ELECTION INCIDENTS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7971, 23 February 1906, Page 7

ELECTION INCIDENTS.

Judging by the reports oontained in, papers to hand by last week's mail, there must have been some "lively doings" throughout the constituencies during the British election. Shoreditch, for instance, was evidently very much in earnest about its politics. Perhaps nowhere was the struggle keener than in Hoxton. Turbulent scenes were witnessed nightly outside the Conservative and Radical club houses, which are only a few doors apart. Fervid partisans congregated i a front of their respective rallying points, and lustily sang election ditties—parodies of popular songs, cleverly adaDted to local circumstances. Both parties were well provided with versos. The rival concerts seem to have been conducted with very, good humour, and the younger members of the population took unqualified delight in both. To the tune of "Blue Bell" urchins were everywhere singing: Good-bye, my 'Enery, Farewell again, We can't be taken in By tricks so plain. When the booths are open on polling day, We shall be voting For our own Claude Hay. The Radical retort is an amusing adaptation of "Dolly Gray,"a popular song at the time of the last election. The last two lines of the chorus ran: Chinese labour isn't wanted; a tax on food won't pay. Henry Ward's the man for Hoxcon I Good-bye, Claude Hay. Excellent topical songs, set to the tones of "Bonnie Dundee," "Tommy Atkins," and "Tramp, Iramp, Tramp, the Boys are March- * ing," were issued by the Unionists, but the piece that "caught on" most is a witty parody on a Cockney song, entitled, "Oldyerrow." The chorus is: 'Old yer row, 'old yer row, 1 ain't said a word about 'arf wot's ocourred. 'o!d yer row. Wot d'er say? Why, there's nobody in Hoxton more liked than Claude Hay. These musical amenities were harmless enough, but on at least one occasion they figured prominently in an ugly encounter between some of the' more vehement of the rival partisans. Mr Claude Hay held a highly successful meeting in the Town Hail, and afterwards addressed a large gathering in Hoxton Square. Returning along Pitfleld Street, at a late hour, some fifty of the Unionist candidate's supporters fell in with a large body of Radicals, marching in pioceesion in the opposite direction. They were headed by a man dressed as a Chinese coolie, who was vigorously beating a real Cninese drum. Behind him were borne aloft a huge loaf and other Radical emblems, with the banner of the Borough of Shoreditch Political Council, 7 and some fifty of the processionists carried lighted Chinese lanterns on stout 4ft poles. As if all this were not sufficiently provocative, the demonstrators were lusti'y singing one of their election ditties, the chorus of which ends with: Henry Ward's the man for Hoxton. Gojd-bye, Claude Hay. When they sighted the enemy, the Unionists at ocoe struck up, to the tune of "Good-bye little girl, good-bye": Good-bye, Henry Ward, good-bye. Don't cry, Henry Ward, don't cry, Hoxton means to stiok to Hay, Spite of all you've got to aay, So good-bye, Henry Ward, good-bye. Presently a rush was made for the Chinaman, but he sprinted off at a great pace, and made good his es cape, drum and all. In the ensuing melee the big loaf was captured, and later thrown into the shop of the baker with a German name, who sapplied it. The Ward party usedjtheir lantern poles with some effect, but fortunately no one was seriously hurt. Nothing more, however, was '•■ seen of the procession. Compared with this sore of thing our own quiet little o ontests are models of propriety.