Tae most important matter of the last week of March in England was, the Aston Manor election, in which the Conservative candidate, loyxily supported by the Liberal Unionists, received more than twice as navy votes as his Gladstunian opponent. Tt was auch a complete reversal of what has occurred at recent bye-elections, showed such a sudden check te the course of the obs falling-off of 381, in the Li What did it? Was it the the:
sian? Was it the ani fe Radiol SoD estat Spee Sesh any rale there senti to: be too an place of al jo. Let us be however, that' we have always. our eld good record to fall back on, and that the memories of Hartlepool and Northampton are still comparatively green. After these Aston is but an incident:—it would-be hypocritical to call it-a blessing in disguise much-greeted "flowing tide," that the Home Rule papers are almo"t aghast, ani like to make it out & moral victory, task is a little beyond our i enuity-and do not at all like having to recognise that conscience. To prove a m wictery fs this Br. Joe Chauberlain is still a great force case nothing -less than the controversial in Birmingham and its neighbourhood. It morals of a Unionist would be required: And is evident that Birmingham still believes 80 we give it up. in its Jue," and some of the success was due to the Conservative om having The next most important matter, in worked the constituency well for some London at least, was the action of the Post time, As the Home Rulers, too, knew that Office in relation to the Messenger Com. they could not carry it, itis possible that jes, which have been trying to give they did not canvass it as vigorously as they don a convenience which all important: would otherwise have done. The Daily towns in the United States have enjoyed Chrowicle (Ouionist) attributes the victor for years. We and our contemporaries to the sativfuction of t men wit have pointed out ver and over again, that the Government's recent appointment of a the English Post Office is worked wot. for al Commission on the Lal the best convenience of the public, but to
follow up their victory at Aston they must says: bring in the largest possible profit-to the Treasury, wud it is therefore famed -for its make it clear by the composition of the obstructiveness wud for its numerous anom-Labour Commission, and in other ways, alles of all kinds, Mr. Raikes has stopped that they are in earnest in their profound the riger Companies on the ground desire to improve the position of the toilers that they were infringing the Post Office entry." The Stendard, on the monopoly, and has promised to undertake side, Writes very reasonably on similar service, as to which the Times the subject say Tt has not been our practice to attach Mr. Raikes is either an accomplished actor extreme importance to the fluctuating results iblimely self-satisfied man. 'This morn-of these incidental contests, But if am mnulgates his grand and comprehen-occurrence could justify elation, it woul scheme destined to take the place of the ly be such an overwhelming' vit as vantages afforded by the Messenger Com-We must, however, leave emotional 'The air of complacent benevolence display to the Home Rule critics, who if they which' pervades this notice would convince follow the precedent they have themselves anyone who did not know better that the set, will evince a profound and sincere de-Postmaster-General was conferring a supreme jection proportionate to the transports of favour on the community; that his Depart. delight they have either felt, or feigned, ment, after a long period of anxious thought, whebever the chance of the ballot has de: had of its own nition devised and brought clared in their favour. In any case, we shall to perfection a great improvement in the be spared on this occasion any repetition of franunission of urgent letters; and that the the vaunt that "the flowing tide" is with boon thus fang before the public represented Gladstoni No art can extract from the the last effort of modern intelligence and figures anything but material for mortification Unfortunately Londoners are able to the Home Rulers. The blame of the defeat to take an accurate measure of Mr. Raikes cannot this time be laid upon the candidate, Brcallen Exprens belwvery would never have 5 now too well thit, the for the peculiar circumstances under which the canvass had been undertaken. been thought of if the Post Office had not been shown the way by the enterprise of The Daily News generally makes the uvate persons. They know that the beauti-best of a Liberal defeat, but it cannot find scheme set forth in the notice is a chably goud in this defeat affair when "compared with the advantages Although scarcely any Liberal ex ted to hitherto enjoyed by the public, ata con-win the seat, this result is decidedly disap-But the influence of Birmingham was too luting. Mr. Phipson Beale did his best. siderably suniler, cost, under the system established by the private Messenger. Com-
strong for him, as it already been too Panies, Avery cursory glance at the terms of the notice will" bring—cunviction stra g before. inst, Mr.
When he. stood on this point. It is mot merely that the Albert Bright in 1889, si electric' call"—the vital element. of the rejected him by " majority ty itin absence. Even when the preliminary jeasenger Companies' system—is conspicuous curiously near the cited In 1886Central Birmingham wasn't condigiculty has been surmounted of getting your tested. In 1885 the Liberal majority was 773, missive taken to a post office open to receive as against 1,153 at Aston. The inference is express letters, its transmission can only be that the Dissentient Liberals, who scarcely secured on harassing conditions as to form, count as a national force, are still formidable and time. We need not stay to in Birmingham and its suburbs. The most any of these conditions, except to serious feature of the ix the immense observe that the departmental service will increase in the Tory vote, which has risen yen the hours of from 3,495 in 1886 to 5,310 in 1891. It would.
Tp.m., that it ay to be ex: bbe foolish to ignore the significance of such a cessively difficult to ascertain what you have phenomenon as this, or to deny the local imto pay, that the payment has to be made in
even less wise to argue from a very peculiof the event. A would, however that the stamps have to be affied to arly constituted suburb of Birmingham to the "form;" and that the letter-carrier ig
general bulk of English electors, who have allowed to wait no more. than 10 minutes while your correspondent, is inditing a reply. various occasions delivered a widely different verdict The Dissentient Liberals have out. This is what the public are expected to charaoterintic tral of red-tape runs been enjoyed a triumph to which they are little for the derable and cticlent device afforded as an entirely satisfac ibstits accustomed, and in the ci and in the circumstances it would be hard to blame Mr. Jesse Collings for the by the Messenger Companies. itrepresible hilarity with which be introduc It may be added that the companies ced the topic into his speech on Sunday open-offered to protect. the Post-office, without ing last night. its incurring a farthing of expenditure, by But the Scottish Leader takes the beating agreeing to put a postage"stamp on'every little sting in the tail of ite in the most straightforward way, with a written letter they were called upon to deliver, and to pay a royalty on the electric
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.