For co-ordinating these various bodies the Fabian Society has created its own form of organisation fitted to its peculiar circumstances, and more like that of the British Empire than anything else known to me.  As is the United Kingdom in the British Empire, so in the Fabian movement the parent Society is larger, richer, and more powerful, and in all respects more important than all the others put together.  Any form of federal organisation is impossible, because federation assumes some approach to equality amongst constituents.  Our local societies, like the British self-governing Dominions, are practically independent, especially in the very important department of finance.  The Groups, on the other hand, are like County Councils, local organisations within special areas for particular purposes, with their own finances for those purposes only.  But the parent Society is not made up of Groups, any more than the British Government is composed of County Councils.  The local Groups consist of members of the Society qualified for the group by residence in the group area; the “Subject Groups” of those associated for some particular purpose.

The problem of the Society (as it is of the Empire) was to give the local societies and the groups some real function which should emphasise and sustain the solidarity of the whole; and at the same time leave unimpaired the control of the parent Society over its own affairs.

The Second Annual Conference of Fabian Societies and Groups was held on July 6th, 1907, under the chairmanship of Hubert Bland, who opened the proceedings with an account of the first Conference held in 1892 and described in an earlier chapter.  Fifteen delegates from 9 local and University Societies, 16 from 8 London Groups, 8 from Subject Groups, and 9 members of the Executive Committee were present.  The business consisted of the sanction of rules for the Pan-Fabian Organisation.

The Conference of 1908 was a much bigger affair.  A dozen members of the Executive, including Mr. H.G.  Wells and (as he then was) Mr. L.G.  Chiozza Money.  M.P., and 61 delegates representing 36 Groups and Societies met for a whole-day conference at University Hall, Gordon Square.  Miss Murby was chairman, and addressed the delegates on the importance of tolerance, an apposite subject in view of the discussion to follow on the proposed parliamentary action, especially the delicate issue between co-operation with the Labour Party and the promotion of a purely Socialist party.  A resolution favouring exclusive support of independent Socialist candidatures moved by Mr. J.A.  Allan of Glasgow received only 10 votes, but another advocating preference for such candidates was only defeated by 26 to 21.  The resolution adopted left the question to be settled in each case by the constituency concerned.  Another resolution directed towards condemnation of members who worked with the Liberal or Tory Party failed by 3 votes only, 17 to 20.  In the afternoon Mr. Money gave an address on the Sources of Socialist Revenue, and a number of administrative matters were discussed.