2110-2-7-1

Feb 6th 1912

14 MORAY PLACE EDINBURGH

My dear John.

Very many thanks for your very kind letters, and especially for the Swine song of Buchan which was in your best and happiest style and delighted the faithful to whom it was shewn.

What a queer thing election

eering is to be sure. One is quite a puppet in the hands of unscrupulous ruffians who radiate leaflets and pamphlets of the most scur -rilous and fallacious order. I spent most of my time on the platform denouncing my own supporters, & declaring that I had not won the Boer War off my own bat (the current theory last week in my camp) but

that due credit must be given to Roberts, Kitchener, French & others. - The beastly thing was that the papers scored me off by always failing to report my expostulations, and I ended up far more popular with the Radical press than the Union ists.

I was in a great funk of the business at first, as I knew noth ing of the Insurance Act except your Xmas letter, was innocent

of politics, and only had made half a dozen speeches - also my brain was like a pudding with months of in somnia & sleeping drugs. I found however that I slept better, felt better, & put on weight during the election: and if I did not speak as well as I wanted (for I need more time than five speeches a day) I never broke down, & got caught out.

It was most cheering to think that whatever happened

I should have the encouragement and sympathy of such great and gentle hearts as you and your lady wife's: And so your messages to me were more welcome than any others.

I am so glad you are coming to Edinburgh: Noël was in here today and wants to see you to talk politics with you. He can only do it some afternoon so let us arrange