A LIBERAL REVERSE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 231, 23 June 1908, Page 7

A LIBERAL REVERSE.

THE BY-ELSCTIONS TIDE.

STILL AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT,

PUDSEY SEAT LOST,

DY TBLEoiiArn—riiEß9 ABSOCJIATIOV—copvmain. London, June 21. The by-eleetion for Pudsoy Division of the West Riding of Yorkshire, caused by tho elevation to the Peerage of tho Chief Liborivl Whip' (tho Rt. Hon. Geo. Whitoloy) resulted:— Mr. Odtly (Conservative) BM Mr. Ogdon (Radical) 6331 Mr. Benson (Labour) 1291 Conservative majority 113 Mr. Oddy attributes his victory to tho feeling against tho Government on the fiscal reform and the' education questions and to general dissatisfaction with tho Government.

big turnover of votes. , At tho last election 'for Pudsoy Division of Yorkshire, the retiring member, Mr. lieo. Whiteley, was elected by the following figures Mr. G. Whiteley (Liberal) 70« Liout-Col. C. Ford (TJnionist) 3jil

Liberal majority 3503 So a Liberal majority (hi a dual contest) of 3502 is converted into a Conservative or Unionist majority (in a triangular contosO of 113. The Unionist votes havo incicased by nearly 2000 (to be exact, -1003). On tho other hand, even if Eaf cal and Labour votes in the prcsont election aro added together, tbeio is a falling oft" of 121 votes from tho former Liberal total.

THE NEW PEER: A LIBERAL CONVERT. A. cablegram received last month made it appear that tho member of Pariiamenj. retiring was not*.tho Eight Hon. Geo. ■ Whiteley (Patronage Seoretary to the Treasury and Chief Government Whip), but Mr. John Homy "NVhitoley (Junior Lord of tho Treasury Junior Government Whip. Bcsld(!S " 10 . larity of their .names and the fact that thoj are or havo been- both Liberal \) hips, theso gentlemen havo another point m eoinmo, in that they are both leading cotton Mr. Whitley being in business at Ualitax, and Mr. Whiteley at Blackburn. Tho ltight Hon. Geo. \\ lutclcy (the new Lord, as it would now appear from to-day s cablegram) is a Conservative who turned Liberal. As a Conservative ho was elected to Parliament in 1803, representing Stockport from that year till 1900. The Agriculture Rates Act of-the Unionist Government .oausod him to go over to tho Liberals, and m 1900 ho was elected by 549 votes as Radical member for Pudsey, which seat- ho has since

h Tho "Pall Mall Garotte" somewhat bitterly comments: "The Eight Hon. Geo. as is not unusual m the enso of thoso who havo changed sides in polities, has exhibited such an enthusiastic devotion to tee now laitli which was in him that ho was chosen to succeed Mr. Herbert Gladstone as First Government Whip. . . Be has good mannors and plenty of determination, but ho does not conceal his distrust of tho Socialistic Labour members, aiul does riot ..trouble about-bring-ing them into tho Government Lobby. He was born in 1555, and married, in 1881, a daughter of Mr. William Tattcrsall, o» Blackburn. Ho was. educated at Zurich. In ISO, he was mado a P. 0." ill-health is stated to be the cause of Mr. Whiteley's retirement from tho House of Commons to join Messrs. Morloy. and Eobertson and Sir Henry Fowler in the Lords. It also seems to bo a fact,. as stated above, that his relations as whip with the Labour-Socialist wing of' tho Liberals were not tho pleasantest. Tho -occasion of tho rejection of the Labour partv's Unemployed Bill—when sixty Liberals voted for the Bill and against tho Government— i s citeil a 6 a notable clashing between Liberal independents and whip traditions.

, RECORD OF UNIONIST SUCCESSES. The following rccord of by-elections eince the general election shows how steadily tho tido has been flowing in favour of the Unionist party and against the Liberal Government (the increases and decreasos shown aro in the majorities at by-elections, _ as compared with those (it the General Election)'

February 2".—City of London, Unionist increase, 1034. , March 12.—Basingstoke, Unionist increase, 139. March 30.—Leicester, Liberal decroaso, 3681. May 15. —Dulwich, Unionist increase, 922. Julv 24.—Bodmin, Liberal decrease, 79. August 3,-rCockermoutli. (Seat gamed.) November 28.—Huddersfield, Liberal decreaso, 993.

January 31.— North-East Derbyshire, Liberal decrease, 1040. , <m February 18.—Banftslnre, Liberal decroaso, 191. Fobruary 20.—South Aberdeen, Liberal docrease, 4077.- . February 27—Brigs-■ (Seat gained.) March 29.—Hexham, Liberal decrease, 928. May 11.—Stepnoy, Unionist increase, 312. May IG—Wimbledon, Unionist increase, 4852. Juno 13.—Rutland, Unionist increase; 348. •Tulv 6. —J arrow, Labour returned for Liberal. July 20.—Colno Valley, Socialist returned for Liberal. August 2—N.W. Staffordshire, Lab. and Lib. increase, 23D. -■ , „ . ... August 26.—Bury St. Edmunds, Unionist Increase, 45G. , h August 28.—Kirkdale, Unionist increase, 78. November 30.—West Hull, Liberal decrease',

January 17.-Mid-Devon. (Scat gained.) February 2.—Ross (Hertfordshire). (Seat February l '!—St. Austell (Cornwall). Liberal returned unopposed. February 9—Worcester, Unionist increase,4 80. February 11.—South Leeds, Liberal decrease, 926. March'l.—Bewdley. division of Worcestershire, Unionist elected unopposed. March s.—Hastings, Unionist increase, 1/7. March 22.—West Down, Unionist .increase, 349. March 25.-l ) eckham, Liberal majority of 2339 converted into Unionist and tariff reform

majority of 494. .... April 24—Dewsbury, increase in Unionist votes, 1119; decreaso in Liberal votes, 11/0. April 25.—NortfT-west Manchester, increase m Unionist' votes, 1019; decreaso in Liberal votes, Gsl; Liberal Minister loses seat. Mav 6.—East Wolverhampton, increase in Unionist votes, 1761; decrease in Liberal votes,'lo96; Liberal majority reduced from

2365 to 8. , ' . , , ... May 11.—Dundee, Mr. Churchill returned with ' reduced majority. Percentage of votes: Liberal, in 190G 52, in 1903 43; Unionist, in 180G 24, in 1908 27. . . Ma? 13.—Montroso Burghs, Unionist decrease 340, Liberal decrease 1333 (Labour candidate in field): Liberal returned. _ Mar 15.—Newport (Shropshire), Unionists retain the scat by a larger majority (increase 785) Unionist total vote increases by.480, while Mr. P. Noilson (Liberal) polls 305 fewer votes than he did in 1908. Mav 23—Stirling Burghs, Liberals retain late 'Primo Minister's seat (unopposed at geneI ral election) by majority of 13G1.