[3] After his retirement from his father's company, he retained the directorship of the Hodbarrow Mining Co. Ltd, Millom, and he secured the controlling interest of the Shaw's Brown Iron Co., Liverpool, leaving the management of the concern to his partner, Arthur S. Cox.

[4] He joined the Liverpool Temperance and Band of Hope Union, also becoming chairman of the Popular Control and Licensing Reform Association.

Caine first became interested in campaigning for parliament in 1873 to advance his temperance opinions, and unsuccessfully contested Liverpool in 1873 and 1874 for the Liberal Party.

In 1884 he was made Civil Lord of the Admiralty in succession to Thomas Brassey, retaining his seat in parliament by the necessary by-election but losing in the 1885 general election.

In 1886, he was elected for Barrow-in-Furness after a by-election, and played an active part in organising the Liberal Unionist Party, which was nicknamed the "Brand of Caine" as a result.

After the passing of a scheme compensating possessors of extinguished public-house licences, Caine resigned as Whip and his membership in the House in protest.

Parliamentary activities exhausted his health, and after a journey to South America in 1902 failed to restore it, he died of heart failure in 1903 in Mayfair aged 60.

Seventeen Indian constituencies gave support and half the Congress delegates became members of local temperance associations.