New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-21
GLADSTONE'S TROUBLES.

THE ELECTIONS AT GREENWICH AND DUN
DEE.
CAUSES OF THE DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT CAN
pIpATEs-A PERSONAL AFFRoNI TO THE PREMIER
GROWTH OF RADICAIIsM.
tYRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSEJ
LONDON, Aug. 5--An epitome of the political STU
alton may be found in the elections at Greenwich
and Dundee. They are more instructive common
tary on the session than the most elaborate recap
situation Of what has been done and left undone In
St. Stephens during the last five months These
elections are blow to the Government, and the
circumstances of both, though disslmllar, are
equally damaging A Tory has been chosen IN one
Liberal in the other, but the moral in both cases
is one which cannot but be distastefu TO the Min
lstry Greenwich is Mr.. Gladstone's borough, OF 10
be more accurate, the borough for which MI Glad
stone SITS his colleague having been the late Sir
David Salomons. You have not forgotten now MI
Gladstone was beaten in South Lancashire IN 1905
aud with what q gush Of loyal devotion Green
Wich offered a seat to the Liberal leader
and how highly she felt herself honored by has
acceptance of it. Sir David died the other day, and
she had an opportunity to renew the expression OF
her distinguished consideration for the Prime Minis
ter. MIR. Gladstone sent down as candidate MT
Angerstein. a man personally unexcephonabe and
even popular in the borough, which IN former days
he had represented, and voluntarily relinqmshed.
A couple of independent Liberals, who thought
they also had claims on the electors OF Greenwich,
presented themselves as candidates. There was Sir
John Bennett, prosperous matchmaker and Sheriff
of London. and DR.. Baxter Langley, the latter
Reform League man aud Radical All attempts to
induce the three TO coalesce failed The ConserVa-
tives. who would ordinarily have had no chance,
nominated Mr. BoOrd, young man of no particular
abilities OF position. When it was known that three
cd in Ooinp m the nOll il was
orally supposed that the Liberal vote would be so
scattered between the three to let the Tory slip
IN. The election was on Saturday; its result pub
lshed only yesterday and 10, the Tory is not only
elected, but elected by a majority over ali his
opponents. And worse remains to tell. The Minis
terial candidate is third the list. The radical
Langley polls more than twice as many votes as the
Gladstonian Angerstein. The total vote is about
one-half the whole number of electors, and fewer
votes than were given to the defeated Tory candi'
date at the ,ast election suffice TO give the present
Tory candidate an absolute majority. There could
hardly be clearer proof of the dissatisfaction
which Mr. Gladstone has contrved to nstill into his
own constituency. Such defeat amounts TO per-
Bonal atirOnt.
AT Dundee there are not Tories enough to supply
even one candidate. and all three competitors for
the seat were Liberals OF Nh. FitZ-James Stephen
lately gave you pretty full account Mr.. Edward
Jenkins was the second, and he too is well enough
known. Ginx's Baby gave him fame, which Little
Hodge has not lessened. His political career began
and ended with his unsuccessful contest last year
for Iness, where his effort cost the Liberal party
seat they could i'll spare He is known otherwise as
Radical with strong leanings to social reform OF a
pretty wide kind; a Nonconformist, and independ-
ent enough both in politics and character TO give
the Ministry deal of trouble from below the gang
way should he ever get there nominaIly Liberal,
Rll the same-One of that numerous class which sup
ports Mr. GladttOne when it can find nothing better
10 do The third was Mr. Yeaman, locally some
body politically nobody; preordained to exhibit
once more to the, world theapassion of Scotch
boroughs for mediocrities He too however, be-
longs the radical wing, and was not the choice Of
the Reform Club OF of Mr.. Gyn, or of Mr. Gladstone
in short not party candidate. Yet it is he who
is elected right over the heads of Mr.. Stephen and
Mir. jenkins.
Mr. Stephen, the plain truth is, was doomed from
the start. The Government sent him down to
contest Dundee, and Dundee sends him back with a
message to the Government that il can select cand
dates of its own and does not choose TO submit to
Sifctation from London 1t will not indorse directly
nor indirectly this existing Administration 1t put
Mr. Yeaman at the top of the poll because it wanted
him. 1t put Mr.. Stephen at the bottom because Mr..
Gladstone wanted him. Like Mr.. Boord at Green
which, Mr.. Yeaman at Dundee has majority over
everything, OF the minority votes Mr.. Jenkins who
was known TO be distastefu TO the Government,
gets about four times as many votes as the Govern
rDeDts OVID man. And also as in Greenwich, though
not to the same extent, numbers OF the electors
simply stayed at home. Those who stayed and
those who voted cOncurred in rejecting Mr.. Stephen
because Mr.. Stephen was the Ministerial nominee.
Party discipline has simply gone to the dogs. II
Dundee and Greenwich represent the country Mr..
Gladstone's choice lies between surrender to the
Tories and throwing himself into the hands of the
Radicals. G.Ws.