Evening star., 1924-11-09

II Is Dy the vote OIL tne
two major parties in the recent cleo
tions, rather than by measuring seats,
that one must estimate the real
strength of Labor and its gains.
Looking back over 25 years, which
cover the history of the La Dor party,
tho statistics of vote and seats are
as follows:
Year Seats Vote
1900. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 900
lN6. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. ~ 323NO
~" .-....'-''.-'...... ~ nnn
1915. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. - oo45 600
in-, ~, 'oss 80
lE-S- ....-.....-..... 192 4.54Sbn
1874 $50 SOC. 900
On the basis of proportional repre-
sentation Labor would have had in
the last House of Commons approxi-
mately $50 seats, it had 1872. On the
same basis it would have in the new
House 100 seats. and it has $50. The
Tories who polled around 10000
votes captured some 400 seats, but
on the basis of the vote they were
entitled to but 263. Labor, then. in
the last election. gained little less
than 100000 votes and lost some 40
seats, whereas a year ago it gained
but $4,000 votes. but increased its
holding by 40 seats.
Seats Not Criterion.
Roughly speaking, Labor controls
little less than one third of the
British electorate, which numbers
10000, 900; the Tories some As per
cent. but such is the distribution of
electorates in Britain that the
measure of party strength is very
rarely disclosed by the number of
seats held in the House of Commons
y year ago the Liberals, affronted by
the Tory adoption of protection
tacitly withdrew candidates in many
districts and thus threw the election
there to Labor, this year the process
was reversed and the Tories profited
by the Liberal hostility to Labor.
Nevertheless, and this is the out
standing fact, the great gain in
voting was Labor's.
Moreover. in the recent election
Labor realized its real objective,
which was the destruction of the
Liberal party. Two years ago it dis
placed the Liberals as his majestys
opposition. but that was in part due
to the split in the Liberal party. Then
Labor held l+2 seats, as contra sted
with III for the tWo factions of the
Liberals. Last year the relative
Etrength was 1872 and l5S. But this
Year Labor retains $50 seats. while
the Liberals have fallen to something
more than 40.
Will Govern Again.
The English voter who desires to
register his protest against the Tory
government in the future then has
no choice but to vote with Labor. For
the moment this certainly gives the
Tories an advantage, for, as 1 have
indicated, only third of the British
electorate favorS Labor, but in the
longer view assuming that Labor
does not explode into factional fight
ing, which is unlikely, the disap-
pearance of the Liberals insures
another Labor government, this time
with working majority Of it's own.
Thus far has the Labor party come
in two years, and as a consequence
of three elections-and, in addition,
it has had more than nine months Of
office, while it was still a minority
party.
1 emphasize these mathematics Of
the recent election because it seems
to me there has been on this side of
the Atlantic too great readiness to dis
miss Labor as terribly defeated, and,
therefore. utterly discredited. where
as Labor had to get rid Of the Lib
erals before it could actually chaI-
1enge the Tories and II has now done
this Losing its tenure of office was
losing what was a mere accidental
possession, but capturing the stand of
the official opposition henceforth be-
Eond challenge is a gain it can hold.
Tranquility Promised.
The overwhelming majority which
the Tories have obtained in the House
of Commons would seem to promise
fve years Of "transquillity." Mr.. Bald
wins word, which aproximates in
significance the late President Hard
ing's 'normalcy." Not only is there
little doubt that this is what the Brit
ish majority DESIRES but the fact is
that this is the second chance that
majority has given the Tories When
L the coalition broke up two years ago,
4 The ensuing election provided the
Tories with A safe majority of rs.
II With the late Bonar Law as prime
4 minister, this seemed to insure five
|. YEARS of Tory rule, for Bonar Law
Il was a shrewd. cautious and ex-
B nfrienced politician.
\ L! But Bonar Law was forced to retire,
a already marked down by death, and
Y his successor, Stanley Baldwin, was
! not only inexperienced, but promptly
! made the colossal blunder of adopting
/, pr election and appealing to the peo-
! ple on this issue. He was bound to
make the appeal if he adopted the
tissue. for the Tories had pledged
! themselves not to make change
I without submission to the people. The
5 result was supreme disaster for the
Tories and chaos for the country, for
no majority was had by any one of
the three parties. So finally came a
minority government with the Labor
party in and the Liberals supporting
them.
zH Through With Minorities.
y Beyound much question one Of the
driving forces which brought about
I the latest election result was the de-
sire of the British people to have done
with minority rule, for no minority
party, however ably led or sound in
principle can accomplish much-and
enormous amount to be accomplished.
lind since there was no chance of
Labor victory which would provide a
clear majority, the single solution for
the situati was a Tory victory.
Britain thus rejects the three party
or bloc system, which obtains in all
continental countries of Europe and
threatens in the United States. 1t has
voted to continue the old two-party
system, which is eonsonant with it's
history and its political machinery.
Isut it has at the same time abolished
an old and until recently enormously
powerful party which had ruled
Britain for 10 years when the World
War broke and only yielded to coali-
ton in 1915. Thus the party of Glad
stone has made way for that of Ram