er of these candidates was successful, Sanders,
opposed by Lord Charles Beresford with an irresistible shipbuilding
programme, only obtaining 3529 votes, whilst at Huddersfield Snell was
second on the poll, but 1472 behind the Liberal. Elsewhere, however, the
members of the Society did well, no less than eight securing seats, four
for the Labour Party and four as Liberals.

In December, 1910, we won our first electoral victory. Will Crooks had
lost his seat at Woolwich in January by 295 votes. It was decided to
take over his candidature from the Coopers' Union, a very small society
which only nominally financed it, and also to support Harry Snell again
at Huddersfield. Will Crooks was victorious by 236 votes, but Harry
Snell failed to reduce the Liberal majority. Elsewhere members of the
Society were very successful. In all eight secured seats for the Labour
Party and four for the Liberals, amongst the latter Mr. (now Sir) L.G.
Chiozza Money, then a member of the Executive Committee.

This brings the electoral record of the Society up to the present time,
except that it should be mentioned that Mr. Arthur Henderson, M.P., who
became a member of the Society in 1912, was in 1915 both Secretary of
the Labour Party Executive and Chairman of the party in the House of
Commons, until he relinquished the latter position on joining the
Coalition Cabinet as Minister for Education, being thus actually the
first member of a Socialist society to attain Cabinet rank in this
country during his membership.

During these later years the Fabian Society with its increased numbers
was entitled to several delegates at the annual conference of the Labour
Party, and it frequently took part in the business by putting motions or
amendments on the agenda paper. All talk of forming a Fabian Socialist
Party had died away, and the Executive Committee had shown itself far
more appreciative of the importance of the Labour Party than in earlier
years. I continued to represent the Society on the Executive Committee
until the end of 1913, when I retired, and the new General Secretary, W.
Stephen Sanders, took my place. When in December, 1915, he accepted a
commission for the period of the war, as a recruiting officer, Sidney
Webb was appointed to fill the vacancy.

* * * * *

The account of the part taken by the Society in the work of the Labour
Party has carried us far beyond the period previously described, and a
sh