Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-03-26
REDISTRIBUTION IN IRELAND.
The Trouble 1t Is Causing Among
Opposing Factions.

The Trouble NJ IS tdustn@ AhAohE
Opposing Factions
Should parliament go on with the
redistribution bill there will bea royal
row over the Irish clauses, writes
correspondent of The Boston Herald.
The report of the boundary commits
sioners has simply exasperated the
Irish public. The division OF all the
constituencies, indeed, but seven, is
generally approved Of; but only in
the seven referred TO mas there been
any possibility of gerrymanderlng,
and that a distinct attempt should
have been made ia everyone of tins
small group of constituencies to cheat
the national party out of seat has
caused intense Indignation. The facts
are these: Every constituency in
Lelnster, Munster, and Connaught
except Dublin city and country will
be so overwhelmingly nationalist
under the household suffrage system
that it does not matter one pin how
they are divided. However they may
be divided, they are sure to return
Parnellites. Beyond question, Ulster,
Belfast, and the county of Artim are
so overwhelmingly antInationalist
that they will return anti-Parnellites
under any scheme of division that can
be contrived, while Fermanagh, Mon
Afghan, and Cavan will be, on the
other hand, as Parnellite as Cork or
Tlpperary. But in Dublin city and
in the counties of Dublin, Down,
Donegal, Armagh, Tyrone, and Derry
it is possible so to form the new single
member constituencies, that one or
more of them in each district shall be
tory or nationalist, whereas, if the
existing constituencies were Eot di-
vided, they would all, with the ex-
ception Of Down and Derry, be GER
tainly Parnellite. Thus, by jus
diciousn management, it would be
possible to have one tory or at least
one doubtful division in Dublin city
and one in Dublin county; it would
be possible, also, to have one in
Donegal; the southern half of Ar
magh, which is distinctly nationalist,
might be split up in such a manner
that the nationalist majority would
be of no avail, and 50 on. Now, in
the original schemes of division for4
mulated by the boundary commission
ers no regard was paid to this con-
sIderation. The commissioners look-
ed not to party necessities, but to the
requirements of justice and fair play.
They had before them simply the
census tables, the impartial maps of
the ordnance survey department, and
such like colorless information, and
their plans were founded on the basis
thus afforded. 1t so happened that
in ALMOST every case the division
would have told in favor of the
nationalist, as any far division
ought to have done. At once a cry
was got up by the Orange party that
wholesale injustice was being attemp"
ed, and Orange countersschemGs OF
division were frequently put forward
at the local inquiries held by the com.
mlssioners Some Of thess counter
schemes were so preposterous that on
their production they excited all but
commissioners court when the tory
scheme for the division Of Dublin
county Was prop0unded, and almost
everyone present, including the coun-
Gil who acted for the tories, smiled
broadly at the thing. What, however,
has happened2 Ia every single ms
stance every suggestion made by the
tories and the Orangemen has been
adopted by the commissioners, and
every suggestion made by the nation
alists has been contemptuously scout
ed. The most ridiculous divisions
of existing constituencies are the
necessary result. Nothing else, how
ever, could have been expected from
a commission composed of rampant
tories. Every member of that body
is more or less of an Orangeman, and
the chief member of it, Mr.. Piers f.
White, Q. c., has special reason for
doing what he can to injure the ma
tional party, for it was only at the
last revision of parliamentary votes
for the county of Dublin that the
nationalist successfully resisted his
claim TO be registered. He has ROW
paid off this score ana perhaps it may
be impossible to get the better of him,
but | repeat that before he has settled
everything his own way there will be
royal fight in the house of commons
by the Irish party 1t remains to be
added that, even If the gerrymander
ing in which Mr. White and his col
leagues have INDUCED should be
sanctioned by parliament, the result
viii not be 50 certain as the tories an
ticipate. In Dublin county at least
it IS absolutely certain that, no matter
what the division be. the Pa.nellites