Page:Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham.djvu/216

1874, Jan, 30.—No opposition was made to the re-election of Messrs. Bright, Dixon, and Muntz.

1876, June 27.—Mr. Joseph Chamberlain was elected without opposition on the resignation of Mr. Dixon.

1880, March 31.—Though free from all the rioting and possible bloodshed that would have attended such an occasion a hundred years ago, the election of 1880 was the most exciting and hardest-fought battle between the two great political parties of the town yet recorded in local history. The candidates were Messrs. John Bright, Joseph Chamberlain and Philip Henry Muntz, the previous members and nominees of the Liberal Association, and Major Burnaby and the Hon. A. C. G. Calthorpe, Conservatives. There were 139 polling stations, and no less than 47,776 out of the 63,398 persons whose names were on the register, recorded their votes under the protection of the Ballot Act of 1870, now first brought into use at a Parliamentary election. The usual courtesies (!) appertaining to political contests were indulged in to considerable extent, and personalities of all sorts much too freely bandied about, but the election altogether passed off in the most creditable manner. The returns of the polling stood thus—

Philip Henry Muntz 22,803 ) John Bright 21,986 ) Returned. Joseph Chamberlain 19,476) Major Burnaby 15,716 Hon. A. C. G. Calthorpe 14,270

An analysis of the polling issued by the Mayor about a week after the election showed that 16.098 voters supported the Conservative candidates and 33,302 the Liberals. Deducting the 2,004 who "split" their votes between the parties, and 380 whose papers were either rejected or not counted as being doubtful, the total gives 47,396 as the actual number whose votes decided the election. As a curiosity and a puzzle for future politicians, the Mayor's analysis is worth preserving, as here re-analysed:—

Plumpers.

Calthorpe only .. .. 42 Burnaby only . . . . 164 206 Chamberlain only .. .. 50 Muntz only .. .. 199 Bright only . . . . 86 335

Split Votes.

Calthorpe and Muntz .. 153 Calthorpe and Chamberlain 83 Burnaby and Muntz .. 1,239 Burnaby and Chamberlain.. 182 Bright and Calthorpe .. 104 Bright and Burnaby . . 243 2,004

Con. Party Votes,

Burnaby and Calthorpe . . 13,888 13,888

Liberal Party Votes.

Chamberlain and Muntz.. 9,410 Bright and Muntz .. .. 11,802 Bright and Chamberlain . . 9,751 30,963

Voting papers rejected and doubtful 380

Total number of voters polled 47,776

Mr. Bright having been again appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Mr. Chamberlain chosen as President of the Board of Trade, they were re-elected, without opposition, early in May following the election. Three other local Liberal gentlemen were returned to Parliament during this general election, viz.:—Mr. Jesse Collings for Ipswich (receiving 3,074 votes), Mr. H. Wiggin for East Staffordshire (4,617 votes), and Mr. J. S. Wright for Nottingham (8,085 votes), The last-named, however, did not live to take his seat, dying very suddenly while attending a committee-meeting at the Council House, Birmingham, on the 15th April.—See "Statues," &c.

According to the published returns of January, 1884, Birmingham was then the largest borough constituency in England, the number of electors on the register then in force being 63,221; Liverpool coming next with