Aprit 9.
Mr. Stanley Baldwin has displayed an uncanny knack of emerging satisfactorily from awkward positions. Against a long-sustained press campaign he was able to put a most agile and eventually victorious defence. The result of his appeal to the country last November was regarded as a porsonal triumph for him. Yet, backed by a formidable majority, within four months of that General Elec tion he is beginning to be the subject of dubious speculation. He ost prestige in the episode which Jed to Sir Samuel Hoare's election. He has been able, by means of three-lined whip, {o secure an em-photic reversal of the defeat of last week: by 361 voles as against 145 his supporters responded to the rack of that whip and the majority of 216 compares very favourably with the actual "paper" majority of 244, Stil, whispers that his deaf-ress may necessitate his relinquishment of his office have been heard in the lobbies, and political correpondents are reconstructing his Cabinet for him. He has already had a by-election shock. Dumbarfon shire in November gave the Unionist candidate a majority of 4,007. Four months later when that successful candidate had been appointed to the Governorship of Burma, the resultant contest gave the seat to Labour with a majority of 984, If that is a true index of the reaction of the country to recent events, then at Peckham Where Lord Borodale managed to retain his seat in November with some difficulty, the forthcoming by-election due io his succession 10 his father's title, Earl Bealty, is Ukely to give the Government considerable cause for apprehension, {or in 1929, Peckham was"Labour in polities with a majority of 5,505, to boot. The Government has lost Sir Samuel Hoare and Lord Eustace Perey in circumstances which indicate uncertainty of policy. Whatever allowance may be made for
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.