New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-07-06
TIE LARROW ELECTION.

The result Of the contest at Jarrow, which has
been anticipated with much more interest than
that Of any other by-election Of the present
Parliament, can scarcely give satisfaction to the
government party in England. We shall be sur
prised If It does not rather add TO the diScom-
future which that party has felt since the Irish
Reputation Of Mr.. Birrel's devOlution bill and
some other recent incidents. Indeed, the polling
at Jarrow reflects strongly one OF the threat
ened sequences TO the rejection OF the Birrell
measure-namely, the open hostility Of the Irish
party to the English Liberals, whose allies they
recently were.
Jarrow, in Durham, had been represented
since 1855 by Sir Charles Palmer, a millionaire
Liberal shipbulder and ardent free trader. It
is said the constituency has never IN all It's his
tory returned a Conservative. At the last gen
eral election the Unionists did not consider Il
worth while 10 put up a candidate so surely
Liberal did they regard Jarrow 10 be Sir
Charles Palmer was opposed, therefore by no.
body but Mr.. Peter Curran. a Socialist, running
on the Labor ticket. There were 1903 electors,
Of whom S,047 voted for Sir Charles, 6O03 for
Mr. Curran, and the rest did not bother to vote
In an election the result OF which was a forerone
conclusion.
But on Sir Charless death a lively contest
arose. The Liberals put up q strong candidate
Mr. Hughes, in full confidence that he would
repeat Sir Charles PaImer's victories. The
UniOnstS decided TO make the experiment of
running candidate, and audaciously put I'D
Mr. Rose-Innes one Of Mr.. Chamberlain's pro-
tectionist ueutenants, IN one of tho strongest
free trade constituencies IN the kingdom. Tho
Labor party nominated Mr.. Curran again, and
the Irish, who are numerous In Jarrow, instead
Of supporting the Liberal candidate, as they did
before, put up man Of their own, Mr.. O'Han-
lon. fifth man, Mr.. Hunnable the "Ilford
poet" failed to get q nomination, though he
sought 1t diligently and added much hunor TO
the campaign by trying seriously to answer the
questions with which he was heckIed such "a
What is the best wood for a board of trader"
Are you In favor Of a sliding scale for rhu-
barbE and would you approve q measure pro-
Viding cows with umbrellas TO keep rain out OF
the miIk?'
The Liberals seem TO have been confident Of
winning. But ten days ago Unionist observers
predicted that Mr.. Curran would win. with
Mr.. Rose-lnnes second and with the Liberal
and Irish candidates respectively third and
fourth. That prediction has been exactly full
filled. Mr.. Curran received only 1893 votes, or
395 fewer than last year, but they were suf
ficient to give him a plurality of 769 over Mr..
Rose-1nnes, who got 1880, and OF 1924 over
Mr.. Hughes, the Liberal, who got 3,474. The
Irish candidate received 2124 votes. which
"NAA~A Ae'C DtSlA W give MI. ktugneS
good plurality had they been cast for him.
The total poll was 10S8 larger than last year.
showing the increased interest In the contest
Apart from the Irish secession, it is to be OBJ
| served that the Liberals lost heavily in other
directions. The Irish candidate got only 2,124
votes while the Liberal got 4,573 fewer than
a year ago. Thus 2449 Liberal votes were lost
from other causes than the Irish revolt That
an avowed protectionist, running dstnctively
I
votes in an extreme free trade constituency and
should surpass by 456 votes the chosen cham
pion Of the free trade party must also be re-
garded as significant The whole result will
strengthen the belief that Mr.. Chamberlain's
tariff reform movement is making important
progress in England, and must be seriously
recltoned with in that country