On This Day, 4 December 1918

Birmingham Daily Post 

Wednesday 4 December 1918

Major Thompson’s Retirement.

We cannot pretend to be other than dissatisfied at the pressure which was brought to bear upon Major S. N. Thompson in order to secure his retirement as one of the candidates for Smethwick. Major Thompson had very many claims on the constituents. For number of years he has taken an active part in the public life of the borough, and he enjoys great popularity with the inhabitants. Almost from the moment the new constituency was formed he was accepted as the prospective Unionist candidate, and he was formally adopted on November 14. It was expected that he would have a “straight” contest with Mr. J. Davison, the Labour nominee. A week or so ago, however, Miss Christabel Pankhurst descended on the division and announced her intention of running as an Independent Patriotic candidate. She immediately approached Major Thompson with the request that he should retire in her favour, urging that she had the support of the leaders the Coalition, who wished that a seat should be found for her. The Major, not unnaturally, declined, feeling that he had a prior right to represent Smethwick in Parliament by reason equally of his local connection and of his first appearance in the field. Whether Miss Pankhurst thereupon appealed to Mr. Lloyd George and Mr. Bonar Law we do not know, but the sequel to the interview was the receipt by Major Thompson of a letter from them asking that he should retire. The letter set forth the view that if both Major Thompson and Miss Pankhurst went to the poll the Coalition vote would be split, and consequently there would be a danger of the seat being lost. It was recognised that Major Thompson would make a great sacrifice in making way for Miss Pankhurst; nevertheless he was assured that if he retired he would be doing a real public service for which Mr. Lloyd George and Mr. Law would be grateful. Upon this Major Thompson decided to withdraw from the contest. Probably he could take no other course; none the less, we regret, and we are sure Smethwick will regret, that he should have been placed in so difficult a position by his own leaders. We should not wish it to be implied from this that we have any desire to prevent Miss Pankhurst from obtaining a seat in Parliament. Miss Pankhurst has done much valuable public work during the war, and, apart from this, can claim in a special degree to represent the views of a section of women voters. We should have welcomed her as a Coalition candidate for Smethwick, or any other constituency to which a candidate already selected had not a greater claim. But her adoption as Coalition candidate in place of Major Thompson (should this follow yesterday’s development) will scarcely be whole-hearted, and if she does win the election she will necessarily represent an electorate which (in part, at any rate) will labour under a sense of grievance.