ELECTION OUTLOOK.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 651, 30 October 1909, Page 5

ELECTION OUTLOOK.

BERMONDSEV, BAROMETER. UNIONIST WINS ON MINORITY VOTE. THREE-CORNERED FIGHT.(By Tdejrajih-Prejß ABnooiatlon-OopyrlshtJ (Roc. October 20, 10.10 y.m) London, October 29. Tho by-election for Bormondßcy division of Southwark, South-East London, rendered vacant by tho death of Dr. G. J. Cooper (Liberal), who won tho scat in 1900 in a dual contest by, -, 1759 votes, rosultod in tho return of tho . , Unionist and Tariff Reform candidate after 9 triangular contest' Tho voting was:— > " Mr. J. Dumphreys (UnionUt and T.R.).. 4278 ' Mr. S. H. Hughes (Liberal) 3291 Dr. Salter (Soolallst) , „ Uii ■ Unionist Majority ... ... ... ".„ - 98J r . Liberal Majority. In 1906 ,tM ~...• 1759 1 Tho Opposition papers aro jubilant, regarding ' " Bormondsey as a political barometer indicating '> the feeling of tho constituencies as a whole. ' It is pointed out that the' Bermondsey soat alwajs swings in sympathy with the national feeling, having been. Liberal at tho 1892 poll, 1 Unionist at'the 1895' and 1000 polls, and being, again Liberal in 1906. , ,',,.,,, , t Tho "Daily Chronicle" (Liberal), referring to tho three-cornered contest and tho fact that ,' tho Unionists havo not an absoluto majority of, tho lotos cast, declares that tho result lllue-' tratestho failure of tho British representativa, Bystem and tho need of electoral reform. ' - [Tho Unionists rolled 4278 votes, or 1272 more votes than they polled in 1906, but SU) not .1 majority of the votes cast, as Liberal and Socialist >otcs added together amount to 4726. Tho Liberal \oto is 1484 lea than it ' was in the dual contest in 1906, and coinci. dently the Socialist \ota amounts to 1435, The wresting of a seat from tho Liberals ai this etago, and particularly Beimondeoy, is ' bound to be proclaimed by Unionists and Tariff Reformers as a p,ailcnt of,tho general election* believed to bo pending.] TARIFF REFORMERS V. FREE-FOODERS.

A WAY OUT. i BLACKBURN INVITES LORD E. CECIL AND ME BOWLES. -, , London, October 28. , Tho difficulty that confronted two 'Unionist' Tree fooder iiicmbors of Parliament, Lord Hob. ert Cecil (Marjlobono EasJ) and Mr. G, S. Bowles (Norwood),'owing to' Tariff Reformers-" "• in their constituencies insisting on runninff Tariff Reform candidate, has ]?ocn solvtd.' ' " Tho Unionists at Blackburn, Lancashire, h&v* invited Lord Koboit Cccihand Mr. Bowles t* »*'■ stand for tho two Blackburn seats, now held by Sir Win ilornby (Unionist) and Mr, Philip' *' Snowden, a prominent member .of the Labour ~, party. , . •' ' ' ,' • ■•" » Sir Wm. Hornby will not Beck re-election. • V\., CThoro arc" other Unionist rroo-fooder mem* bers who hold out against Tariff Reform, "nob-' v ' ably the Hon. F. W. Lambton, M.P. for Southt east Durham. In tho casa of Mr. Abel IL. Smith, Frce-fooder M P.' for Hertford, it tw v "• rccentlj cabled that ho would not stand ai next eleotion.] ,