Lord Randolph Churchill has certainly succeeded in impress- ing the
Conservative Party throughout the country with his fighting qualities. At the meeting of more than 450 delegates from Conservative associations and clubs in all parts of the country, which was held on Wednesday in the Cutlers' Hall, Sheffield, he obtained a great triumph over Earl Percy, who had a scheme for organising the party which was in competition with that of Lord Randolph. And yet Lord Randolph did not begin very well, for, as is not uncommon with him, he made a great blunder on a matter of fact. He said that there were some of the boroughs which had no Conservative organisation, and which on that account could not be affiliated to the National Union ; and that amongst these, he regretted to say, was the borough of Eye ; whereupon Mr. Ashroead-Bartlett rose, and said that he would do as Lord Randolph Churchill was accustomed to do, and give that statement a fiat denial ; and after him rose Mr. Ship—the delegate actually appointed by the Conservative Association in Eye—to confirm Mr. Ashmead- Bartlett's statement. Notwithstanding this contretemps, it appeared, when it came to the vote, that the ballot gave Lord Randolph Churchill 346 votes, putting him at the very bead of the poll ; that the second to him, Mr. Forwood, of Liverpool, received only 298; while Earl Percy was eighth in -the list, with only 260. Not only Lord Randolph Churchill and Mr. Forwood, but Colonel Burnaby, Mr. Edward Clarke, M.P., Mr. H. Chaplin, M.P., Mr. Gorst, M.P., and Sir H. Drummond. Wolff, M.P., appear to be preferred by the Conservative dele- gates to Earl Percy. Lord Randolph Churchill, however, is not -only first favourite, but first without a second.
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