ELECTION HUMOUR

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 25 July 1929, Page 7

ELECTION HUMOUR

EXCHANGES IN BRITISH CONSTLTUENCES Then were occasional Hashes of wit and humour in. the course of the. general election campaign, writes a, 'London correspondent. One erf the. best stands to the credit erf Captain Renton, the Conservative candidate at Northampton. Captain Kenton is a young cavalry officer, a war hero, and very good-looking. He is unmarried. The fact caused a heckler at one of his meetings, to. ask "Is the candidate in favour cf a'tax on bachelors?" Captain Ronton turned the laugh by retorting, "1 am in favour of Mr Baldwin's policy—to put no taxes upon raw material." Thu success of (lie reply recalls the answer given by the Marquis of Carmarthen in a hand-fought battle at Brixton years ago, in reply to the question, "D,aes your mother knew you're out''" The words were from a current music-hall catch at the time, and the marquis was a tall, fair-headed youth, who owed his selection as a candidate more to his birth than to his experience. However, the marquis scored when he retorted, "Yes, and an Tuesday she'll know I'm in." A Labour candidate at Nottingham fell into a trap laid by a woman heckler, when sho elicited the promise, "If T get in, your husband will" have more work." "Are you sure?" asked the- woman. A wise man would have hesita.tod, but the Labour candidate plunged. "Quito sure." he declared. "What is your husband?" "A gravedigger," was the crushing reply. Mr J. H. Thomas, whose experience assured him that advantage over the man in the body of the hall which all good candidates enjoy, was accused of having "sold" the workers. Mr Thomas turned this heckler's plural into a singular by shaking' his head sadly and saying, "No, my friend. I did not sell you. There was no bid." A Labour success was achieved at the expense of Air Emrys-Evans, the Conservative candidate for West Leicester, where Mr Pethiek-Lawrence was standing in the Labour interest. A black cat walked into Mr Evans's chief

commiUce-vocmv, and look possession of a bundle of straw in the basement. Later in the contest three black kittens were added to. Mr Evans's potential supporters, a fact which was hailed as an omen at' victory being held to presage a three-figure, 'majority. The fact' was mentioned' at more than one Conservative meeting, until a Labour supporter pointed out that while the three black kittens might, be Conservatives at the moment, "Wait tijl they get their eyes open • they'll be Socialist at (lie end of the nine days."

•Mr D'cwar Gibb was following a forlorn hope at Greenock on behalf of the Conservatives. Mr Gibb chose to relylargely upon personal'canvassing. On one occasion ho'knocked at a door, and was greeted by an elderly Scotswoman, with a (lour expression which promised trouble. .Mr Dewar Gibb asked the old lady what she thought, of the four candidates. "I ha'c seen them a'," was the reply, "and thank guidness only yin can be. chosen." In Isle of Wight, Mr MacDonald, a descendant of Sir John 'MacDonald, a Prime Minister of Canada, won for Conservatism. At ope meeting a middleaged woman rose, and asked the, candidate whether he was in favour of votes for women. "Of course, of course!" he replied. Then, still puzzled by the question, he added, "They already have the vote,, 'you know." "Have I o. vote?" asked the woman. "I expect ?o," said tho' diplomatic candidate. "Oh," slie replied. "Then politics don't interest mo further." And she turned and' left the hall.