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He Making of 'Australia's Oblest Son'

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He Making of 'Australia's Oblest Son' • Geoffrey Bolton was the 1998 Harold White Fellow at the National Library he Making ofAustralia and is currently senior in residence at Murdoch University. He has previously held chairs of history at of 'Australia's Western Australia, Murdoch, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies oblest Son' (London), Queensland, and Edith Cowan. He was general editor of the OJifOrd Hist01y ofAusf:ra}ja and 1992 Boyer Lecturer for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He is currently working on a biography of Explanations ofEdmund Barton's pre-eminence as leader of the Edmund Barton. Federation movement have customarily focussed on two factors: his assiduous devotion in building up grass-roots support in New South 'Wales in the years preceding the referenda of 1898 and 1899, and his performance as leader of the Federal Convention in 1897-98. November 1896, itself stimulated by the ew would challenge La Nauze's It is an inspiriting portrait of a imminence of the 1897-98 Convention verdict that it is his performance crusade, and since Barton topped the poll negotiated by George Reid with his fellow at the Convention 'that ultimately for delegates to the 1897-8 Federal F Premiers.3 My own justifies his claim to the investigations4 into the respect of posterity', 1 but rural press of 1895-96 the earlier claim is more reveals very little activity problematical. Reynolds ... if... the ultimate success of the kind described by in his biography of of the Federation movement Reynolds. Nor was Barton Barton puts the case in a position to take the unequivocally. In this in New South Wales version Barton, having road whipping up zeal for resigned from the Dibbs owed little or nothing the cause. Out of Parl­ ministry in December iament, with no official 1893 and lost his to Barton's barnstorming... position and no outside parliamentary seat at the source of funding, he was 1894 election, devoted how did the legend arise? going through a phase of himself whole-heartedly severe personal financial to taking the cause of difficulty and had a legal Federation to the public at large: Convention, it would be easy to deduce practice to nurse. He was still addressing that this was the outcome of a colony­ meetings when opportunity offered, but Under the auspices of rhe Federation wide grass-roots campaign; but there are some at least were ill attended and nearly League Barton, after he resigned from the difficulties. Nearly thirty years ago D. I. all appear to have been held in Sydney Dibbs Ministry, became a missionary for Wright, researching among the Dowling and its suburbs. It was significant that at Federation. The frustrations and defeats Collection in the National Library of the election of delegates in 1897, rural of his last two years in Parliament left Australia, came to the conclusion that the districts (outside the special case of the him with a burning, almost religious League had not been a particularly Riverina) showed a lower turnout than faith in its cause. During the next three Sydney and the large provincial towns.5 years it is recorded that he addressed effective pressure-group, coming to the nearly 300 meetings in New South Wales fore only when public opinion was So if Reynolds' crusade is largely alone. He visited other colonies, and he already alert to the issue of Federation, fictitious, and the ultimate success of the considered that the total number of and lapsing into comparative inactivity at Federation movement in New South addresses he gave was over one thousand. other times. The years 1895 and 1896 Wales owed little or nothing to Barton's No meeting or group was too small for were notably low in achievement until the barn-storming between 1894 and 1897, an audience.2 Bathurst People's Convention of how did the legend arise? The answer J. A. La Nauze, The Making ofthe Australian Constitution, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, 1972, p.280. 2 J. Reynolds, Edmund Barton, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1948, pp.97-8. 3 D. I. Wright, 'The Australasian Federation League in the Federal Movement in New South Wales, 1893-1899', joumal ofthe Royal Historical Society, 57, 1, p.61. 4 Research carried out by Helen McCulloch and subsequently by myself. 