Evening star., 1922-11-15
MILLIONS SWARM
TO BRITISH POLLS;
BETS FAVOR LAW
Results So Uncertain, How
ever, Few Predict-Premier
Demands Majority.
By the Associated Press.

by tne hSSOclhteQ fresS.
LONDON. November 15-The electo-
rate of Great Britain swarmed to the
polls by the millions today in Eng
land. Scotland. Wales and Ulster to
elect the fourth parliament of the
reign Of King George v. The polls
opened at 8 o'clock-an hour earlier
than that in some big industrial CEN
ters-and by 9 o'clock tonight the new
house of commons will have been Sc
lected.
No eleventh hour development has
lessened the uncertainty of the result
The few prophets who venture fore
casts tie strings to their predictions
1t is therefore something of a sur
prise to the public that Prime Minis
ter Bonar Law in his final speech at
Glasgow yesterday discarded his ma
tive caution and declared that he had
every considerable confidence" that
the elections would give him q work.
ing majority today on which he can
depend. He made 1t clear that he
would be dissatisfied with anything
less than an Independent unionist MT
jority. Experienced observers nc
where express strong confidence in
such a result, however.
Betting Favors Laws Party.
Gamblers, betting on the election re-
suits in the London insurance mar
ket yesterday, had to pay a rate which
indicated that a majority of conser-
vatives and independent unionists
over all other parties was regarded
as almost certain, but the odds were
Z to against the expectation that
conservatives would get a majority
Of eighty or more.
The morning papers today earnest
ly appeal to the electors to exercise
their franchises. and to take nothing
papers express considerable fear Of
apathy among the electorate. They
are particularly concerned lest the
middle class Of housekeeping women,
whose first interests are their fami-
lies neglect the opportunity to cast
their vote against labor.
Slogan Against Labor.
At the last parliamentary elections
it was estimated that only about 60
per cent Of the electors went to the
polls. Opponents of labor fear that
unless more energy is displayed to-
udy, ldUOTllcS WILL Ocuclll, cIuCS
their organization is believed to be
very complete. From the unionist
newspapers goes up the earnest cry:
whatever you do. don't vote labor"
Lloyd George, too. is strong in his
opposition to the 1aborite program.
In an overnight message to the eiec-
tors he urged them to support can
didates who are opposing socialism
lat IN, hn tn 1f he
labor party"
Il am looking forward to the return
Of men of progressive ideas as a bull
wark against reaction on the one
hand and revolutionary experimental
tions on the other" said the message
of the little Welshman. who only a
few weeks ago was the prime min
lister of Great Britain.
Hit Robin Hood Program.
+, The Daily Chronicle. an ardent sup
porter Of Lloyd George. stresses the
same thought in it's editorials. urging
its readers not to vote for labor un-
less such a ballot afford the only
chance of defeating the die-hards
THE labor party had a foolish
Robin Hood program forced upon them
by their fanatics" according to the
Daily Chronicle. .If anybody wants
the labor party eventually to prosper,
he cannot do them greater service
than to vote against them now"
Laborites Are Confident.
On the other hand, the Asquithian
Daily News pleads with the electors to
vote liberal where there is liberal
candidate. Otherwise, 1t would have
them vote labor. The Daily News and
the Westminster Gazette, leading
champions of independent liberalism
among the press of the capital. main
tain that the great feature of the
electoral campaign has been the
renaissance Of liberalism. They de-
clare that serene confidence exists
among the liberals.
Urging the claims of labor, the
Daily Herald tells its readers that the
laborite program will insure peace.
fair play and work for all at reason
able wages and with reasonable hours.
Answering the objection that the
country could not pay Tor 1t all. the
newspaper says the labor program
would pay for itself "once the nation
gets rid of fearful burdens hung
around the necks Of the people by
had weather Comes.
Rad weather caused anxiety to party
agents In some country districts the
fog which has hung over England
for several days had given way to
rain.
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