The election for East Bristol is a most curious piece
of business. The seat is Gladstonian, and Sir W. H. Wills, the baronet who is so great in the tobacco trade, and is highly popular besides, was supposed to hold it in the hollow of his hand. He was returned, but only by 3,740 votes to 3,608, though his only opponent was a Labour candidate. The Gladstonians had lost a thousand votes. Mr. Gore, the gentleman in question, is not a labourer by any means, but an educated Collectivist belonging to a family which for a century has held a high professional position in Bristol. He was adopted, however, by the Labour men on the ground of his philanthropic exertions, and though he promised to vote with Mr. Keir Hardie, was as nearly as possible returned. Like Mr. C. Booth, he knows the poor, ' and does not therefore believe that all publicans are public t, enemies, and the support of "the trade" helped him greatly ; but he must have attracted thousands of votes by his "views." We are sorry for it, though we respect him personally ; but the incident is an alarming one for the Gladstonians. If Labour is going to fight them at th a General Election, they may find themselves in the position which they now attribute to the Liberal Unionists.
