The only other Alinistenwho has had to fiz,ht for his
seat is Sir William Harcourt ; but not against the Unionist Party, who expressed their regret that he should be exposed to the trouble of a contest. The strange politician who recently represented Boston, and who is so fond of displaying the large cash balances at his disposal, Mr. Farmer-Atkinson, in- dulged himself in the freak of a contest with Sir William Harcourt, and actually obtained 1,619 votes, against 6,508 given for Sir William Harcourt. The only wonder is that Mr. Farmer-Atkinson should have obtained so much support for his incoherent political convictions. We can only con- jecture that there were 1,619 electors who rather preferred a meaningless candidature to a serious candidature in such a case, as a more effective way of saying that they would rather have a mere political cypher to represent them than the great Sir William. That is certainly a view with which we cannot help feeling a very considerable amount of sympathy.
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