New-York tribune., 1874-02-23
THE BRITISH ELECTIONS.
SOME OF THEIR RESULTS.
THE REVOLT OF THE ENONCoNFoRMIsTs AT BRADFt
ElrIIaN u 4 z 4

THE REVOLT OF THE NOSCONFoRMIsTs AT BRADFORD
ELECTION OF MR.. FoRsTER-CONsERvATIyE GAINS
CoNrRAsTED WITH THOSE OF THE LIBERALS.
lYRoh TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUSE.l
LONDON, Feb. 5.-Still another day of Conserva-
tive gains and Liberal losses. Yesterday the net
gain of the former G; this morning it is "a and
il 1T goes on at this rate day longer, the Liberal
majority will have disappeared.
Of single contests on Wednesday, by far the most
important was that at Bradford, where the radical
noneonformist wing Of the Liberal party was In
open revolt against Mr.. Forster. The organization
OF the party was in radical hands, and Mr.. Forster
was thrown over by them. They nominated two
radicals against him. Mr.. Mail having declined to
stand two unknown men, Messrs Goodwin and
iardaher were put up, and Sir Titus Salt as Chair
man of the Liberal Committee took the very strong
step OF addressing letter to the London papers to
remove, as he said, some misapprehension which
seems to exist az to Mr.. Forster's relation to the
Liberal party. Sir Titus Salt declared that Mr. Fors
ter was receiving the most ostentatlous support Of
the Conservatives, and that, if returned ii must be
as the representative OF the Tory party. Nothing
that has occurred give you so clear notion of
the extent and bitterness of the division in the Lib
era party on the Education question. Mr.. Forster
is one of the foremost members of Liberal Minis
try On question he is at Issue with section of
the Liberal party, and that section in his own
borough, forgetful Of all else makes war on
him and attempts to defeat him. The at
tempt met with little approval elsewhere.
The most powerful advocate in the London press of
unsectaran education, The Daily Neus, paper
which has attacked Mr. Forster unsparingly. did it
self honor by protesting against the effort to ostra-
else him at Bradford. The effect of Sir Titus Salts
letter to array every Liberal paper in London
character most unusual in that journal, spoke of the
letter with shame and indignation and declared it
to be ntoerable that Mr. Forster should be unseated
by the obscure nominees of spiteful faction. The
language is too strong, but it is impossible not to
sympathize with the spirit of the protest. On the
particular question at issue between Mr. Forster and
his opponents, think Mr. Forster wrong, OF rather
/ think he is not so near right as he might have
been, and has withheld concessions they had right
to expect from him. The 25th clause of the Educa-
ton Act of 1870 may not be great matter, if you
look at it in the usual English way. 1t permits the
payment by School Boards Of fees for the attendance
of children upon denOminatiOnal schools. The num-
Der Of children attending and paid for is not
great, and the amount of pecunary aid given under
this clause to clerical schools is very small-tOo
small to be worth fighting abont in itself. But 1t
represents principle just much as the tax on tea
did. The real complaint against Mr. Forster is that
he has given undue and unnecessary extension to
denominatiOnal schools. The NOnconfomsts would
have but board schools, and they cry out
against the outrage offered to their convictions in
taxing them for the support of schools which are
used by the clergy to prolOng and enlarge the doml-
nation of the Church of England. Mr.. Forster says
most truly that to upset the existing system all at
once, and supersede all denomnatonal schools by
schools established at the expense of the State,
would have been impossible. The mere cost woul
have been fatal and the people who taxed to pay
for would have destroyed it the moment election
gave them the chance. But 1t would have been easy
tomodfy the features of the act which the Dsseners
found hateful, and this Mr.. Forster has declared
he would not do. / regret his determination, but
regret still more the vindictive hostility to him
which it has provoked. The Nonconformsts have
injured their own cause by it. The common
of Englishmen revOlts against it, and the mass OF the
people of whatever party rejoice l doubt not, IN
their defeat and in Mr. FOrsters triumph yesterday
at Bradford. For triumph it was of the most over
whelming kind. To call it Tory triumph is to ig-
more the meaning of figures When Mr.. Forster
elected in 1868 as the candidate of the Liberal party
he polled 9G4S votes. He stood yesterday his per-
sona merits, against two Liberal candidates, in
whose favor the whole force Of local party machine
ry was exerted and he poled II 9i5 votes-more than
1900 in excess of his old number. His highest Lib
era opponent was beaten yesterday by more than
$500 votes, and polled nearly 1900 less than Mr..
Forsters vote in 1858. 1t is perfectly evident that
large number of Liberals declined to submit to party
dictation against their old leader. That they de-
cned is q credit to them, but whether Mr. Forster
was elected by Conservative Liberal votes matters
not button. His defeat would have been not only
a disaster but a disgrace to the Liberal cause.
In discussing thus fully amid the pressure Of so
many topics single election, assume that Mr. FOrs-
ter's victory has an interest for Americans quite
apart from its political bearing in England. We do
not | know, forget Mr. Forster's friendship to MS
during the Rebellion. We do not, hope forget
that his friendship survived later test under which
that of nearly every other eminent Englishman
whom we counted on our side gave way-at least for
the time. All England rang with denunciation of
the United States, when our case against England
had for the first time been fully stated in the Senate
by Mr.. Sumner. The only English voice then heard
in our behalf was Mr.. Forsters, and | place his
speech at that moment in Its value to us and to the
cause of peace, side by side with that courageous
appeal which Mr.. Bright made just after the Trent
seizure in 1861. TO us it can only be lamentabe
that between these two any estrangcment, even
if it be purely political should have arisen but
can never be indifferent TO the fortunes Of either.
As for the present election, there be d0ubt
of Mr. Bright's complete dsapproval OF the act of
his co-regoniss at Bradford. of bis sat 3factiOn
in Mr. Forsters return.
OF the eight Liberal gains on Wednesday there is
none with personal significance enough to require
remark except that at Stafford, where Mr. Mac.
donald, a workingman, chosen expressly as the
representative of his class. Stroud, which the Lib
erals regained seems caprcious sort of place. and
you will remember that the recent loss of the seat
formerly held by Mr. Winterbotham was one of the