Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-18
is KEEPING IN LEAD
Government Ahead So Far in
British Elections.
HARD BATTLE is ON TODAY
Radical Coalition Admittedly Fight
ing on the Defensive.
FEW SURPRISES TO DATE
John Burns, Whose Defeat Wa.
Considered Possible, Is Return
ed by an Increased Majority.
FEW SURPRISES TO DATE

LONDON. January ls.-Completcd re-
turns from yesterdays elections for mem
bers OF parliament make the standing az
the parties TO date as follows:
Government coalitfon-Libersls n:
laborites. IL: Irish nationslists. 16.
Observation-Disclosures. rs; net unionists
gain, 60
The radical coalition fought more on
the defensive today than heretofore. as OF
the forty-six seats for which polling was
in progress they held all but ten in the
last parliament.
The front bench politicians whose fates
were decided today were Winston Spencer
Churchill, for Dundee: Sydney c. Bux
ton, for the Poplar division OF Tower
hamlets: Walter Runciman. for Dews
bury: Sir William Snowden Robson. for
South Shields liberals. and Alfred Lyttel
ton, for St. Georges. Hanover Square. th'
former conservative minister. All or
these appeared certain OF reelection. The
for Bermondsey. where
John humphreys scored sensational
unionist victory in the by-election of Oc-
tober last also was in the melting pot.
and. as humphreys this time met an IN
divided opposition. the seat quite likely
has reverted to liberalism.
No Surprises Yesterday.
The government Jared much better
yesterday than their most ardent sup
porters expected. The unionists gain
ed nineteen seats, the liberals four
and the laborites one, making net
gain for the unionists for the day OF
fourteen, one less thans they gained
at fewer elections Saturday.
This practically assures the return OF
the liberal power with fair ma
jority. for among the places still TO
poll are those in Scotland and Wales.
which always are solidly liberal
There cannot be said to have been
many surprises yesterday. Some OK
pected that John Burns. president or
the local government board. would pa
defeated in the Battefsea division or
Battersea and Chaplain. but he is re-
turned by largely increased vote
Other state officials who had to fight
for their seats and were successful
were Augustine Birreil. chief secretary
for ireland, and c. L. Hobhouse. finan-
cial secretary to the treasury In Bris-
toll, and DR.. T. ]. Mcnamara. secre
tary to the admiralty, in Camberweii.
Their majorities were considerably r.
duced.
In fact, this happened all through the
country. the huge ma jorities secured IN
9O8 showing big reductions in almost al
cases. Indeed, many OF the loerals wiz
became members of the house OF com
mons by the grace of the LANDSLIDE ina
year have been sent back to private life
Among IL EN- is Homar Greenwood Z
Canadian, who represented York. and was
considered a prominent CANDIDATE TO-
high Office Another Canadian, JOSEPH
Martin. former premier of British Column
bia, was more successful, winning the
seat for st. Pancras, east.
Some of the Losers.
Other prominent members defeated IN
cluded l.. G. Chiozza Money, the apostle
of free trade, who lost his seat for North
Paddfngton, and Will Crooks. the labor
leader, for Wooiwich, Sir H. Robson. inc
liberal candidate for North kensington.
failed to get a majority. as did also sif
John Gorst. an ex-minister and at one
time a member Of the fourth parry WHO'S
leading spirits were A. j. baifour ano
Lord Randolph Churchill.
On the other side Lord II. Cecil and q
Stewart Bowles. who ran as free tranf
unionists, failed in their attempt to GUS
.Philin Showden the labor leader, and
sir Thomas Barclay at Blackburn. Doc
tors had much 10 do with the defeat
of Claude Hay, unionist. In the ftoxtoh
division of Shoreditch. His opponent was
Dr. c. Addison. a famous consuming SUI
geon. Hay. on the platform. made dis
paraging remarks about the procession
and as a result the whole fraternity turn
ed out to assist DR.. Addison.
The liberals also won back the adJoin-
ing constituency of Haggerston, which
was represented by the Hon. r. GUM
ness. unionist. he being defeated BY ii.
G. Chancellor.
The unionist leaders who ran yesterday.
including A. ]. Balfour. A. Bonar Law.
Walter Hume Long and Sir William
Bull-Sir William being the man who
caused a diversion by engaging In
fist fight recently with a heckler at Ham,
their seats by increased
majorities.
Close Vote in Many Cases.
The polling was remarkably close.
however in many constituencies. H. +.
Duke. the noted barrister, for example.
won Exeter from the liberals by the mar
row majority of 20. while in Peckham
division of Camberwell, Henry Cuhitt
Gooch who secured a majority of more
than 1000 in the recent by-election.
retains his seat by bare hundred. One
liberal retained his seat by majority
of only ten.
The general view Of yesterdays battle
bears out the forecast. The north 10
solid for the government: the midlands
section. especially in the vicinity OF Bir-
mingham. favors tariff reform. The vic
tory of the unionists AT Walsall points
to an extension of Joseph Chamberlain's
policy.
The metropolis. which after the by
elections, which all went in favor of the
unionists, was expected to make clean
turnover. is displaying a remarkably
slight variation I'm representation. AL
though the liberals are not obtaining the
majorities that they did in 1896.