On Tuesday, Mr. Caine was returned for Barrow-in-Furness by a
very much increased Liberal majority, though he had in his speeches expressed considerable doubt whether he could support the Home-rule measure attributed to Mr. Gladstone, and had indicated his preference for a much smaller scheme. The Parnellites hotly opposed him, Mr. Sexton saying that if he were a sentry on the borders of the Liberal camp, he would run through Mr. Caine with his bayonet. "The first Cain was a murderer, but his offence was not graver than that of Mr. Caine towards his political father." Mr. Sexton strongly recom- mended the electors to do all in their power to check "this political assassin ;" and in order to achieve that result, the Irish electors were recommended to poll for the Conservative candidate, Mr. Gainsford Bruce. Whether the Irish electors complied or not, we do not know ; but if they did, their conduct must have driven over some of the Conservatives into the Liberal camp. The poll resulted thus,—For Mr. Caine, 3,109 votes, against 2,174 for Mr. Gainsford Brace; majority, 935. At the General Election, the Liberal candidate polled only 346 more votes than his Conservative opponent, Mr. Schneider. The whole poll, however, was, as is usual at by-elections, a diminished one.
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