ABSTRACT
The study of party organization in Parliament must therefore engage our attention in the first place. It was represented at that time, as in our own day, by the "Whips" which each party has in the House of Commons. In fox-hunting language "Whip" denotes the huntsman's assistant who whips in the pack of hounds; applied by analogy to the parliamentary hunting-field, this sporting term has in political language acquired a more complicated meaning, and one which is not so easy to explain. The period which immediately succeeded the Reform Bill was marked by the appearance of central party organizations, the influence and activity of which were destined to radiate from London over the whole country. The first of them was the Carlton Club, founded by the Conservatives. In the electoral proceedings which followed the settlement of the register, viz. in the selection of candidates, and in electioneering operations, the part played by the Associations varied in importance.
