[13] From Statement of Principles of the League.
[14] Even at this time the conservatism of the unions was hard to break. The vote to take this step was 546,000 to 434,000 in favor of appointing the committee.
[15] Election expenses are borne by the candidates, not by the state. They frequently are over $3,000, and it obviously is impossible for a workingman to conduct such a campaign at his own expense.
[16] Proceedings of Labor Party, Annual Congress, 1907.
[17] See Socialists in Great Britain, a compilation published by the London Times, p. 24.
The following table shows the membership of the Labor Party since its formation in 1900, from the annual report of the party executive, 1911:
| Trade Unions | Trades Councils and Local Labor Parties | Socialist Societies | ||||
| No. | Membership | No. | No. | Membership | Total | |
| 1900-1 | 41 | 353,070 | 7 | 3 | 22,861 | 375,931 |
| 1901-2 | 65 | 455,450 | 21 | 2 | 13,861 | 469,311 |
| 1902-3 | 127 | 847,315 | 49 | 2 | 13,835 | 861,150 |
| 1903-4 | 165 | 956,025 | 76 | 2 | 13,775 | 969,800 |
| 1904-5 | 158 | 885,270 | 73 | 2 | 14,730 | 900,000 |
| 1905-6 | 158 | 904,496 | 73 | 2 | 16,784 | 921,280 |
| 1906-7 | 176 | 975,182 | 83 | 2 | 20,885 | 998,338[1] |
| 1907 | 181 | 1,049,673 | 92 | 2 | 22,267 | 1,072,413[2] |
| 1908 | 176 | 1,127,035 | 133 | 2 | 27,465 | 1,158,565[3] |
| 1909 | 172 | 1,450,648 | 155 | 2 | 30,982 | 1,486,308[4] |
| 1910 | 137 | 1,306,473 | 125 | 2 | 31,377 | 1,342,610[5] |
| [1] This total includes 2,271 Co-operators. [2] Includes 472Co-operators. [3] Includes 565 Co-operators, and 3,500 members of theWomen's Labor League. [4] Includes 678 Co-operators, and 4,000 membersof the Women's Labor League. [5] Includes 760 Co-operators, and 4,000members of the Women's Labor League. | ||||||
The decrease in membership during the last year is ascribed to the Osborne judgment.
[18] Harold Cox, Socialism in the House of Commons, p. 1.
[19] See J.A. Hobson, The Crisis of Liberalism, for a discussion of the new party alignments.