In July 1894, Barton stood for re-election for Randwick (the multi-member electorate of East Sydney had been abolished) and lost. He did not stand for election in the 1895 elections because he needed to support his large family during a period when parliamentarians were not paid. However, he continued to campaign for federation and during the period between January 1893 to February 1897, Barton addressed nearly 300 meetings in New South Wales, including in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield where he declared that "For the first time in history, we have a nation for a continent and a continent for a nation". By March 1897, he was considered "the acknowledged leader of the federal movement in all Australia".