Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-29
Result of Bermondsey Bye.
Election in Great Britain.
AFFECTS BUDGET CRISIS
House of Lords Expected to Reject
the Appropriations.
INTEREST OF suFFRAGETTEs
Women Attack Election Booth and
Cause Substitution Of New
Ballot Boxes.

LONDON. October 29.-The result Of the
Bermondsey bye-election yesterday was a
substantial unionist victory. but the gov
eminent defeat is not quite SO decisive as
hoped for by the conservatives The FIX.
ures are J. humphreys (unionist), ATS;
s. l.. Hughes QiberaD. g. 29I. and DR.. Salt
er (socialisD, 1.l35 In the last general
election the liberal majority was 1.1a9
The unionists carried the constituency in
1900 by 800 majority.
In yesterdays election the governments
strength was divided by the Introduction
of socialist candidate. Otherwise Mr.
Hughes would have won by about go
majority. as probably none Of the social
list votes would have been cast for the
union!st candidate. Even admitting this
the unionist gains are about enough to
indicate that d general election at pres
ent would result in the return Of a union
list majority in parliament.
This is SO palpable that It may now be
expected that the house of lords will
not hesitate to throw out the budget.
either by amendment or by a direct vote.
and government defeat at the ensuing
election may be confidently expected. Ii
remains to be seen whether the govern
ment will now stick to its announced
intention to make an immediate appeal to
the country IL the house of lords refuses
TO accept the budget.
OF Unusual Interest.
No bye-election in recent times aroused
such intense interest throughout England
as that today in Bermondsey. In an au-
dience of 1900 In a music hall the result
when announced, was received with wild
enthusiasm without a sign of dissent.
The budget debate in the house Of COM
mons was interrupted by the news at IL
o clock last night. The Unionists rose and
cheered themselves hoarse-
The election was marked by q new form
of violence by the militant suffragettes-
This violence went so far that an cleo
ton officer is in the hospital and the re-
suit of the polling may be affected. 1t
necessitated the substitution Of new bal
lot boxes and 1t Is not known what the ul-
innate effects will be.
One suf1ragette, Alice Chaplin. was ar
rested. She was taken before a magis-
trate and remanded for week in $500
bail.
Affects Budget Crisis.
The Bermondsey- election was of inter-
est because 1t is the first by-election
that has occurred since the present polit-
ical crisis over the budget began. The
election was necessary because Of the
death of Capt. Cooper, liberal, who had q
majority Of 1.759 at the general election.
The suffragettes had taken an active
part in canvassing the district Members
of the Women's Freedom League gained
admittance to two polling booths and
smashed bottles over the ballot boxes.
The fluid spurted about and some Of IL
found its way into the voting papers.
,, Fragments of the glass struck the pre-
siding officer at one election place and
some of the fluid got into his eyes. The
officer was removed to hospital and
there were grave fears that his injuries
were serious, because 1t was feared that
the bottles contained corrosive acid. The
latest report however. is that the bottles
contained some kind Of staining fluid and
that the suffragettes used II for the pur-
pose of making the ballots indecipherabe
and invalidating the election because they
were not permitted to vote
Eyesight Permanently Injured.
Inquiries at the hospital in regard to
the condition of the injured election Of
ficer ELECTED the Information that the
superficial membrane Of the right eye Is
practically destroyed and that permanent
damage to the sight is possible.
The women responsible for the outrage
proudly admit that 1t was their intention
to invalidate the election. They say they
Freedom League, whose secretary de-
clares that they had other means to
achieve their object If the attempts re-
ferred to failed.
Mrs. now MATlyH, SeSictaiy W .Fo
Women's Freedom League, admitted that
the outrage had been planned by that
organization. She added that the organ
ization was indignant at Premier AS
auth for his action in regard to their
demands and resolved to send him
message through Bermondsey and strike
a blow at the government and invalidate
the election She said that the league.
however. had no intention or GONG any
one any physical injury and deeply re-
GREETED that part of the occurrence.