London, June 10.
Every Irish loyalist always states that the Government policy of firmness with regard to Ireland is being adopted too late. They say that it would need, to be effectively carried out, about 200,000 men, and that we only have at present about 50,000 in the country. No one likes to say whether the assertion is true or not, but the events of the next few months will show it.
There are, however, coming into public prominence certain facts which I have already pointed out, the chief one of which is that the Sinn Fein movement is now almost entirely dispossessed by _the Ivish Transport Workers' campaign, which is purely Bolshevist. Bach uses its own appellation; the Transport Workers always apply the term "Soviet rule" to any industrial successes. they _may obtain, whereas Sinn Fein fights purely ona Republican ticket. During the last ten days, we have had the Municipal Elections in Ireland. They have resulted as was expected in a complete Sinn Fein victory, and there are not more than five Unionist candidates anywhere outside the six Unionist Counties of Ulster—a number limited to six, because by slender majorities the Unionists lost both Tyrone and Fermanagh. In the whole of Munster there is only one Unionist, and she is a woman.
Ricu Spoits ror Repets.
The whole of the candidates not only have to stand on a Republican ticket, but to swear an oath of allegiance to the Republic. Their sell-constituted police and soldiers took possession practically of all the: polling booths and the approaches to them. It is quite sate to assert that few voters ran the risk of being antagonistic to Sinn Fein either by voting or by trying to vote.
These elections will have very great influence on Irish affairs since they place Sinn Fein in control of the expenditure of about 18 to 20 millions sterling a year, raised by the rates in constitutional form, and there jis little doubt as to how the money will be utilized. It gives them the power not merely of fixing the rates but of fixing the assessments, which is far more important, and thus it will be possible to assess their political opponents out of existence and relieve all their friends of any burden of taxation.
A Larocr Intervention, Towards the close of last week the National Union of Railwaymen met Mr, Lloyd George and laid before him the case of the Irish railwaymen who refused to carry munitions. In most cases I should have used the word
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.