In the course of the next week or two no
less than five bye- elections will be fought—an accident which attracts a consider- able amount of attention, owing to the fact that the vacant seats are scattered over a very wide area, and are specially representa- tive. There are two rural divisions, one in the Eastern Counties and the other in the Midlands ; one group of small Scotch Burghs ; one Scotch industrial centre and seaport ; and one English Cathedral town. In the Sleaford Division of Lincoln- shire, where Mr. Chaplin seeks re-election on his appointment to the Presidency of the Board of Agriculture, the Conservative majority was, in 1885, 1,301. In North Bucks, the Unionist majority in 1886 was only 71; while in Nairn and Dundee, the Gladstonians won, at the last General Election, by 119 and 4,671 respectively. At Peterboiough, the Unionist majority in 1886 was 289. It will be seen from this statement that the Gladstonians have three seats to win, and the Unionists two. In Dundee, however, it is absurd for the Unionists to hope to do more than reduce the Gladstonian majority ; while Nairn is not very likely to be conquered. The Sleaford Division of Lincolnshire is, on the other hand, safe for Mr. Chaplin. The real interest of this affair of outposts, centres, then, in North Bucks and, Peterborough. Here the Unionists' majorities were so small, that to predict a triumph for one side
or the other is impossible. In all probability victory will fall to the party which has most carefully attended to the register, and this party is likely enough to have been the Gladstonians, who, since 1886, have been in most constituencies far more active than their opponents. Whichever way the battle goes, it is absurd to pretend that the result will in the least affect the general political outlook.
Previous page
