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Jubilant at this unexpected, glorious news, the party workers rushed to tell Uncle Arthur who sat up in bed, had his back gently slapped, his big paw shaken. Actually the sick leader had been defeated. His hard-swearing, quarter-deck-pacing opponent, Rear-Admiral Gordon Campbell, V. C. retired, Conservative, who commanded British "Mystery Q Ships" during the War, had won Burnley by 8,209 votes. At "The Old Bull," when this terrible truth was known, party workers could not bring themselves to face the Chief.
Mrs. Henderson had to tell Uncle Arthur. She had to tell him also that other returns showed the Labor Party crushed to utter impotence (final returns gave Labor 52 seats in the present Parliament, compared to 287 in 1929 and 267 when Parliament adjourned). When beaten Leader Henderson had heard the worst he sighed, "I am sad and sorry." Later he brightened, prophesied: "Before many months have gone the nation will be sadder and sorrier!"
Laborites Defeated in one of the most savage election massacres that ever humbled a great party included almost every Laborite of whom the U. S. public has ever heard: former Home Minister John Robert Clynes; former War Minister Tom Shaw who declared, "I can't understand it!"; former First Lord of the Admiralty Albert Victor Alexander; former Minister of Health Arthur Greenwood; former Minister of Labor Miss Margaret ("St. Maggie") Bondfield; famed female Trade Unionist Miss "Wee Ellen" Wilkinson; and Oliver Baldwin, Socialist son & foe of Conservative Leader Stanley Baldwin. Downward through the party, defeat was uniform. In municipal council elections, Conservatives made an early net gain of 144 seats; Liberals 21; Independents 36. Labor lost 201, net.
Left to head the Labor Party in Parliament (unless a "safe seat" is found for Mr. Henderson at a by-election) were a shrewd oldster and a smart youngster:
Oldster George Lansbury, when Commissioner of Works, built so many bright orange public bath houses that his London slum constituency returned him to Parliament last week despite the Conservative landslide.
Youngster Sir Stafford Cripps, who was Solicitor General in the last Labor Government, was called last week "the only Laborite with first-class brains elected."
Lloyd George Safe-Though every other Lloyd George Liberal but one was defeated, Father David, Daughter Megan and Son Major Gwilym Lloyd George won their seats. With his party thus reduced to four M. P.'s, the former Prime Minister looked toward Labor. Friends declared it "inevitable" that he should join the Labor Party's remnant, providing much needed brains. Since Mount Snowdon overlooks his constituency the spunky Welshman cried: "On the heights of Snowdonia the Liberal flag still flies."
Other Liberals, the two factions who broke away from Mr. Lloyd George under Sir John Simon and Sir Herbert Samuel to support the National Government (TIME, Oct. 19), were uniformly successful in the General Election. Together they won 66 seats, assured Sir John and Sir Herbert places in the revised National Government which Scot MacDonald will soon announce.