Last Saturday afternoon it was known that the Gladstonians bad
lost the Brigg division of Lincolnshire by 77 votes. Mr. Richardson, the Conservative candidate, polled 4,377 votes, against 4,300 polled by Mr. Reck itt, the Gladstonian. But as in 1892 the Gladstonian, Mr. Waddy, won by 427 votes, against the same Conservative candidate, this represents a very decided change of opinion, especially as the poll was altogether larger, 8,677 against only 8,469 in 1892, Mr. Richardson polling 356 votes more than he did in 1892, and Mr. Reckitt polling 148 votes fewer than Mr. Waddy polled in that year. Still, we should not attach more importance to such a change at a by-election than Lord Rosebery seems to attach to it, had it not been for the passionate appeal for generous support made by Lord Rosebery himself, for the purpose of his campaign against the House of Lords, and the absolute indifference with which this earnest appeal has been received. As a rule, at by-elections, the electors think themselves at liberty to indulge their personal predilections, but they would hardly have felt that in the present case after Lord Rosebery's appeal, unless their personal predilections had been very much stronger than their predilection for giving a buffet to the House of Lords.
