequer
Charles Pelham Villiers from President of the Poor Law Board to President of the Board of Trade
Henry Bruce joined the cabinet as President of the Poor Law Board.

 

[pipisme]

In the general election of June/July 1864 Henry Bruce, the President of the Poor Law Board, was defeated in Merthyr Tydfil in Glamorgan by a Commonwealth Party candidate. [1]

Letter dated 29 July 1864 from Benjamin Disraeli to Marian Evans.

My dearest Marian,
Well the rumours going around Westminster are true and yesterday Grey wrote to Knatchbull-Hugessen, the Liberal Chief Whip, announcing his intention to resign as leader of the Party when a new leader is installed. [2]

So far the horses in the running for the leadership are Granville, Lowe and Cardwell. [3] Lowe may be good at figures but is no leader of men and is a devoted worshipper of the cruel god of political economy. Cardwell is competent enough but does not have the common touch, so that leaves Granville. Of these three, he is the best man for the leadership, but he is a Peer, so the Party would need to choose a leader in the Commons and that might be Lowe.

I hope Forster puts his hat in the ring. [4] I know that his friends want him to. He is man of strong moral principles and great ability. As for me, I am too radical for most the Party but even if I were not the British people would not accept an observant Jew as leader of Her Majesty's Opposition and a potential Prime Minister.

Your loving friend
Benjamin

Disraeli wrote the next day to Evans.

My dearest Marian,
In the leadership stakes, Forster has told me that he has listened to friends and colleagues and has let it be known that he would like to become leader of the Party. Also I have heard that Cardwell and Lowe dined together and the former agreed to drop out of the race in return for Lowe appointed him Chancellor of the Exchequer if he becomes Prime Minister.

Your loving friend
Benjamin

Letter dated 30 July from Marian Evans

My dear Benjamin
If you want to be leader of the Liberal Party seize the opportunity. If Liberal MPs consider you be too radical you will not get their support, as for you being an observant Jew, in these enlightened times I do not believe that the majority of the British people would not accept you as a possible Prime Minister. It did not stop you from being re-elected as member for St. Pancras with your majority increased from 819 to 851. [5] You have served in the cabinet in four different posts for sixteen years with much praise for your ability in the exercise of your responsibilities. Forster would be a good leader but he has not had half your experience in cabinet. Granville has the qualities of an excellent second-in-command, but not of a leader.

With love
Marian

[1] Here is the entry in Wikipedia for Bruce: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Bruce,_1st_Baron_Aberdare.

[2] Sir George Grey leader of the Liberal Party and former Prime Minister. Sir Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen.

[2] Here are the entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography for Lowe, Granville and Cardwell: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/17088, http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16543,
http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/4620.

[3] Here is the entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography for Forster: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/9926.

[4] That majority may look small but that was on a total vote of 13,305 in a straight fight with the Conservative candidate. Disraeli received 7078 votes and his Conservative opponent 6227 votes. He was the only cabinet minister in the Liberal government to increase his majority.

 

[Archangel]

Keep up the good work, pip!

 

[Van555]

good stuff.

 

[pipisme]

good stuff.

Thank you.

Keep up the good work, pip!

Thank you.

Disraeli let it be known that he wanted to become leader of the Liberal Party. However the leader was not elected by Liberal MPs, let alone by Liberal Party members in the constituencies. Instead Liberal MPs and Peers reached a consensus in discussions in places like clubs, restaurants and country houses on the man they wanted. By 3 August 1864 Granville George Leveson-Gower, Earl Granville, had emerged as that man. [1]

Granville was slightly left of centre in the Liberal Party and welcomed as leader by the Liberal press. He was seen as the man who would unite right-wing Liberals such as Lowe, and radical Liberals like Disraeli. Also he had served in cabinets as Paymaster-General, Lord President of the Council, and Foreign Secretary. He was only 49 years old.

Because Granville was in the House of Lords, there needed to be a leader of the Party in the House of Commons. After consulting with Liberal MPs, Granville chose Robert Lowe for that post. However he made it clear that there would not be a joint leadership and he was the leader of the Party.

Although Disraeli's preferences were for himself or Forster, he was pleased that Granville had become leader. He continued to sit on the Opposition Front Bench in the House of Commons.

[1] In OTL Granville nearly became Prime Minister in 1859 and was considered as a possibility in 1865. See his biography here: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16543.

