UNIONIST VICTORY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2155, 22 May 1914, Page 6

UNIONIST VICTORY

The British Unionists _ have ' won another by-election, haying wrested tic North-.East Derbyshire seat- from the Labour Party, There Was also a Liberal candidate in the field, and ha secured second placc, At tiro last General Election tho scat was won for Labour after a straight-out contest against ft. Conservative eartdi* date, and in view of this fact the announcement that the Liberals intended to put a- man in the field on the present occasion was strongly resented by the Labour Party, Mlt. Ramsay MacDonaj,!) declaring that the Liberals bad insultingly thrown down the gauntlet. The Labour

Party would take it tip and intend-

cd (to contest avcry constituency , whore it had a hold undeterred by the convenience of any other party. Taken as a whole the by-elections have been disastrous to the Asquitm Government, nnd a win at the present juncture would have been very helpful, "The !Jomc Rule'question must have been one of the main issues before tho electors of North-East Derbyshire, and tho result indicates that the country ought to be consulted before the great constitutional changes which are now being forced through Parliament arc put into operation, _ Tho following table recently published in the London Times shows the steady' decline of the Government majority on tho Irish question in the present Parliament:--* Government Majority at last Gen-

cm! Election 12G Majority for 1912 Home Hale Bill, second reoiliop 101 Majority for 1913 Bill S8 Nominal G<avernw*nt majority, 3-911 sis l-kjority for 1911 Bill Bfi' Natjonalijits voting for KM- Bill 75 Government majority, independent of Nationalist allies 5 Even if the exclusion of Ulster, nnd' a settlement of tho. Irish problem on a federal basis should ix- agreed to among the various Parliameukiry groups, it is almost unthinkable that such a inofiwntons ami far-reaching alteration in tho government of the United Kingdom should bo made without giving the, people an tippnr* tunity of expressing their wishes by means of a General Election. As a matter of fact, the naturo of the Government's final propo&als for tho nwdificalion of their Home Ruls scherar: has not yet been disclosed, and Sir. Edward' Caisson's latest utterance is by bo moans reatsuvinj?. The chief hope rsmaiuing is that the,

concussions'■■contained " ill. Mn. As-ij-Tia'u (unending liill will bo sufficiently generous u> form the basis of a settlement.'