The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-07-30
THE ENGLISH ELECTIONS.

uNWnhO2 ouAIS 1VIvOe
Causes which Have Led TO the Liberal
Rout-Ths Part Played by tho Labor
Men and the SoSislists-Whers the
Liquor Interest Got In Its Work.
Correspondence OF the Evening Post.
London. July l7-It would be an easy
matter to fill a page Of the Evening
Post In explaining the numerous rea-
sons for the unprecedented Tory sue
cesses which have attended the cleo
tions in the large English towns.
There Is no denying the fact that the
Liberals We're demoralized and unpre-
pared for a general election. For
eighteen months they had known 1t was
coming. and might be on them any day.
But they were all at skies and sevens
In the house of commons; their great
leader was gone: their new leader had
no enthusiasm for the two causes to
which the Liberal party Is at present
committed; their Irish allies were
broken into factions. and were quar-
relling bitterly one with another; the
LIBERAL electioneering funds were un-
usually. low: the party was menaced
by the Socialistic labor movement the
strength OF which II was almost impos-
sible to gauge; and In scores OF consi-
tuencies in which the Liberals had al
ways hitherto a fighting chance they
were without cand da ties up to the very
eve OF the dissolution of Parliament.
Never since there was a Liberal party
in England has 1t gone into general
election In worse heart than 1t went
into the recent contest. One has to go
back more than hundred years. to the
early days of the agitation for the
first reform bill. and the overshadow-
ing of liberalism in England by the
French Revolution, to find a parallel to
the conditions prevailing in the Liberal
party at the present time. There has
been nothing like them during the pres
ent century. The Liberals went into
the election in a condition of hopeless
ness. In the first three days after the
sending out of the writs more than 100
Tories were chosen without any kind of
opposition. The hopelessness and de-
moralization of the Liberals increased
as the borough elections proceeded. and
one after another Of their leaders met
with disaster in the large towns.
The most obvious. cause for many OF
these defeats has been the action of the
Independent Labor party. SO far these
Socialists have not elected a single can
didate. Keir Hardie, who was in the
last house of commons. has been de-
feated by the Tories at West Ham. and
is not likely to obtain a seat elsewhere.
In fact, hardly one OF their candidates
had chance OF election. The leaders
OF the Independent movement were we'll
aware OF this; but from the time 1t was
organized in 1882 and all through this
election the policy or the Labor party
mas been. as the leaders phrase 1t, to
smash the Liberal party and to carry
over some portion OF the working class
electorate into the Socialist party. In
tnls they nave undoubtedly succeeded.
Ihey nominated twenty-nine or thirty
canaioates In Engano ana scotland; F.;
anu bn every case II was Lsoeral seat
OF chance Tor Liberal candidate
which was 1eoparolzed Dy the action OF
uhe SOCIALISTS. Ine moVement mas peen
SHOWN 10 De nnch more widely extended
IMAM was peHeVed pelore the polling
oegan' ana us adverse erect upon the
fortunes OF the Liberal party Is not to
oe estimated only py th' number OF can
uioates VINO "er put up IN OPPOSE
tion 10 tne Liberals.
Where the socialistic Labor men were
unable 10 nominate candidate, 1t was
their poiicy 70 apstain from voting, and
tne returns In tne borough elections
snow mat where there were no candi-
oates tnis poiicy OF apstentlon was gen.
eraiiy ioiioWed. Slr WlllSam Harcourt
owes the loss OF MS seat at Derby to the
local veto Dill and the intense and ac-
i've hostility OF the liquor interest. but
MS deieat was IN some measure due to
the absence from the polls or work.
lng-ciass voters who hitherto had
thrown IN ohelr lot with the Liberal
party. In other large towns the Liberals
also sunered from this new method OF
ngntihg parliamentary elections; while
In Manchester. In Newcastle. Halifax.
fochdaie. ana other places the loss Of
Liberal seats Is obviously entirely due
10 the presence OF the third-party can
didates. AS a result OF their presence
IN BRADFORD. That borough. hitherto the
stronghold OF Old-fashiened Radicalism,
ana returning three members to the
mousse OF commons, is now without a
single Liberal member; and at Roch-
dale. FOR only the third, or fourth time
since 1857. the Tories are now In pos
session of the seat. In Scotland the
Labor men have pursued the same tac-
ties and with somewhat similar results
10 the Liberal party.
This new movement and its wide de-
CONSERVATION among Liberals, who now