THE BERMONDSEY ELECTION.
rTo THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—In last week's Spectator you say that a." serious blow" Ims been given the Budget, although the Unionist polled 448 lees votes than the other two candidates combined. Now the Liberals are without doubt in favour of the Budget, and although, as you aver, some Socialists may be Pro- tectionists, they must be assumed to be in favour of this Budget, which has been received with acclamation by the chief Socialist organs both at home and abroad, so that it is difficult to see where the "serious blow" comes in. Although the figures may show that there is "no great wave of popular feeling for the Budget," 448 is a fair majority in favour of it in a poll of 9,004, and a very unsatisfactory state of things [We did not, of course, suggest that no constituencies are in favour of the Budget; but when a constituency which gave a Liberal majority of 1,759 in. 1906 now only gives one of 448, and that on the assumption that every vote polled for a Socialist is a vote polled for the Liberals, it seems to us that we have a right to say that the Budget has dealt the Liberal cause a staggering blow. Note that the Socialist candidate has himself expressed the opinion that if he had not stood the Liberal candidate would have polled very few more votes. If this is true, as we believe it is, the Budget proved in Bermondsey the ruin of the Free-trade cause.—En. Spectator.]
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