Editing Stanley Bruce (section)

==Early years in politics==

Bruce's popularity as a speaker for government recruitment efforts also earned him the attention of the National Union of Victoria, an influential group of Melbourne businessmen who provided much of the financing for the federal [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist Party]].{{sfn|Lee|p=17}} As Sir [[William Irvine (Australian politician)|William Irvine]] had recently resigned from parliament to become [[Chief Justice of Victoria]], there was to be [[1918 Flinders by-election|a by-election]] for the [[Division of Flinders]] in 1918, which the National Union asked Bruce to stand for.{{sfn|Lee|p=17}} The Nationalist [[preselection]] for the seat attracted many candidates, and [[Edward Fancourt Mitchell|Sir Edward Mitchell]], one of Australia's leading constitutional lawyers, was presumed to be the front runner. Mitchell proved to be a disappointing speaker, and Bruce won preselection with the help of the National Union. A deal arranged by acting Prime Minister [[William Watt (Australian politician)|William Watt]] prevented the newly formed [[National Party of Australia|Country Party]] from challenging Bruce in what was a partly rural seat, stretching from [[Dandenong]] out into the rural areas south and east of Melbourne. In the by-election of 11 May, Bruce easily defeated his Labor opponent Gordon Holmes.<ref>{{cite news|title=Flinders By-Election: Declaration of Poll|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1660514|access-date=8 August 2013|newspaper=The Argus|date=20 May 1918}}</ref>

Speaking to the delegates in Dandenong, Bruce summed up his political philosophy:
<blockquote>A plain soldier and business man. I am no politician, nor have I any desire to be one. In the course of my commercial career it has been my fate to have had much experience of politicians and their ways. What I have seen in the course of that experience has given me little respect either for the professional politician or his methods. I am desirous of seeing this country governed in the ways of clear common sense and good sound business principles, and I think that desire of mine is heartily shared by the vast majority of the population.{{sfn|Lee|p=18}}</blockquote>

[[File:Stanley Bruce and Billy Hughes, 1925.png|right|thumb|Billy Hughes, [[Herbert Pratten]] and Stanley Bruce]]
Bruce's early years in parliament were unremarkable and his energies were primarily focused on the affairs of Paterson, Laing and Bruce. However, in 1921 he attracted the attention of his parliamentary colleagues over the matter of the [[Commonwealth Line]]. Nationalist Prime Minister Billy Hughes, now a peace-time leader, had declined in popularity within the party due to his left-wing domestic policies.{{sfn|Sawer|p=156}} The Commonwealth Line had been created by the Hughes government as a state-owned concern to ship Australian goods during World War I when British and domestic commercial shipping were unavailable. However its post-war existence was extensively criticised by Bruce as inappropriate and inefficient, and many of his economically conservative colleagues agreed.{{sfn|Fitzhardinge|pp=500–501}} Bruce also distinguished himself as one of Australia's two representatives to the [[League of Nations]] in 1921 in [[Geneva]], at which he passionately advocated for [[disarmament]] and greater international co-operation, despite his general scepticism with regards to the League's mission and potential for success.{{sfn|Lee|pp=20–21}}

===Treasurer, 1921–1923===
Returning from Europe in October 1921, he was invited by Prime Minister Billy Hughes to join his government as [[Minister for Trade (Australia)|Minister for Trade and Customs]]. Bruce was not interested{{spaced ndash}} he was the head of one of Australia's largest importing houses and thus had a serious [[conflict of interest]] with the portfolio, as well as being very busy running the affairs of that business. But he countered by stating that he might feel obliged to accept if the position of [[Treasurer of Australia|Treasurer]] was offered, knowing that it had already been promised to [[Walter Massy-Greene]]. To Bruce's surprise, Hughes agreed, although Massy-Greene was to remain the number two in the government and [[Minister for Defence (Australia)|Minister for Defence]].{{sfn|Edwards|pp=57–58}} Bruce had only been in parliament for three years, yet his business background was highly desirable to Hughes, who was facing growing criticism from the pro-business figures of the party. These figures had become increasingly suspicious of Hughes and his interventionist approach to the economy.{{sfn|Edwards|pp=59–60}} Influential party figures such as Senator [[George Pearce]] and the National Union had also identified Bruce as their preferred choice for the treasury.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pearce |first=George Foster |title=Carpenter to Cabinet: Thirty-Seven Years of Parliament. |year=1951 |publisher=Hutchinson & Company Limited |location=London, UK |page=156}}</ref>

Bruce and Hughes clashed in both style and ideology. Bruce found Hughes' management of the government capricious and chaotic, and felt that little was accomplished in Cabinet or in party meetings so long as Hughes headed them.{{sfn|Edwards|pp=63–65}} But he was a strong counterweight to the domineering Hughes, resisting several of his more expensive proposals or acting as the voice of reason to talk Hughes down from several of his more outlandish ideas.{{sfn|Treasury of Australia}} His tenure would ultimately be short, presiding over just one budget in 1922, which was conservative and tax-cutting. The [[Opposition (Australia)|Opposition]] criticised the budget for its failure to limit rising government spending and indebtedness.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mr. Bruce and his Critics |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1858670 |newspaper=The Argus |date=30 November 1922|page=8}}</ref> The budget included many concessions to rural interests and the recently formed Country Party, which appeared as a major threat to Nationalist Party dominance going into the [[1922 Australian federal election|1922 elections]] in December.{{sfn|Edwards|p=67}} Yet Bruce endeared himself to many of his colleagues with his amiable personal style, his forceful voice in Cabinet against Hughes, and his conservative views, which were more in line with the majority of the party.{{sfn|Edwards|pp=69–71}}