University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016 University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2016 Sir Joseph Carruthers in the history of Australian liberalism Zachary Kevin Kearney Gorman University of Wollongong Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of the author. Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. 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For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Zachary Gorman Sir Joseph Carruthers in the History of Australian Liberalism A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree Doctorate of Philosophy from the UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG by Zachary Kevin Kearney Gorman School of Humanities and Social Inquiry Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts 2016 1 Zachary Gorman CERTIFICATION I, Zachary Kevin Kearney Gorman, declare that this thesis, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts, University of Wollongong, is wholly my own work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. Zachary Kevin Kearney Gorman 16 January 2016 2 Zachary Gorman ABSTRACT This thesis is a public political biography of Sir Joseph Carruthers. It gives a thorough account of his career in the Legislative Assembly while emphasising his role in the development of New South Wales and Australian liberalism and the creation of the Australian party system. It explores the evolution of nineteenth century liberalism into a more modern form, tracing the roots of ideological beliefs and how these were pragmatically applied to changing circumstances. It argues that over the course of Carruthers’ career liberalism was adapted from a pervasive political culture into a partisan agenda and rhetorical philosophic stance which crystallised around anti-socialism. It suggests that Carruthers played a central role in this process both as an ambitious politician in the early years of party politics and then as a leader in the early post-federal era. The thesis argues that his involvement culminated in a deliberate attempt to impose clear ‘lines of cleavage’ on the political debate in order to help representative democracy function and that this helped to create Australia’s Liberal-Labor political divide. While exploring these themes the thesis also traces Carruthers’ role in the organisational developments of his time period, situating itself within a wider historiography on the development of the Australian party system that while extensive has tended to underestimate the impact of State figures. 3 Zachary Gorman ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To write any thesis of this length is a considerable undertaking, and I certainly would not have been able to succeed without the help of a number of important people. Firstly I would like to thank my supervisor Associate Professor Gregory Melleuish. Greg took a personal and professional interest in my work that offered great encouragement and necessary critique. When I was struggling with the financial burdens of study he went out of his way to find me work and facilitate my scholarship application, and it is difficult to imagine how I ever would have completed the thesis without him. I would also like to acknowledge the library staff at the various institutions where I conducted my research. Of particular importance were the staff at the Mitchell Library who were constantly asked to retrieve volumes of Carruthers’ papers for me and were occasionally covered in the dust of old kangaroo leather for their troubles. While I had the pleasure of physically visiting the National Library for specific items, I would like to thank the people behind Trove for making much of the job of a historian of this era far more efficient. I can only hope that their digital collections continue to expand so that our history can become ever more accessible. I also feel obliged to thank Bill Willcox who took the pains to personally contact me and offer me access to the personal historical resources of Carruthers’ family. Finally I would like to thank my darling wife Renee, who has been an ever-present source of stability and support. I can only apologise for subjecting her to the same thoughts and stories for three years as I tried to iron out my arguments over a glass of wine. 4 Zachary Gorman CONTENTS ABSTRACT 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 6 INTRODUCTION 7 CHAPTER ONE: A Liberal Upbringing 26 CHAPTER TWO: Parkesite Politics 46 CHAPTER THREE: Minister for Public Instruction 70 CHAPTER FOUR: Reid’s Lieutenant 109 CHAPTER FIVE: Minister for Lands 141 CHAPTER SIX: Federation 172 CHAPTER SEVEN: Personal and Political Tragedy 198 CHAPTER EIGHT: The Political Wilderness 226 CHAPTER NINE: The Art of Opposition 254 CHAPTER TEN: The Clarity of Cleavage 290 CHAPTER ELEVEN: On the National Stage 323 CONCLUSION 360 BIBLIOGRAPHY 370 5 Zachary Gorman LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ADB – Australian Dictionary of Biography ADU – Australian Democratic Union AFTLA – Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association APDA – Australian Protestant Defence Association CLP – Commonwealth Liberal Party DT – Daily Telegraph FTA – Free Trade Association FTFC – Free Trade and Federation Committee FTLA – Free Trade and Liberal Association FLL – Federal Liberal League FTLRC – Free Trade and Land Reform Committee Hon – Honourable LEC – Liberal Executive Committee LEL – Labour Electoral League LPA – Liberal Political Association LRA – Liberal and Reform Association ML – Mitchell Library MLA – Member of the Legislative Assembly NCRL – National Citizens’ Reform League NLA – National Library of Australia NSW – New South Wales PLL – Political Labour Leagues PPA – Political Progressive Association PRL – People’s Reform League SMH – Sydney Morning Herald 6 Zachary Gorman INTRODUCTION The period from 1887 to 1910 is one of the defining phases of Australian political history. It was an era that saw the first true party election, the birth of the Labor Party, the accomplishment of federation and the success of women’s suffrage before culminating in the fusion of the federal ‘Liberal’ parties and Labor’s first outright election victory. Australia entered the period as a group of small and disparate Colonies with localised and unorganised politics and ended it as a growing nation united not only by a new Parliament and unified military but increasingly by trade and an emerging national media. Intrinsically any historical period directly effects what comes after it, but many lasting aspects of Australian politics were described in these twenty-four years. The main arena of Australian politics was created in this era. Its parameters were hotly debated before being defined in the Constitution. The interpretation and limits of that document were then tested in the early battles between the Commonwealth Government and the States, which set the tone for how the Federation would work in practice. The older arenas of political competition were also redefined, as State Parliaments dealt with what increasingly amounted to a supersession of prerogatives that went far deeper than almost anyone expected. Not only was the legal and practical structure of the political battleground revolutionised, but the fighters and their methods also evolved. The great political giants of what Loveday and Martin called the faction era slowly died off as the party replaced the individual as the 7 Zachary Gorman cornerstone of a Government.1 Ideological divisions that had remained dormant since the early battles over responsible government re-emerged, as politicians debated the philosophical as well economic merits of tariffs. The Political Labor Leagues began to demand the representation of their section of society in Parliament, while the liberal ideology that had long dominated politics virtually unchallenged had to redefine itself in the face of rapid change. As a consequence of this upheaval politics became more professional and