The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-12-30
INSURANCE BILL
CAUSE OF UNREST
First By-Election Since Passage of
Measure Goes to Tories by
Small Majority.
The Constituency, However, has
Generally Passed From One
Side to the Other.
Extension of Suffrage May Bring
About Vast Changes Within
Next Decade.

I. p. O'Connor, MP, in his special
London cable to the Chicago Tribune
of December %, says:
The election in Ayreshirc, ending in
Il tory victory, as | feared, is bad
blow to the government, especially AS
it follows two other defeats.
Everybody on the liberal side was
against forcing such an election in a
tickle constituency, but the claims of
the Office seekers were impossible to
resist and thus All electoral disaster
was almost invited. The result will Ger
tainly be to encourage still further the
palpablc increase OF the courage of the
opposition and harden the fight next
year against home rule.
There is the consolation that the
seat always is passing from one side to
the other and usually is represented
ia. tory and the majority is small.
I he renewed courage of the opposl-
ton is partly due to the recent sue
cess in by-clections which have now
raised the tories to the most numerous
single party in the house of commons
though the coalition still retains Il ma
jority of more than 100.
Law Represents Party's Views.
Another factor is the substitution Of
Bonar Law for A. J. Balfour, Though
Law is intellectually inferior to Bal
four, his clear conviction In favor Of
tariff protection represents the main
body OF the tory opinion and therefore
it relieved the international dssensiOns
which made Balfour's leadership i'm
possible and kept his party in con-
slant state of division and irritation.
But there is no reason for serious
app. chcnsion for next year. The by
elections exercise always a powerful
but transient influence on such NOR
bidy sensitive plants as the house Of
commons.
The serious part, however, Of this
by-ccct!un is that it is the first since
the passage OF the Lloyd George in
surancc act and that it will confirm
the uneasy feeling common among
many liberals that the measure, while
is bad clectionecring measure and
cannot set into working order or bring
good returns for several years hence.
In the meantime the employers and
employees will have to contribute For
this reason the yellow tory press Is
concentrating it's entire attack on the
governments Insurance act and the
Daily Mail. which has a good nose for
the passing whims of the foolish cleo
ton OF the people, devotcs columns
daily to INSCRIPTIONS and mendaciOus
attacks on the act and Lloyd George
Effect on Lloyd George.
Another interesting result of the loss
cf Ayreshirc is the effect on the flu
ture fortunes of Lloyd George, who, al
this moment, is more prominently be-
itcian. He is loved and hated with
equal fury.
His own cOuntrymcn are preparing 8
, national testimonial, while on the 9th.
er hand many tories, even well-brec
women, express open regret that Tho
rufIian who assaulted him the Other
. day did not kill him.
, Everybody acknowledges his un.
: cqualled force Of character, tenacit1
of purpose and adroitncss with whicl
. he carried his bill. and everybody con.
fcsses ne is the only man In public
life who could do it, but II the bill
, results in serious clectionccring losses
his fame, now at its zenith, may di
, minsf.
>ut he has too much courage to re
. main down more than short time
and he retains the strongest chance o
reaching the premiership if Asquitl
J, should drop out in the next few years
! The Ayreshire election caused :
, small break in the general indifference
t to all politics which comes to England
( at Christmas tide, when turkeys AM
: toys occupy more attention than tn
l gravest affairs Of state.
t Glory Of CeciIs Fades.
The family Of the Cecils has ono