[548:1] Winston Churchill, "Lord Randolph Churchill," I., 318.
[549:1] "It appears to us that these objects may be defined to be the same as those for which the Associations themselves are working. The chief object for which the Associations exist is to keep alive and extend Conservative convictions, and so to increase the number of Conservative voters. This is done by acting on opinion through various channels; by the establishment of clubs, by holding meetings, by securing the assistance of speakers and lecturers, and by the circulation of printed matter in defence of Conservative opinions, by collecting the facts required for the use of Conservative speakers and writers, and by the invigoration of the local press.
"In all these efforts it is the function of the Council of the National Union to aid, stimulate and guide the Associations it represents.
"Much valuable work may also be done through the Associations, by watching the registration and, at election time, by providing volunteer canvassers and volunteer conveyance."
This letter and the reply to it are printed in full in Winston Churchill's "Lord Randolph Churchill," I., App. II.
[550:1] Here follows a rehearsal of the functions Lord Salisbury had ascribed to the Council, which are pronounced to have been clear, definite, and satisfactory. The assurance with which they are assumed to mean something quite different from what his Lordship must have intended is one of the marvellous things about the affair.
[552:1] Maclean's own account of the matter is given in his "Recollections of Westminster and India," 68-79.
[552:2] The terms were briefly as follows:—
1. The two bodies to occupy the same offices.
2. The Union to attend to the formation and maintenance of local associations. The agents of the Central Committee to assist in this and report to the Union through the principal agent.