Mr. Miall was defeated on Monday at Bradford by a
somewhat large majority. The constituency numbers 5,700, of whom 3,956 voted,-1,802 for Mr. Miall, and 2,154 for Mr. Thompson. The latter gentleman, a local manufacturer of great wealth and excel- lent character, but of no political standing, professed Liberalism as strong as his rival's, but was not opposed to the existing union of Church and State. This brought him the Conservative vote, and proved fatal to Mr. Miall's chance. It is to be observed that the show of hands—that is, the election by the new constituency— was also decided in favour of Mr. Thompson, a result due, it may be, to local popularity, but indicating also an absence of strong anti-State Church feeling in Bradford. On this side the election is satisfactory, though the local-magnate influence in Parliament is a nuisance, and though a House of Commons without Mr. Miall, or some one like him, must be incomplete. There is no such representative of the extreme, and yet thoughtful, narrow-minded but cultivated Dissenter.
