Preston, of course, has returned Mr. Raikes. And though Mr.
Raikes, an ex-Chairman of Committees, will be a formidable opponent in relation to the reform of procedure, we are not at all sorry that he has been returned, first, because we wish to see the strongest ease made out for the present flaccid Rules, which can be made out ; and next, because Mr. Simpson, Mr. Raikes's antagonist, got the large poll he did oh icily by appeal- ing to the Irish vote, and by advocating the ultra-Irish doctrine as to the repression, or rather no-repression, of agrarian crime in Ireland. Nevertheless, it was remarkable that Mr. Simpson, who came forward almost at the last moment as a working- man's candidate, shonld have polled the large vote he did.. Mr.
Raikes polled 6,045 votes, to 4,212 given to Mr. Simpson ; majority, 1,833. At the general election of 1880, Mr. Hermon (Conservative) obtained 6,239 votes ; Sir John Holker (Con- servative), 5,641; and Mr. Bahr, the Liberal, 5,355; so that Mr. Simpson, who started almost at the last moment as a working-man's candidate, was not beaten by a much larger majority than Mr. Bahr. Mr. Simpson is, we believe, a very able man, but to advocate what would amount to the impunity of agrarian crime in Ireland is a bad way of winning votes.
