The Washington times., 1906-01-14

enthusiasm over the Liberal victory. II
had been expected that Winston Church.
III might win.
An important feature OF the election
was the heavy voting. The polling was
the heaviest ever known. showing that
the people were aroused. In every case
where the Liberals were successful.
their candidates were elected by enor-
nous maiorlties.
Former Premier Balfour made a
speech at Manchester after the result
was known admitting his defeat. He
suggested that while the tenure of DOW
er of the Tory party was almost un-
exampled IN the history OF the country.
the duration OF their opponents time In
Office would probably be short.
Today's contest was enIivened by the
opposition Of two such strong person.
alities as Churchill and Balfour In diff
ferent divisions of the city. The VIC
tory Of the former had been regarded
by the Liberals as n foregone conelu-
sion. although there YVES some fear
that the retired premier might manage
to poll plurality
Churchill Looms Large.
No individual politician in the king
dom has made such rapid strides to-
ward a predominant position as has
young Churchill during the last few
months IL has been partly a matter
OF sNillful stage management, as in
the dramatic publication last week of
his brilliantly written life Of his gift
ed father, and partly the effect of
forcefui and magnetic personality
which mas captured the most crusted
old Manchester merchants for the Lib
eral cause.
in Manchester, Churchill used all his
influence against Balfour as to the cru
cial issue OF the campaign-a contradic-
ton the late Lord Randolph Churchill
could never have conceived as among
the remotest possibilities.
Appealed for His Record.
Balfour invited his old constituents TO
return him to parliament on the
strength OF his record through many
years Of earnest devotion to the pub
lie service"
! Mr.. Churchill. upon whom in the six di-
visions OF Manchester the brunt Of the
Liberal work fell, though he stood for
none OF them, said:
''Ihe only thing / have against Mr.
Balf0ur, who with my father. founded
the Fourth party and for whose char
after and attachments no man in Eng
land could feel greater admiration than
myself, is that he does not cut entirely
loose from influences he must suspect.
even II he does not know, TO be selfish
undemocratic. and in the interest Of priv
iese rather than of the public at large. -
Both the person and the program OF
Balfour went 10 second place when the
former premier admitted that the first
task of the Unionists. IL returned to
power in the pending election or at this
one. would be TO carry through conserv-
atiYe legislation on fiscal lines.
Fell on Tariff.
What many OF the old line Wings had
hoped was that Mr. Balfour would offer
some statesmanlike proposal for better
ing the condition Of the working classes
without adopting either retaliatory or
preferential tarifrs. His failure 10 do
so left men like Devonshire and Goschen
IN n cruel predicament.
There is no doubt that the country is
deeply stirred on the question of protec-
tion. and the growth of monopoly which
Is bound up with 1t. Home rule has fall
len into the background, and the only
other general issue which is iufuencf ~
votes in the industrial centers is that of
Chinese labor in the Transvaal. which
the Labor Unionists maintain has fiour-
ished with the consent of the conservs-
tive government.