The New York herald., 1922-11-16
GAY LONDON CROWDS
WATCH THE RETURNS
Indifferently Cheer, No Matter
Who Was Announced as
Winner.

Special Cable to THE New York HERALD.
Copuioht 1899, by THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
London, Nov. 10.
Election night inspired In London a
scene of festivity which it has not seen
since the armistice celebration which
marked the close of the war in 1918.
West End held a carnival. The streets
were thronged with laughing, cheering
crowds which did not seem to care very
much which side was winning. but were
ready to cheer anything in the way or a
result flashed on screens in the proml-
nent squares.
In the hotels and cafes the people
danced and generally made merry with
an air of expectancy, but no figures
announced or registered on the boards
changed in the slightest degree the
wholesome enjoyment Any Clines sue
cess was cheered quite as much as a
Bonar Law score while a Lloyd George
announcement, whether success or fail
ure, never failed TO evoke a demon
stration in honor of the little Welsh
man. All over London were to be found
crowds which did not care much how
the election went but were most anxious
to celebrate. 1t has been many years
since the metropolis has seen such a
happy. carefree night as this.
Trafalgar square at 8 o'clock was
literally packed with humanity, COM
pletely blocking traffic at this important
point Piccadilly Circus was solid
mass of people. Here the gayety reached
its height with men and women In car
nival garb at times catching the bull
letins on the screens, but nothing that
was flashed on them could diminish
their bouyant spirits-they frolicked
and laughed and played as Piccadilly
can still at times play far into the
morning. Anything suggesting serious
ness over what was transpiring imme-
diately was submerged.
Lloyd George. Bonar Law. Asquith
and Clines were names menticned with
out prejudice. but only as a provoca-
ton for further demonstrations. This
state of affairs was well under way
long before definite conclusion of the
election was possible. It was not within
reason to make predictions, but the
crowd did not seem to care. Anything
In the nature of the result drew cheers.
At oxford Circus, where another
great throng gathered. the same senti-
ment prevailed. A labor gain got the
same result as a Bonar Law gain.
Lady Astor's name when flashed on
the screen caused a great outburst of
applause and Americans scattered in
the crowd felt a surge of pride. but
Immediately afterwards a labor gain
! came and the cheering was just as
lusty. The Strand. owing to several
screens became almost impassable af-
ter 10 o'clock and here again the
same gaiety prevailed.
Toward midnight the singing and
cheering groups marched through the
streets. but the police did not interfere.
What they We're cheering for was not
quite apparent, for the result then was
impossible to guess, but the mere idea
that this was return to the old times
seemed to carry London back to the good
old days, and Londoners met the stu-
alton as of old. Certainly the West
End transcribed it's gayety during the
recent armistice night celebration.
Though the campaign was surprisingly
dull It's climax proved surprisingly en-
thusiastic. Because II was so wide-
spread the gayety here did not quite re-
semble tho scenes in an American city
on a Presidential election night. II was
in many respects different from any
thing known at an American election
night, for here everybody was happy,
everybody was laughing, and the returns
made a secondary excuse TO celebrate.
Tonight this was a London such as II
has not been in many years, and this is
taken as healthy sign by the old
timers