tive political workers, were unsuitable for the groups of earnest
workmen in the provinces who were influenced by our teaching. In fact
the local Fabian Societies, with rare exceptions, of which Liverpool was
the chief, were from the first "I.L.P." in personnel and policy, and
were Fabian only in name.

This somewhat detached attitude, combined with the recognition of the
differences between the parent society and its offspring, led to the
adoption of a system of local autonomy. The parent society retained
complete control over its own affairs. It was governed by a mass meeting
of members, which in those days elected the Executive for the year. It
decided that a local Fabian Society might be formed anywhere outside
London, by any body of people who accepted the Fabian Basis. The parent
society would send them lecturers, supply them with literature and
"Fabian News," and report their doings in the "News." But in other
respects complete autonomy was accorded. No fees were asked, or
subventions granted: no control over, or responsibility for, policy was
claimed. Just as the political policy of each Fabian was left to his
own judgment, so we declined the impossible task of supervising or
harmonising the political activities of our local societies. When the
I.L.P. was founded in Bradford and set to work to organise Socialism on
Fabian lines, adopting practically everything of our policy, except the
particular methods which we had selected because they suited our
personal capacities, we recognised that provincial Fabianism had done
its work. There was no room, except here and there, for an I.L.P. branch
and a local F.S. in the same place. The men who were active in the one
were active also in the other. We made no effort to maintain our
organisation against that of the I.L.P., and though a few societies
survived for some years, and for a while two or three were formed every
year at such places as Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, and Swindon, they
were bodies of small importance, and contributed scarcely anything to
the sum of Fabian activity. The only local Fabian Society which survived
the debacle was Liverpool, which has carried on work similar to that of
the London Society down to the present time. Its relations with the
I.L.P. have always been harmonious, and, like the I.L.P., it has always
maintained an attitude of hostility towards the old political parties.
Its work has been lecturing, the publication of tracts, and politica