The Express.
London, England, 1868-11-17 00:00:00

A SPECIAL EDITION

A ILL BE PUBLISHED WITH THE
CLOSE OF THE POLLS.

LONDON, TUESDAY, NOV. 17.

YESTERDAY AND TO-DAY.

Yacrintoev it was but the preliminary skirmish ;
but it was enough to show pretty clearly how the
battle was to turn to-day. A nett gain of nine
seats for the Liberals : six nate won without a
blow; a gain of sr:lateen Liberal seats on the
unoppoeed elections of the day--surely these
results were sufficiently inspiriting to Mr. GLAD-
eromes followers. To-day the contest has
begun in good earnest, and at the moment of our
going to press almost, save in one metropolitan
borough, not only without a serious check, ti
not with a degree of success exceeding expectation. •
Since '32 there has been nothing like the publics
spirit which the present trial of strength has
evoked. For the first time these six and thirty
years', it is felt to be a battle of principles, not
of generals and armies only. The metropolitan eon-.
otituencies will give no uncertain sound, and the
great body of the people who in former years stood
aloof or looked on with sullen indifference, are now
personally interested in the suttees of their own
candidates. Some of the boroughs in yesterday's
list of returns are certainly not to be accounted
among the most important seats of representation.
Indeed, the wonder is to find them still in the
enjoyment of a local representation at all. But
there is at least the satisfaction of knowing that
oven thew boroughs have returned the right men.
Marlborough, it is true, still sends to Parliament
s " family " representative who has sat many
years without giving any sign of his qualifications,
end whose votes have not always responded to his
professions. It may be hoped that the pressure of
the times is ill make him run straighter in
future. At Caine the change is for the better ;
even although the unopposed candidate is a much
younger man than Mr. Lowe there is every reason
to anticipate that he is capable of serving the
cause which has been associated so long
with the house of Lansdowne with a gene-
rous ardour and a straightforward sincerity
which have not of late been found
in the member for Caine. Among the old Libe-
rals who were welcomed back yesterday by their
ocastituents, there is none who deserve better of the
sympathies of the Liberal party than Mr. VI wins,
who has never shrunk from appealing to a genuine
constituency, and whose whole course of public
We has been a striking example of the true
and legitimate influence of an aristocracy
wAJieh has the courage and the conscience to stand
forward in the front of the people and to assert po-
pular rights. The working men of Wolverhampton
tare done honour to themselves in thus acknow-
ledging and rewarding the °lei serves ::::!! !le
tried consistency of one who was the pioneer of
the repeal of the Corn Laws, and whose faith in
liberal principles is as eager, as devoted, and as
steadfast now as it was thirty years ago. Let
the great centres of industry and in-
tone but follow the example of Wol-
mpton, and they will soon discover the
. vantage of making public affairs their own,
r_. .. .

end of discerning beiw;xii false friend., and true.
Clothing could be more encouraging than the
brceOnt espcct of this greet constitutional conflict.