We are sorry to observe an unfortunate split among the
Liberals of East Aberdeenshire. The sitting Member, Sir A. Gordon, was elected as a staunch Conservative. He was opposed by Mr. Douglas Ainslie, a brother of Mr. Grant Duff, and by Mr. Hope, a tenant-farmer from Mid- lothian. Mr. Ainslie, a resident and popular landlord, re- tired in favour of Mr. Hope, for the purpose of promoting the unity of the Liberal party in the constituency. The result, however, showed that Mr. Ainslie was by far the more popular of the two Liberal candidates ; and he was accordingly adopted as the Liberal candidate for the next election. The split in the Liberal ranks gave the Conservative minority their chance, and they elected Sir A. Gordon as their representative. The foreign policy of her Majesty's Government has, however, converted the Conservative representative of East Aberdeen- shire to Liberal polities, and he now sits on the Liberal side of the House of Commons, and has intimated his intention of standing as a Liberal for East Aberdeenshire at the next election. He is a near relative of the Earl of Aberdeen, whose influence is great in the constituency. On the other hand, Mr. Ainslie, of Delgaty Castle, has a very strong claim on the con- stituency, and has been requested by a large number of them to contest the seat. If both candidates stand, a Conservative will, almost to a certainty, slip in between them. We trust, therefore, that some means may be found to provide a seat for both candidates. Might not Sir A. Gordon stand for another constituency in which the Aberdeen influence is strong ? Or might not Mr. Leith, M.P. for the town of Aberdeen, whose age has prevented him from taking a very active part in Parlia- mentary work, retire in favour of Mr. Ainslie?
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