This tendency of the modern elector to prefer the national
to the local loyalty was strikingly illustrated at West Perth. Not only had the Duchess of Atholl represented the division for 15 years, but she had during the summer months held a long series of public meetings at which she had expounded her views on foreign affairs. By all accounts her successful opponent did not reveal any outstanding- electioneering qualities. Yet she managed to detach less than 4,000 from the 15,000 who supported the Government and herself in 1935. This, of course, was not the sole reason for her defeat. She could still have won if she had succeeded, as did Mr. Vernon Bartlett at Bridgwater, in uniting behind her banner all the opponents of the Prime Minister's policy. The reports in the Scottish newspapers make it tolerably clear that many Liberals stayed at home, resenting the fact that their own candidate had been persuaded to withdraw. It is also obvious that the weather conditions gave a considerable advantage to the side with more motor-cars. But even when full allowance is made for these factors, it was a remarkable triumph for Mr. Chamberlain and the party machine.
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