Geoffrey Bolton is currently The Western senior in residence at Murdoch University. He has previously held chairs of history at Western Australians: Australia, Murdoch, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (London), Queensland, and A Silent Majority Edith Cowan. He was general editor of the Oxford History of Australia and 1992 Boyer Lecturer for the Australian In John La Nauze's magisterial study of the making of Broadcasting Corporation. He is the Australian constitution1 the Western Australian currently working on a biography of Edmund Barton. delegates play a diminished role, emerging almost entirely as the mute satellites of their premier, Sir fohn Forrest. lthough, through various the minds and votes of all members. '2 But government, and those who opposed accidents, more Western just as Sherlock Holmes made deductions him.3 Although at the outset of self­ A Australians attended the 1897- from the dog which did not bark in the government Stephen Henry Parker was 98 Federal Conventions than represen­ night, so we might deduce something seen as leader of the opposition, he soon tatives of any other colony- fourteen, as useful from the silence of the Western joined Forrest's cabinet, and it was only in against the usual ten, and none for Australian delegates. the second Parliament elected in 1894 Queensland - only three of them made The political culture that a formal opposition came into being. his list of delegates entitled to rank as Its leader in 1896-97 was Parker's By comparison with the other founding fathers of the Common­ brother-in-law George Leake, member of Australian colonies and New Zealand wealth: Forrest himself, Winthrop one of the legendary 'six hungry families' Western Australia's political culture was Hackett and, largely because of who had allegedly dominated Western immature. Whereas the others had seniority, Sir James Lee Steere. This is a Australia since its beginnings, but himself smaller proportion than La Nauze exercised parliamentary self-government tinged with Deakinite Liberalism. He awarded any other colony and invites since the 1850s, Western Australia should have been an ideal choice to the thought that, apart from Forrest, the remained a Crown colony until 1890, bridge the two opposition groups, but at Western Australians made this period was regarded by only a slight contribution to "The majority ofForrest's many as an amusmg the Convention. opponents were conservative lightweight. A revisionist would find The majority of Forrest's difficulty in overturning La 'sandgropers: grudging tax-payers opponents were conservative Nauze's judgment. There can't 'sandgropers', grudging tax­ be much to say on behalf of who mistrusted the Forrest payers who mistrusted the Frederick Crowder, whose two Forrest government's bold contributions to debate governments' programme of public works consisted of inane questions bold programme ofpublic works and state enterprise. They about finance, or Andrew were the 'croakers' who Henning, who spoke not at and state enterprise." fought the schemes of Forrest all. It was always a source of and his engineer-in-chief some irritation to me that La C. Y O'Connor to centralise Nauze successfully insisted that, by virtue and even until 18 97 the British the economy on the metropolitan area by of having attended the Convention, these Government maintained in theory a building an artificial harbour at and other nonentities won automatic supervision of race relations through the Fremantle and to supply the Coolgardie admission to the Australian Dictionary of Aborigines Protection Board. Elsewhere goldfields with a 600-kilometre water Biography. Probably the strongest case for in Australia enough time had elapsed for pipeline from Mundaring Weir. They them was made by L. F. Crisp, who factionalism to give way to a tolerably have achieved less prominence in the argued that 'constitution-making, being a well defined party system. In Western history books than the handful of special branch of politics, is very much Australia politics still polarised between oppositionists who stood to the left of the art of the possible, and getting a those who for one reason or another Forrest: a small number of city liberals, of Constitution through a Convention ... is supported Sir John Forrest, Premier for a whom the most notable was Walter vety much a matter of pitching appeals to term of office unbroken since self- James, tenacious advocate of women's 1 ]. A. La Nauze, TheMakingoftheAustralian Constitution, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Vic.,l972. 2 Quoted in J. A. La Nauze, 'Who are the fathers?' Historical Studies, voll3, no. 51, 1968, p. 345. 