The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-21
CHAMBERLAIN
 TO BE LEADER Will Be Spokesman of the Unionists. LIBERALS ARE IN MAJORITY Victory for Campbell Zimmerman is
 Overwhelming. BaIfour May Not Sit In the Next House of Commons--Laborites Probably
 VIII Have Half a Hun
 dred Votes.
LIBERALS ARE IN MAJORITY

London, Jan. 20.--Within the last eight days the political complexion of the United Kingdom has been complete ly changed by the tide of liberalism. which even now is higher than the most sanguine radical dared to hope for or predict The new Parliament will be overwhelmingly Liberal Up to this time the total number of members elected Is 4S0. of whom 247 are Lib- erals. IA Unionists. 40 Laborites. 7S Nationalists and one Socialist This leaves 190 seats still vacant
 The Liberals thus far have gained no less than TIT seats. counting Labor gains as Liberal or Government gains, and if the same proportion is kept up for the remaining 190 seats. the Lib- erals will have 407 votes In the next Parliament, to which may be added those of 42 Laborites. one Socialist and S3 Nationalists, which would leave Prime Minister Campbell Zimmerman 533 votes against 137 for the Conser- vatives.
 Possible of Realism.
 While this calculation concerning the results in the 190 vacant seats is entirely speculative, 1t is not in any respect impossible of realization. nor could it be more extraordinary or startling than any of the results de- clared during the last few days.
 Ireland remains practically un- changed. The Nationalists have pluck ed one seat from the solid northeast corner. The Liberals have broken into the Tory stronghold of Scotland with prospects for other remarkable successes, while. as already noted. the great fortress of Unionism during the last ten years have been razed before a storm of undreamed of Liberal santi- ment, or of opposition to the unionist policy.
 With the exception of Birminghams which is completely controlled by Jos- eph Chamberlain, all the great ceF~ change from the old order. Mir. Bal- four probably will remain an outsider until he Is given a chance in a bye election. though possibly soTae safe Unionist seat may be relinquished in his favor before the end of next week.
 It is understood that several efforts in this direction have been made but without success. Such reports as these. 1t is believed, are materially weakening the prestige of the aecred- tied leader of the Unionist party
 In the absence of Mir. Balfour. Jos- eph Chamberlain probably will take the lead in the next parliament: at any rate he is now acknowledged to be the strong man and will have the greatest support or any man on the opposition benches.
 The most remarkable feature of the elections thus far is the labor mem bers elected. The last parliament could claim but seven laborite members. while up to the present no less than forty of them have secured seats and with the promise of further gains, 1t is not improbable that labor will have representation of fifty members in the new parliament. This undoubted- ly would have a tremendous effect on future legislation in England, as the laborites are almost certain to get the support of the home rulers in any req sonable measure introduced by them.
 The elections will be over before the end of next week, the last contest be- ing set for January 2S But so far as the liberal government is concerned. it's life can now be measured not as was predicted prior to the elections, by months or few years, but by the lim- its of the septennial act.