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