The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-10

Perhaps Americans will feel an interest in
few details Of the election campaign in Ireland
by one in the thick of the struggle. / am here
in the County Fermanagh. on the shores of
Tough Erne. 1 have come from Derry city.
where have been fighting hard battle to find
myself returned here unopposed have not
been elected for Derry-at least am officially
declared not elected and my opponent is de-
clared the winner by a majority of three votes.
At the contest in November l was twenty -nine
behind
The city Of Derry is one of the great prizes
for which the Irish Nationalists most eagerly
strive. Only of late years was it possible for
the Nationalist to seriously attack any great
Orange stronghold in Ulster. IN the last cleo
ton we decided to attack Derry and the western
division of Belfast We put up in west Belfast
our champion orator Sexton. My colleagues
asked me to contest Derry, which | did with the
result already told. Sexton was also defeated
then by small majority. We were we'll con-
tent. for we had found that the Orange strong
holds had only to be attacked once again in order
to be captured
Derry is one of the most interesting cities in
Ireland with walls solid and stern as those Of
Jerusalem. picturesque as the walls of Chester.
The city has grown outside the walls, where
there is a. greater population than inside. The
latter is almost exclusively Protestant and
Orange, but outside there has grown up great
Catholic population thoroughly National. Re-
cent legislatiou-the reform bill year before last
especially-has given votes to the working classes
everywhere, and thus enabled the Nationalist of
Derry to stand boldly up to encounter their Or
ange opponents.
The Natonalists, to do them Justice, never try
to interfere with the goings on of Orangemen,
but in election time the rival crowds are brought
into dangerous proximity The courthouse,
where the votes are counted and the result de
clared, is in the principal street in the Orange
quarter. from which an Orange mob two years
ago fired revolvers at the then Lord Mayor of
Dublin. because. being a Nationalist member of
Parliament, he had dared to come ard deliver
literary lecture in Derry. Curieusly, the hotel
where Nationalist visitors stay is in the
street with the Orange hotel few doors
up on the other side; therefore the two
crowds are brought dangerously near. Orange
men come down from one end to cheer the
Orange candidate at the Orange Hotel Nation
alists stream up from the other to cheer their
candidate at the Nationalist hotel, both crowds
eager to get near the court house to hear the
declaration of the polls. The space between the
two crowds is kept by O double barrier Of sol
diers. with fixed hayonets The whole savors of
the strange, the exciting. the picturesque; the
very painful scene as | saw it last autumn, SO
saw it yesterday.
We knew on the day of voting that the con-
test must be close question of few votes
merely, and the excitement kept up to fearful
strain. We knew a vessel-ths Harvester-was
at sea on the way to Derry, and had on board
six sturdy Nationalist sailors, electors of Derry
| longing to give their votes for the Nationalist
candidates. The Harvester was expected early
on the morning of election. The morning passed
and she not sighted Noon came, Har-
vester. Think how, in our minds eye, we
watched the horizon for the ship to bring our
friends up from the under world-our friends
whose coming we knew would give the battle to
our hands, Hours passed; at last the Harvester
was sighted, and her seamen were ashore. But,
alas! our stout Nationalist mariners came Just
too late The legal hour for poll had passed.
and wind and wave gave the victory to the