Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-28
POLITICAL AMENITIES
A Remarkable Electoral Cam
palgn In England.
CA ND1DATESs THORNS
Some Of the Amusing Features Of the
Canvass.
TRADITION OF HANOVER HOUSE
United Service Now in New Club
Quarters-original Of Famous
Portrait Still Alive.
Tradition OF HANOVER HOUSE
Special Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
LONDON. January 20-The political
amenities Of the recent great electoral cam
paign were Of nature rarely experienced
In England, certainly in the last two gen.
erations. Political feeling runs high and
party animus has brought several candi-
dates into trouble. Several actions for
SANDER or libel are pending and when the
smoke of battle has cleared away the fight
will be renewed In the house Of commons
under the undoubted impetus of personal
luminosity and rancor. Meetings were
broken up by rivals. Mr.. Balfour and Mr..
Chamberlain on one side and dr.. Lloyd
George on the other were refused bearings
at meetings packed with the opposition sup
porters, who howled down the speakers
and altogether the elections will be memoir
able in political history as the rowdiest
and most turbulent for years
one of the most important features of
every political meeting is the ''heckler."
or one who asks awkward questions Of the
candidate, who sometimes is at his wits
end to reply. If he refuses to answer he
Is howled at and his cause is hurt and If
he answers enthusiastically he is In as bad
plight. The heckler" is one of the thorns
In the side of every political speaker.
Sometimes the questions are merely for
embarrassment and are not serious, and
sometimes the speaker scores, especially
If he is quick at replying. For instance,
Mr.. Lloyd George the new president of
the board of trade, whose origin is from the
people, was speaking in Wales when a
''heckler" shouted: DO you remember your
grandfather driving donkey and cart?"
You will have to forgive me, ladies and
gentlemen" was the witty reply, but the
cart has quite escaped my memory. l see
the donkey Is still alive"
One of the best funny questions | have
seen yet was asked at a London meeting.
In England men and women do not battle
fnpp flat- eli rlu
places are introducing the custom, but the
more prim places will not permit 1t. This,
by way of explanation. The ''heckler" held
up a meeting to ask in most serious tones
of the candidate: do you approve of mixed
bathing for the unemployed?"
Mr.. Harry Marks, the well-known mem
Der and editor of the Financial News, was
addressing a meeting when a man in the
audience insisted on saying something. He
was howled at and cries of CHUCK him
out" "Sit down." ETC., were continued for
several minutes. The man stood his ground
and everybody supposed he had some i'm
portant question to fire at Marks. When he
was allowed to speak he said. II want to
correct Mr.. Marks. His horse did not win
the Oaks in 1903; it was 1902"
Some others worth giving. A speaker
supporting the candidacy of Lord Edmund
Talbot was annoyed by some dissentients.
You men at the back may be like the
prophet of old, who came to curse, but
stayed to bless" he exclaimed dramatically.
Are you the ass. them came the smart
rejonder of a cripple in the audience.
At tariff reform meeting in East Anglia
the candidate was asked by burly smiths
striker Il swing sledgehammer six days
a week for II shillings. Do you call that
fair wager" No" answered the candidate.
"Will your policy give me better wager"
Yes" was the reply. Then you will have
to get rid of that little devil in the chair
cos he's the man as pays me-
Occasionally candidates overreach them
selves. One of the new tariff reformers
speaking at packed meeting, produced
box of cigars and after stating that the
match industry was being ruined for want
of protection, said: Il will give cigar to
every person in the room who can produce
box of Engish-made matches" He was
sorry he spoke. The boxes came up in such
embarrassing numbers that the cigars were
soon exhausted and another broken pledge
was added to the tory list.
Lord Rayleigh, the scientist, who general
ly wears his hair rather longer than is the
conventional custom, was addressing a po-
litical meeting and was getting on very well
by describing an imaginary conversation
with Mr. Gladstone. IF | were to say to
Mr.. Gladstone so-and-so what would Mr.
Gladstone say to me?" Get your hair
cut" came from the back of the room.
It has always been tradition of the house
of Hanover that royalty is never Ill. The
letters of Horace Wa1pole and the memoirs
of Charles Greville give pitiful examples of
august suffering under the mistaken ETH
quette that the reigning house cannot be
unwell. The absurd idea came to England
when the court of Louis XIV was so cium-
silly initiated. but Voltaire declares that 1t
possessed Chinese origin. During the last
days of Queen Victoria elderly people
would tell you, in quite awestruck tones,
that they never remembered seeing any al
fusion to her health in the court circular
except in reference to her accouchments
dyypr a he LOT of
his subjects to be relieved at the time OF