5 Sydney Moming Herald, 8 March 1897. would seem very largely to lie with the The Barton who had to resign from South Wales interests, but the suspicion propaganda campaigns which the Dibbs ministry in December 1893 for remained that he was chagrined at falling accompanied the New South Wales accepting a retainer against the railway over ten thousand votes behind Barton at Federation referendum in April-June commissioners seems a long way from the the poll, and that he would have liked the 1898 and the subsequent contests which figure of national stature in 1898. When, leadership of the Convention.9 Barton fought to re-enter the Legislative shortly after his resignation, he o explanation of Barton's Assembly, first against Reid in the King complained of public apathy towards division of Sydney in July, and then at the success seems entirely Federation the Bulletin ran a cartoon of Hastings and Macleay by-election in N convincing. In the public eye Barton dozing in his club chair as a September 1898. he was distinguished by a single-minded monument to apathy. 8 He lost his seat at advocacy of Federation, and, out of anon's credentials as founder of the 1894 elections, and in 1895 was office and Parliament, was spared the the Federation League were notable mainly as a supporter of Parkes's task of balancing the issue of Federation ill-starred attempt to challenge Reid in his Bunchallengeable. While the against other priorities. Between 1891 own constituency. Meanwhile Reid as legislation to endorse the 1891 and 1897 he had also built up a Premier had picked up the Corowa Convention's draft constitution was still sympathetic network with prominent Conference's formula of a popularly before the New South Wales Legislative federationists elsewhere in Australia, Assembly Barton had gone especially Deakin in Victoria, down to the Murray Valley Downer and Symon in South border country in December Australia, and Griffith in 1892 with the influential Queensland. But despite local member, his cabinet a promising start the colleague William Lyne. This Federation Leagues had not visit resulted in the formation developed into an irresistible of the first Australasian pressure-group, and Barton Federation Leagues at had not shown himself an Corowa, Albury and several adroit tactician in promoting other centres on both sides of the cause. Perhaps it was the Victorian border. At the simply that while outside end ofJuly 1893 the Corowa Parliament he could be conference, at which Dr John regarded as 'king over the Quick's formula of a second water'. By mid-1896 the popularly elected convention Bulletin was speculating on his was adopted, came as a direct return to politics: 'Ranks at result of these initiatives. 6 present divided will, it is Earlier in the same month assumed, close up at his magic Barton convened a meeting in call.'10 When he stood for Sydney with the intention of election as a Convention setting up a central League Edmund Barton as Leader of the Australasian Federal Convention, 1897-38 delegate the press took it for with a co-ordinating function. (Mortlock Library ofSouth Australiana). granted that he would be one Beset on the one side by the mistrust of elected second convention and persuaded of the successful candidates. His Parkes, Wise, and other free-traders and the other Premiers to accept it. When triumph was achieved without lavish on the other by an almost successful elections were held in March 1897 to expenditure. The Sydney Morning Herald radical takeover of the foundation select New South Wales delegates to the hailed him as 'indisputably the strongest meeting, the League got off to a slow Convention it might have been expected and ablest' of the federationists, while start. Despite Barton's urging few that Reid would top the poll and that on the Western Australian goldfields the branches were established in the rural Reid would be chosen as leader by the Murchison Times wrote: 'it is a distinct districts outside the original strongholds Convention. Instead, it was Barton. Reid tribute to sterling worth and ability that in the central and eastern Riverina, and gracefully seconded Barton's nomination "Toby" Barton should have received suburban meetings were seldom well as leader, and was. enabled as a result to nearly ten thousand votes more than attended.? play an effective role as watchdog for New any other candidate.' 11 His reputation 6 Barton was not present at Corowa, but see Sydney Morning Herald, 12 December 1892; R S Parker, 'Australian federation: the influence of economic interests and political pressures', Historical Studies, 4, 13, 1949, pp.22-23. 7 For comments on poor turnouts, New South Wales, Parliamentmy Debates, val 80, p.2254, p. 2383; Barton to Dowling 2 October 1894, Dowling MSS, NLA 47/269; Daily Telegraph, 13 November 1894. 8 Bulletin, 13 January 1894. 9 See comments by 'Ithuriel', A1gus, 10 January 1920; La Nauze, op. cit., pp.108-9; Sir Josiah Symon, 'The Dawn of Federation', Symon papers, NLA 1736, Box Dl. 10 Bulletin, 20 June 1896. 11 Murchison Times, 9 March 1897. ---- was real enough, but its origins call for wanted the federal capital to be in New doubts about his sincerity; but it also left further exploration. South Wales, if not at Sydney. Lyne in Barton unchallenged as the speaker most consequence became an opponent of the in demand throughout New South Barton's performance at the Adelaide proposed Federal Constitution, while Wales.
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