3 C. T. Stannage, 'Electoral politics in Western Australia 1884-97', MA thesis, University of Western Australia, 1967. ~8 · illl'IE NEiWi EEIDER!l¥IHSill ~ . " suffrage, together with one or two Houses of Parliament, who at that time meant it passed in the negative. It should goldfields representatives. In early 1897 numbered fifty-four: twenty-four in the have passed but for the unexplained the most prominent of these was Legislative Council, elected on a property absence of Winthrop Hackett from the Frederick Illingworth, Yorkshire-born qualification, and thirty in the Legislative Western Australian delegation. Only after fugitive from spectacular failure in the Assembly, chosen by manhood suffrage. this episode, and only after a Premiers' Melbourne land boom, who was (Women were not allowed voting rights meeting at Melbourne decided that the nevertheless regarded in the West as one until 1899). The Parliamentarians, he other four colonies would elect their of the legislature's few authorities on claimed, were best qualified to make a delegates on 4 March and proceed with or finance. But there were also Forrest judicious choice, and he cited the without Western Australia or supporters among the goldfields procedure then used in the United States Queensland, did Forrest commit his members, and as yet none tinged by the Senate as a precedent. However, any colony to the Convention.5 radical and republican movements which Western Australian male citizen could his made for tight timing, since had stirred in eastern Australia in the late nominate for a pos1tlon on the the Enabling Act required a 1880s. delegation. The field would not be T month to elapse between the estern Australia's population confined to slttmg members of call for nominations and the selection of was expanding very rapidly Parliament. These arguments were readily delegates by members of Parliament, during the 1890s as gold W accepted within Parliament.4 Outside the and the Convention was expected to attracted newcomers largely from main protest was voiced by the Geraldton open in the third week of March. It Victoria and South Australia with Express and the Albany Advertiser. These would not have been necessary to smaller intakes from the other newspapers were located in two outposts convene a meeting of members of Australian colonies, New Zealand, and who felt themselves disadvantaged by the Parliament for the selection process - Britain. Although old colonists centralising policies of the Forrest the ballot could have been postal - but dismissed these immigrants as 'birds of government and their editors were quick in the upshot a special sitting was passage' who did not deserve to take to criticise the Premier's autocratic required to approve finance before the part in the political process they tendencies. On the Coolgardie­ dissolution of Parliament, and it was challenged the snug little coteries who Kalgoorlie goldfields the press was slower resolved that the delegation would be made up the 'sandgroper' Establish­ to react, and this is at first sight puzzling selected on Saturday, 13 March. Giving ment. Forrest, whose bluff and since by the closing stages of the the delegates a week to organise their domineering exterior concealed a canny Federation campaign Kalgoorlie was the affairs, they could not leave Albany for tactician, endeavoured to placate the power-house of the federal movement. In the eastern colonies until Saturday, 20 goldfields by a number of measures, late 1896 and early 1897, however, the March, and if, as happened, the including railways and public works, quest for gold was still an overwhelming Convention opened on Monday, 22 and also by increasing the number of preoccupation. In some quarters such as March the Western Australians could mining constituencies in the legislature the Coolgardie Miner, the forthcoming not help arriving a few days late. Also, in time for the next elections. These Convention was viewed sceptically, as because of the forthcoming elections, were scheduled for the first half of 1897. unlikely to result in any practical they would have to leave early: Professor With an influx of 'tothersider' members outcome. from the goldfields, the third Western Frank Crowley estimates that they Australian Parliament would be less Attendance no certainty missed at least one-third of the docile than its predecessor, and this In any case Western Australia's proceedings.6 In these circumstances it calculation shaped Forrest's tactics in attendance was no certainty. At the was not surprising that Forrest was a preparing for the 1897-98 Federal Federal Council meeting in January 1897 strong supporter of Kingston's push for Convention. Western Australia supported a Adelaide as the site of the first session of Forrest was present at the conference Queensland resolution calling for the the Convention rather than a more of premiers at Hobart in January 1895 popular election of delegates to the distant venue. which agreed on the calling of a second Council as a means of strengthening its This reminds us that the tyranny of federal convention, but like Sir Hugh functions, powers and authority. This distance placed constraints on the Nelson of Queensland, he was uneasy would have increased the Council's number of Western Australians who about the proposal that delegates should legitimacy while at the same time could aspire to serve on the delegation.