 

[pipisme]

The Second Schleswig War

The causes of this war were the same as in OTL, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Schleswig_War, but in this TL only Prussia attacked Denmark. The commanders and leaders were the same in OTL and this TL.

Prussia needed time to recover from the War of Polish Independence so it was not until 1 March 1865 that Prussian troops crossed into Schleswig.

 

[pipisme]

The Second Schleswig war was not the quick victory which the Prussians expected. In fact it dragged on until September 1866 with Denmark and Prussia agreeing to a peace of exhaustion, but with Prussia in the more advantageous position.

There was a cease fire on 27 September, but the war officially ended with the Treaty of Amsterdam on 15 November 1866 by which Denmark ceded the Duchies of Holstein and Saxe-Lauenburg to Prussia. Denmark kept the Duchy of Schleswig. For information about Saxe-Lauenburg see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxe-Lauenburg.

 

[pipisme]

The National Convention of the Liberty Party was held in Baltimore from 7-9 June 1864. With William Seward not seeking re-election the presidential nomination was way open. The candidates for the nomination were as follows [in alphabetical order]:
Senator Zachariah Chandler from Michigan
Representative Schuyler Colfax from Indiana
Senator Lafayette Foster from Connecticut
Former Senator John Fremont from California
Vice-President Abraham Lincoln
Representative Thaddeus Stevens from Pennsylvania
Secretary of State Charles Sumner.

Colfax, Foster and Lincoln were regarded as moderates, and Chandler, Fremont, Stevens and Sumner as radicals. Sumner headed the first ballot but was some way short of an overall majority. Lincoln came second and Chandler was just behind in third place, followed by Foster, Colfax and Stevens, with Fremont in last place with only 8 votes.

 

[Archangel]

Keep it up, pip!

 

[pipisme]

At the Liberty Party convention John Fremont and Thaddeus Stevens withdrew before the second ballot for the presidential nomination. Their delegates overwhelmingly switched to Charles Sumner, with a handful going to Zachariah Chandler. The number of votes cast for each candidate in the second ballot was as follows:
Charles Sumner: 262
Abraham Lincoln: 187
Zachariah Chandler: 184
Lafayette Foster: 50
Schuyler Colfax: 42
---------------------
Total: 725
--------------------

Chandler withdrew before the third ballot with his delegates going to Sumner. The number of votes cast for each candidate was as follows:
Charles Sumner: 445
Abraham Lincoln: 194
Schuyler Colfax: 49
Lafayette Foster: 37
-------------------
Total: 725
------------------

Sumner was therefore nominated as Liberty Party candidate for President of the United States.

 

[pipisme]

Senator Benjamin Wade from Ohio won the vote for the vice-presidential nomination on the second ballot at the Liberty Party National Convention.

The Conservative Party National Convention was held in Philadelphia on 22nd and 23rd June 1864. Francis Preston Blair Jr., Representative from Missouri was chosen as candidate for President and William Lewis Sharkey from Mississippi as candidate for Vice President.

At the Democratic Party National Convention held in Chicago from 29th to 31st August 1864, Senator Lazarus Whitehead Powell from Kentucky won the vote for the presidential nomination, while Daniel W. Voorhees, Representative from Indiana, was chosen as the vice presidential candidate.

 

[pipisme]

In post #358 I wrote that the Reconstruction Act 1862 stated that any state of the former Confederacy which had not ratified the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution would be not be entitled to representation in Congress. See also posts #354-356. They would also not be entitled to vote for electors in the electoral college for President and Vice President of the United States. By September 1864 only Mississippi and Texas had not ratified it.

 

[Archangel]

Keep it up, pip!

 

[pipisme]

In the United States polling in the presidential election took place on 8 November 1864. The result was as follows:
Charles Sumner/Benjamin Wade [Liberty Party]: 238 electoral votes
Francis Preston Blair Jr./William Lewis Sharkey [Conservative Party]: 53 electoral votes
Lazarus Whitehead Powell/Daniel W. Voorhees [Democratic Party]: 49 electoral votes.
Total: 340 electoral votes.

Sumner/Wade won the following states: Alabama, California, East Tennessee, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Wisconsin.

Blair/Sharkey won these states: Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia.

These states voted for Powell/Voorhees: Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey.