New-York tribune., 1910-12-03
UN|ONSTS HOPE FOR
V|CTORY'S OMEN TO-DAY
First Contested Elections for
New Commons Seem to
Favor Them.
EFFECT OF BALFOUR'S MOVE
By Subjectlng Tariff Reform TO
a Referendum He Has
United Forces Against
Home Rule.
CBy Marconi Aerogram TO The Tribune>

need TO make a net gain Of ten seats
by midnight in order to have the as
suranCe of winning the eighty seats re-
quired for a working. majority. They
viii be favored in the first days cleo
tions. for there are ninety Liberal seats
held by majorities of less than 900 and
only eleven Unionist seats which are
equally insecure
This proportion will not hold for the
election as a whole, for the number of
Unionist seats that were won by slen-
der majorities last January exceeds by
at least a half dozen the number Of un-
safe Liberal seats 1t viii he great
advantage for the Unionists to start off
with a net gain on the first day. and
they expect to do it. and thereby to af-
feet the result in the constituencies yet
unpolled.
The general results Of the elections
have been rendered more uncertain by
the bewildering manpuvres of Mr.. Bal
four this week While he has succeeded
in efecting a concentration Of his forces
against Home Rule by subjecting tariff
reform to the operation of a referen-
dunn, he has also discouraged fight
ing section of his party. rapid ex-
change of telegrams between him and
Austin Chamberlain followed his pledge
in his speech at Albert Hall, and good
relations have been restored. but the in
crease of stress laid upon tariff reform
by the leader has not satisfied his more
ardent followers
Jnionist gains are expected as re-
suit of the concentration Of the moder-
ate men of both parties against Red
mond's supreme power in British poll
ties.
Experienced politicians DO not antici-
nate however, that these VIII suffice
for the restoration of the Unionists to
power.
London. Dec. The few days of discus
sion in the general election campaign
leaves il clear that the Liberals as party
wfiI have rome Of q referendum on tartn
reform. All the Liberal leaders. from
Premier Asouith and Lord President of the
Council Morley down, in their pubhc
speeches since the pronouncement of a. j.
BaIfour, the Opposition leader. of his will
dunn. have frankly deprecated the referen-
dunn as being unsuited TO Great Britain.
and as tending to destroy the responsibility
Of representative institutions
Meantime however. further familiarity
with the idea has had the effect of uniting
the whole Unionist party and press in its
favor, and Mr.. Baifour's courage in adopt
ing ii is hailed now as having secured for
of Of
at the elections II is d curious fact that
at the time OF the rupture of the recent
veto conference an inspired statement in
THE Times asserted that both sides to
the conference had rejected the idea of a
referendum.
If that be the case Mr.. Balfour's decision
must have been afterthought. and it is
asserted in well informed quarters to-
night that he first consulted Joseph Cham
herlain and secured his acquiescence before
proceeding temporarily TO shelve tariff re-
form by urging recourse 10 the referen-
dunn.
Campaigning was again in full blast to-
night Mr.. BaIfouT n the course of his
speech at Grimsby declared that no Irish
man would thank the people for an indie
pendent Irish Parliament unless it were
accompanied by a British subsidy"
Mr. Birrell. Chief Secretary for Ireland,
criticising the referendum proposal in
speech at Bristol. said that it would have
10 be accompanied by universal suffrage.
There were other questions, Mr.. BirrelI
said besides the tariff and Home Rule.
Were the Tories. he asked. prepared to
submit t. a referendum the questions of
navy and army expenditure, conscription.
capital punishment, the naturalization of
railways and the budget?
Among the amusing episodes of the cam
paign was one tonight at Ipswich where
David Lloyd-George, Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer. repudiated the assertion of the
Unionists that he had sold his estate in
Sussex for $4,000 and invested the pro-
ceeds in American securities
John Burns. President of the Local Gov
ernment Board, in address at Finsbury.
expressed the belief that ''Mr Balfour is
cunning old free trader at heart"
The nucleus of the new House of Com
mons was formed to-day by the unopposed
nomination and consequent return Of
eleven Unionists and four Radicals. All
were members of the last House. so there
has been no transfer of seats from one
rartv 70 the other
The Unionists elected include Joseph
Chamberlain Birmingham; A J. Balfour,
City of London: George Wyndham, Dover
and J. s Harmood Banner, Liverpool; :;
while Thomas Burt long the representa-
tive of the miners in Morpeth, comes back
on the Liberal side.
A A Haworth had an unexpected walk
over in South Manchester, P. X. Glaze
brook the Unionist candidate. turning up
six minutes after the time for fling nomi-
nations had expired. Glazebrook
pIained that ne had thought that the hours
for filing nominations were from L TO
o'clock but his protest was disallowed. and
F4aworth was declared elected
Tomorrow will see seventy polls The
constituencies are so scattered throughout
the. United Kingdom that the results should
furnish a fair index of the feeling of the
cc1;ntrv Thirty-six of these seats formerly
were held by Liberals. twenty-six by Union
is and eight by Laborites. In many cases
the ma jorities We're small that the YER
dict of January last may easily be reversed.
one Inionist forecast is a net gain of
thirty seats and Unionist optimsts see the
possibility of an anti-government landslide
However. the confidence Of the Liberals In
a return to power with undiminished
coalition majority is mistaken.
Belfast, Dec. 2-The Ulster Unionist
Council this afternoon decided in view of
the Irish political crisis. TO invite tenders
for the immediate delivery of arms and am
Continued Oh second PAGE.