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... to coordinate the work of constituency associations into which working men's clubs were incorporated - he recognised the importance of the newly enfranchised urban voters. Along with this Disraeli replaced Gladstone as the most influential public speaker, this being a major advantage at a time when oratorical powers were of the utmost importance. For example Disraeli spoke for three and a half hours at the Free Trade hall in Manchester to an audience of 6,000: here he accused the Liberals of endangering national institutions and he criticised Gladstone's foreign policy for its weakness in accepting Russia's repudiation of the Black Sea clause and paying damages to the United States over the Alabama. Also he made a speech at the Crystal Palace where he identified his party with the working class and promised social reform: 'no important step can be gained unless you can effect somr reduction of their hours of ...