Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-12-07
n " lg E1a ~ "a u ~ 7
Is Now Predicted for Brit
sh Government.
Il Makes Slight Gains Tuesday
-.299 Seats Filled.
The Liberal Gains Prove the Sur
prise Of the Campaign.

London, Dec. 6.---At the close of to-
tdays polling the complexion of the
House of Commons stood as follows:
Government coalition-Liberals LOG ::
[Laborites 20; Nationalist 2G. Total
l152
observation-disclosures 147.
A situation has been develo:,od al
most phenomenal in the closene-s of
coalition party and the Unionists. The
pendulum swing slightly toward the
government today. and the result of
three days voting. in which 299 seats
have been filled, gives the coalition one
more member than they had in the
| last Parliament from the same con-
| stituencies. Up to last night, the
Unionists had a clear gain of five. H..
The returns tonight showed that the
Unionists had regained st. Helens from
the Liberals. This borough, with the
exception Of last election, had been
Unionist since 1906. The Liberals
gained Southwark (We>D, Burnley and
Coventry. and the Laborites gained
Woolwich and White Haven. all from
the Cnionists, while this mornings re-
turns from Sunderland showed that the
Liberal candidate. Greenwood, and the
Laborte Goldstone had replaced the
two tnioniSts there. The turning of
the tide. toward Liberalism is a sur.
prise and great disappointment to
the Cnionists, who counted upon cap
turing half a dozen seats from the
enemy. The greatest surprise was in
Coventry, because that is the seat of
motor manufacturing and the protec-
tionists had put great stress on their
plea that tariff reform would prevent
the growing competition from .Ameri-
can machines.
The Liberals hardly expected to win
Burnley. but the Socialist Hindman
was in the field and hoped to take part
of the labor vote The battle in WOOL
witch was one of the hardest.
The Unionists Concentrated their
heavy fire on Battersea. but John
Burns. president of the local govern
ment board, again surprised them,
bringing up his majority from 555 in
the last election to 1899. The Socialist
Shaw, whom Mr.. Burns enemies
among the workmen put up in the eX-
pectation that he would divide the
vote, nolled a mere handful. John
Burns dashed around the CONTINGENCY
all day in an automobile. Sir John
Harrington. the Unonist' candidate,
and his wife, followed suit in another
Mr.. Burns appealed to his friends:
Don't be taken in by the blandish-
ments of fine ladies' who visit the mean
streets only when they want some
thing"
Almost everywhere fewer ballots
were cast than in the last election
More Liberals than Unionists stayed
away from the polls.
Excluding the districts which chang
ed their complexions, the Cnionists i.
made relative gains in IS. the Liberals
Ill l., the Socialists in London did
poorly. none commanding 500 votes.
An impressive lesson of the campaign
Is how strongly British voters are
welded to their parties. how slow they
are to break away. though the parties
change their platforms radically. The
newspapers appear exercised over their
surprisingly small influence and those
with the largest circulation champion
ed the Cnionist cause yet they were
unable to make material inroads on
the Liberals and Laborites
Betting on the Stock Exchange be-
lore election was that the coalition
majority would drop to 65. AS the
elections progressed the betting favor
ed So, then 80. 1t now comedies that
the government will have LOG majority.