Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-16
LIBERAL-UNIONIST FIGHT On
General Election Being Held in Sixty
Six English Constituencies.
MANCHESTER POINT OF INTEREST
Manufacturing Town Has Heretofore
Been Strongly Liberal, but OPP
position IL Making Hard
Struggle for II.

LONDON, Jan. 15.--The first round In
the general elections was fought today In
siNty-six constituencies returning seventy
four meInbers Of Parliament. In 1905 these
Constituencies returned forty-nine liberal,
seventeen unlonist and eight labor candi-
dates. That today's polling will show
considerable change In the party figures
| is generally conceded, as the election is
being contested with entirely new lists and
the fight has been so bitter that much
larger number-of votes undoubtedly was
polled.
| Everything today favored a heavy bal
lotlng, The weather was clear and the
party workers made every effort TO bring
out the voters and the number Of early
voters very large. II was expected
ttat the rush to the polls would be greater
during the afternoon when the workers re-
leased from office and factory recorded
their votes.
Seven more unionists became members
of the new Parliament this morning with
out contests, the liberals as usual offer
ing no opposition to the return OF members
! from the three universities of oxford,
Cambridge and Dublin and Speaker
Lcwther member of Penrith The nation
alists also scored one unionist election,
Patrick O'Brlen being chosen by acclama-
tion for Kilkenny.
| In the elections of today interest centers
at Manchester and vicinity, district
which heretofore has remained loyal to
free trade. Birmingham also voted today,
but those seats were secured by the
unionists
Waldorf Astor son Of William Waldorf
Astor. and Sir Henry Mortlmore Durand,
formerly ambassador to the United States,
made an uphill contest at Plymouth, where
tiey were faced with the necessity of over
coming a former liberal majority of 1857.
| Another formrr American, j. H. SeaveTn5
OF Boston, fought again for his seat, which
! he won in thu last election at Labreth,
Brixton division His prospects were not
so bright today, as he had strong oppo-
nent in the unionlst candidate d. Dalziel.
Two Features of Campaign.
The two outstanding features Of the
campaign have been the determination of
the liberals to concentrate the attention of
the people on the constitutional struggle
involved in the attempt of the peers to
control the public purse and the quick
realization by the conservatives that the
rejection of the budget had been a mistake.
Every effort was then made by the op-
position to change the issue and this Is
|
of new issues of a weak navy and the
danger of a German invation.
While under the influence of Joseph
Chamberlain tariff reform was pushed
forward as the unionlsts leading plank, on
this question the party presents a very
divided front Austen Chamberlain and
various unofficial Influences In the party
| going boldly out for the taxation of food,
| while Mr.. Balfour declined to commit him
self beyond the vague pledge that tariff
reform should not have the effect of en-
| hancing the cost Of living toward the work.
i ing classes. Mr.. Balfour has left his posi-
tlon open to strong attack from his oppo-
nents, because he has not given the slight
| est intimation or the details of his intended
| tariff program, save that he committed
himself to the assurance that no duty
would be placed on raw cotton.
| The campaign has been notable beyond
all previous election struggles in England
in the enormouse use of picture posters
and similar devices. The tariff reformers
open shops to display samples of foreign
imports dumped" into England.
| The House of Commons consists of $40
members, and taking into consideration the
three candidates returned unopposed yester-
day by the unionists, there still remain 667
seats tc be filled during the general cleo
tion. OF these England will return l62,
Wales 20, Scotland 70 and Ireland 1O3.
When Parliament was dissolved last Mon
day the composition of the house was as
follows: Observation-Disclosures, 365; labor,
81; pationallsts, 81; socialists, l. Total, 500.
Upiontsts, 16s. Ministerial majority, 1872.
There were two Irish vacancies at the
time of dissolution.