London, June 28.
The publication of the figures of the recent Irish County elections affords a clear view of the overwhelming victory of republican ideas, and brings prominently to the front the question of what the result will be in the management of local affairs.
The figures show that out of a total Of 680 seats, 503 were won by Sinn Feiners, 44 by Labour or Labour Republicans, 42 by Natioualists and 86 by Unionists, while five were returned -as Independents. Assuming, as may fairly be done, that the Labour and Labour Republicans are closely—allied in their political aims with Sinn Fein, the result is that in Munster with 185 seats, and Connaught, with 103, the entire management of local affairs will be in Sinn Fein hands. In Leinster, with 252 seats, Sinn Fein, and Labour hold 22s, the Nationalists 16. Unionists 4 (three of whom represent County Dublin) while there are 4 Independents. In Ulster with 190 seats, 79 are held by Sinn Fein, 25 by Nationalists, 2 by Labour and 82 by Unionists, with one Independent. In the case of Ulster the Sinn Feiners claim that the Nationalist party are identified ith the Republican interests, and if this were so the Republicans would have a majority in the whole province, but it is to be noted that in the three counties proposed to be excluded from Ulster by the present Bill, the Sinn Feiners number 43 out of the total number of Sinn Feiners returned for the whole province.
The question then arises, how. having regard to the result of the municipal elections in January, the Sin Feiners have made such a sweeping advance.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.