The New York herald., 1922-11-17
CHURCHILLLO TO
DRY IN WET DUNDEE
Defeat of Ex-Colonial Secre-
tary Severest Blow to
Lloyd George.
Copyright, 1929, bU TIE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau J
London, Nov. IL Friday). +

/
New York Herald Bureau.
London, Nov. IL Friday).
The great jolt of the election came
| in the defeat of Winston Spencer
Churchill. Colonial Secretary in the late
| Government, by Edwin Scrymgeour, a
prohibitionist. in the Dundee constitu-
| ency.
| Churchill, the most formidable man
Fof the opposition after Lloyd George,
is relegated to political obscurity by a
! local dreamer OF a man who was
brought up on the banks of tha River Dee,
known the world over for the fine brands
Of whisky sent down It's channel man
! who VIII now enter Parliament as the
| first prohibit!onist ever to take a seat
| at Westminster.
1t is the greatest drama of the cam
paisn. 1t is more than that: it Is the
best joke in all England tonight. In the
streets and the trans, but especially the
pubs, II Is the chief subject of converse
ton, mostly with merriment as to how
the Anglo american Churchill came to
be humbled in such circumstances. when
he particularly was counted upon to sit
on the opposition bench with, Lloyd
George and with his remarkable gifts
for parliamentary procedure make the
going difficult for the new Government.
II,
straightforward Scotsman who gave up
his business many years ago TO devote
all his energies to anti-liquor propa =
ganda, and now at 55 he is secretary
to the Scottish Prohibition party and
One OF the most prominent leaders Of the
movement. In the first stages of his
fight for Parliament he received little
encouragement and his vote was only q
few hundred. But he persevered, and
| in the 1918 election reached several
thousand votes. Still nobody espe-
cially nobody in Dundee. took him seri-
ously. Yet he nursed his constituency
and the result is seen in his remarkable
majority of more than 10000 Defeat
was bad enough for the Churchill party
but this majority was received by them
In blank amazement
In the last contest Scrymgeour ran
also as an independent Laborite. which
perhaps gave him moro attention: but
the real secret Of his success is ex-
planned tonight as the womans vote.
1t is a repetition Of the experience in
many sections OF America The women
In this district. which outside OF Glas-
gov probably is the most drunken in all
I the Isles, exercised the suffrage and
went 10 the polls with something of the
philosophy that made America dry.
There were recounts. but the crowds
soon learned later figures could not
alter the result. Mr.. Churchill arrived
for the counting, smiling cl1eerfuily and
hopefully, for no one dreamed what
an overwhelming defeat awaited him.
As the ballots were counted he became
feverishly anxious. and moved from
table 10 table gravely surveying the
oallots, with mountains for the opposi-
ton as compared with his accumula-
tions.
Then his attitude changed. He be-
came fighter. wrathful and resentful,
as became a man blamed In many quar-
,ers for the Gallipoli campaign and the
recent Near East policy OF Mr.. Lloyd
George. Finally. convinced OF his de-
feat he was a pathetic figure, sitting
IN the corridor In no mood for con-
versation with any one. II was appar-
ent his highest dreams were scattered.
lie listened 70 tho cheering outside for
his opponent and seemed TO feel the
bitterness kcenly. There we're traces
Of tears in his hitherto flashing eyes.
Winston Churchills downfall Is
ascribed TO his accepted belligerent ten
dencies; and he is blamed particularly
for the famous manifesto 10 tho domin-
ions asking support in the event Of Near
Eastern complications.