New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-15
TIE BRITISH ELECTIONS.

The first interest in the results OF the brlt-
ish elections thus far reported is personal. MI
Balfour is badly beaten. At the last electlon IA
1900 he carried the Eastern DIVISION OF Mail
chester bv 4 500 votes against $3.50 for Mr..
Horridge. a majority of 2,453. Now MI nor
ridge beats him by a majority of l,9oo linus
there is change of 4,433 votes III conso'-
uency which in 1900 had total poh OF Oily
12 S31. That is revolution. Again, III the
Northwest Division of Manchester in 1893 the
Conservative candidate had 4,997 votes and the
Liberal 1926. a Conservative majority of 14'I'
and in 1900 the Conservative candidate was
,,nonnosed but now Mr.. Winston Churchill
carries the division for the Liberals by a ma
ioritv of 1241. In the face of such figures II
is LITTLE consolation to the Conservatives to note
that Sir Gilbert Parker increases his majority
at Gravesend from 738, in 1900, TO SOo, ana
that Mr. Wyndham retains at Dover the seat
which he won in 1892 by 2'231 votes against
a79 and which he has ever since held unop-
posed.
Local interest comes next 1t has long been
ono Of the anomalies Of English politics that
Manchester the birthplace and favorlte nome
of free trade liberalism, should be Represented
nv Conservatives In the last House OF Colh-
mons it had five Conservative members anu
only one Liberal In the new House. as Cne
result Of last weeks polling, 1t VIII nave n'o
liberals and one Labor member, ana no Con
seryative. That will be entirely appropriate
for Manchester TO be represented by statesmen
of the Manchester school" nevertheless 1t
indicates an extraordinary revolution. VI per
hons Il vould he better to say an extraordt-
nary revival Of Liberalism. In the hve divisions
Of Manchester which were contested IN 1ooo
four were carried by Conservatives and one
Inv q liberal the latter by the narrow margin
If o6 The total number of electors ID the nVe
was 1884 But there were only 23,4So Coh-
servatiye and 17466 Liberal votes poiled,
total of 1896. So there were 1885 eIectoIS
who did not vote, or about one-IouTlh VI 'n0
whole IT seems probable that most Of these were
other liberals who had lost interest IN thelr
Marty or were independent or fuctuauhg vol
ers who did not care to vote at ALL ana now 'he
Liberals under the inspiring leadership OIL NIL
1yinc+on Churchill and his friends, have sue
ceeded in rousing them and securing thelf NoteS.
The Liberal gain of a seat at Halifax IS not
ca remarkable as some dispatches suggest In
daad II Is not remarkable at all by the SIDE OF
Manchester. for that constituency las always
1,aep a close one and in 1900 was carried by
the Conservatives by only COG in total vote
Of II. 256
FINALLY come the general interest and the
forecast of the complete result OF the eiecuons'
There are go members IN the House. III we
subtract so NatiOnaUStS, VINO are sure 10 NC
returned without change, there are 800 seats
+o he fought for Again, emitting the seven
No+,onalists who were returned last week, we
have heard from so constituencies, Or exactly
one-+enth Of the whole. OF those the Liberals
have won 80, the Conservatives IA ana the
Labor party G. If these proportions should
be continued, the new House would contain
900 Liberals, 14O Conservatives and 90 LABOR
members. and the Liberals would have clear
majority of 10 over all OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Nationslists and Labor men-unlted. IL Is
scarcely to be expected that those proportions
will continue, yet the outlook certainly seems
10 be for an overwhelming Liberal victory ana
probably clear Liberal majority of comfort
able size over all It is to be borne In nina,
Of course. that last weeks voting was chiefly
IN cities and boroughs, industrial and CONNER
ciaI centres where free trade is strong, ana
that the rural counties may show different re-
s,1l+s Yet. Oh the other hand, the impetus OF
these initial Liberal victories is almost sure 10
he felt in q further access Of Liberal enLhuSl-
asm and zeal. and probably in Conservative
danression and decentralization. Without rash
nrophesylng therefore, we may reasonably look
for a Liberal majority in the new House nearly
if not quite as large as the Conservative ma
4oritv was in the last one at the time OF dis
solution, and for an overthrow of the Conserv-
alive party comparable with that which 1t sui
fered under Beaconsfeld in 1880.