Not one man of the first rank, except Mr. Ritchie,
the head of the Local Government Board, has lost his seat in the House of Commons. Mr. Courtney, whose seat was much threatened, came in for the Bodmin Division of Cornwall by a greatly diminished majority, but still a sufficient majority ; and amongst the members of the Government who were not of Cabinet rank, Mr. Walter Long is, we believe, the only one who has lost his seat. His defeat in East Wilts by Mr. Hobbouse, like Mr. Fison's defeat by Mr. Holden in the Buckrose Division of Yorkshire, was, we believe, principally due to the distribution of cards on which the Tory loaf was pictured as a very small loaf at a very high price, while the Liberal loaf was pictured as a very big loaf at a very low price. It is difficult to imagine a meaner or less honourable device for gaining votes. Everybody knows that even Lord Salisbury, who is personally inclined to flirt with Fair-trade, has expressly declared that the food of the people can never again be taxed ; nor would it have been possible for Lord Salisbury, with his present Cabinet, to carry any kind of Protectionist measure, however limited. Every Gladstonian Member knows perfectly well that nothing in the world could possibly happen to increase the price of the loaf under the Tories, which would not happen just as much under the Gladstonians; so that this fragment of Gladstonian elec- tioneering comes very near indeed to foul play, and may certainly be described as an unworthy and discreditable trick.
