The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-21
Liberals Lose Ground But Still Have Working Majority in
 Parliament
OLD FASHIONED PEOPLt
 OF ENGLAND HEARD FROM
Liberals Will Lose the Big Majority They Had In Previous Parliament But Leaders Claim They
 Will Be Safe.

London, January 20.-The status of the parties according to the returns up to date in the general elections is as follows:
 Unionists, 1ss.
 Liberals. 137
 Laborites, 29.
 Nationalists. 53.
 Gains--Unionists, II; liberals, 10; laborites, l.
 The returns received during the day from 6S seats of which 5s were boiled Wednesday and 12 Thursday, show the following results:
 Cnionists, 34.
 Liberals, 1S
 Laborites, [.
 Nationalists, g.
 Gains-Unionlsts, IS.
 Thirteen unionist gains were in coun- ty seats, one in Scotland and one in Wales. If the unionists gain 22 of the 16s remaining seats the government will be dependent upon the votes of the nationalists and laborites to leg islate.
 Elections were held today for 4s
 
 provenca1 boroughs, 26 in English counties, eight in Scotland. three in Wales and in Ireland. Reports from only 12 of these were received tonight
 Standpatters Heard From.
 The old fashioned English country people, with their rock ribbed conser- vatism, their reverence for the nobility and their prejudices against the new fashioned socialism. were heard from today, and they gave decided boom to the conservative stock Tonight the unionists everywhere have taken cheer. The National Liberal club, which has been the center of liberal activity. has a less jubilant atmosphere than at any time since the elections began.
 The liberal government will return to power with a less convincing mandate for its policies from the country than 1t counted upon, if the present tendency prevails among the remainder of the voters the next few days. It's allies. the laborites and nationalists will prac- tlcally hold the balance of power and the Irish party particularly will be ih a position to dictate legislation.
 The proposal to reform the house of lords counted strongly among the coun- try people, perhaps more strongly than did tariff reform. Respect for the old institutions and the forms of govern ment is more deeply rooted there than In the cities with their labor unions following the socialistic innovations which are regarded with suspicion. Scotland and Wales, where non-con- formists abound, stand by the liberals but the counties have given general and even unionist gains, which have wiped out the> small liberal majorities in most of the doubtful boroughs.
 More Seats Contested.
 The results of the pollings for 5S seats yesterday were announced and today f more seats were contested, but returns from less than half of the latter have been reported tonight. London's last borough gave its verdict m favor of unionist. Westminster re-electing W. L. A. B. Burdett-Coutts, with his major ity nearly doubled The metropolis has s4 unionists, 26 liberals and 2 laborites, whereas in 1906, 3s liberals were elected in London, 21 unionists and 8 labor ites.
 The popular vote in 1906 was unionists. 26S. 167; liberal, s,Sl0; labor, 25,472 The popular vote this year in London is nnionists, SSs,773; liberal, 25l,2s1, and la Dor, 30046.
 J. Henniker Heaton. the father of penny postage retained his Canter- bury seat by only 2l votes, having an in- dependent unionist competing for the party's support. Sir James IT. Dalziel proprietor of the Reynolds newspaper. keeps his Scottish seat for the liberals by a greatl yincreased majority. Arthur H. Lee, formerly military attache of the British embassy at Washington, retains his seat as a unionist for the south Fare ham division of Hampshire. Capt H. Spencer Clay, unionist, whose wife Is daughter of William Waldorf Astor de- feated the late liberal member, A. P Hodges The Rt Hon. Herbert Lewis Samuel, under secretary for the home of- fee, was returned in Yorkshire, North Riding, Cleveland division.
 Lloyd George Confident.
 The Rt. Hon. A. Ire, attorney general, who has been the most severely attacked candidate in the campaign since MT. Balfour denounced him as liar for questioning whether the conservatives would maintain the old age pensions. was indorsed by his Linlithgowshire con stituents by strong vote. Lief Jones. liberal, leader of the extreme temper ance party and largely responsible for the recent licensing bill. was defeated in the Appleby division of West Moreland and the trade rejoices.
 ''I am quite confident of the result throughout the country. said Chancel- Tor Lloyd George at Bangor tonight. After all. the standard of 1916 was quite abnormal and we cannot expect to fnain- tain it. If We judge by the standard of other general elections 1t will be found that the liberals have a good working majority"
 The chancellor said it was remarkable that the most progressive commercial comm,lnifies voted for frea frada E7lp-