Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-03-15
SIM FEIN MOVEMENT.
Growth of Anti-Clsrieal Idea in Ire
land Alarms Nationalists.
DOLAE RECEIVES LARGE VOTE
More Than Two Thousand Men Stay
Away from Polls.
TAX COLLECTOR IS CRATER
Belfast ofRcial Has Been RObbing City
for Several Years.
GROWTH OF IRISH LANGUAGE
Ranks and POutoaiee Arc Com
froRted with New PrebIen-
Use of wood Alcohol
Beverage.
GROWTH OF IRISH LANGUAGE

DUBLIN March 1A-(Special. .l-The re-
suit Of the North Leitrim election, while
it has surprised no one. has been very in
teresting as showing the really great
growth OF the Sim Fein movement Mr..
Dolan, NJ. p. who resigned his seat TO
contest II on the Sim Fein platform, never
expected to win and he declares that he
Is more than satisfied with the vote he OBJ
tanned, while there is no doubt that the
official nationalists are disturbed at the
magnitude OF the revolt as revealed by the
election figures These figures require
little explaining to those who have not
watched the contest closely and who are
not familiar with the local conditions Mr..
Meehan. the official nationalist candidate
received 3.10O votes, while Mr.. Doian, the
Sim Feiner. poIled l.15 votes. Most sig
nificant OF all is the fact that more than
2000 persons stayed away. from the polls
in constituency where every man is
keen politician and where the public in
terest was aroused as it has not been since
the days Of OConnell
CLERGY Fearu Sian Feineru.
The secret Of IL all was that all the power
OF the clergy was exerted on behalf Of Mr..
Meehan. for the clergy fear and dislike
the Sim Fein movement, which in some
parts OF ireland has taken an anti-clerical
found in a constituency like North Leitrim
10 ny in the face OF their priests is sig
nificant Of the strength OF the new move
ment. and II is safe TO assume that the
1900 who stayed at home were in favor OF
Mr. Dolan. but did not care 70 antagonize
the clerEy. If this assumption is correct
Il viii be seen that the constituency was
about equally divided
Meehan. too. had the advantage OF the
financial and moral support OF the party
cryanizat.on. There have never been so
many Irish ~. P.s in one constituency at
ono time as there were in North Leitrim
supporting Mr.. Meehan. while the Sim
Feiners are poor both IN money and trained
sreakCrs Otherwise tie candidates are
ahnut equally natcbed. Both are publoans
ara general nero spts in Mancrhemiiton.
Their stores beir1 almost next door 70 each
other.
Tax Collector CRATER.
Startling evidence Of the laxity IN local
affairs that stiIl prevails even in Belfast.
which Is undoubtedly the most businesslike
municipality in ireland. has just been fur
nished by the discovery that one OF the
local tax collectors has been systematically
robbing the city for several years A spe-
oial meeting Of the corporation was called
a few days ago, and after Il had been an
nounced that the total defalcations
amounted 70 nearly $4,000 an elaborate sys-
TEN OF checks and audits to prevent such
occurrences IN future was approved.
The growth OF the Irish language is
becoming a thing TO be seriously reekoned
with by the government and by the COM
mercial men OF ireland. The directors Of
the principal Irish banks have just held
a meeting in Belfast to discuss their posi-
tion with regard to the growing practice
OF signing checks In Irish. II seems
that their lack OF a policy has been caus-
ing a good deal OF Inconvenience TO the
banks Some of the local managers re-
fused TO honor checks so signed. with
the result that the indignant depositors
transferred their accounts to rival banks
whose managers were more aecommo-
eating Others who accepted them found
themselves faced with the danger OF
honorIng forgeries which they could not
ietect because both they and their clerks
we're ignorant of the irish characters,
and some managers had to undergo a
-carpeting" by the directors for yielding
% what the mighty men at the head
offices described as mere lad.
Necessity of Learning Irish.
The result OF the conference has not
been very encouraging. The banks agreed
10 do all they could 10 discourage the use
OF Irish without offending their custom
ers. but az the same time / am informed
that several bank managers have been
quietly Informed that the directors would
have no objection II they and their clerks
familiarized themselves with the Ian
guage.
The postmaster general has also been
compelled to give the question serious
consideration. He has already yielded
fk EaTE - A.
Irish, and now he has issued instructions
that postal orders signed in Irish are to
be honored II the local ROstmasters are
satisfied of the identity of the payee
The six passengers from Burtonport "a
Letterkenney on the little narrow gauge
railway which connects these two places
had an exciting experiences e ee= weeks
ago In a great storm which swept across
the British Isles and did a great deal Of
damage. The train consisted OF four car.
{ riages and an engine. and when it was
<Srossing a long viaduct 100 feet above
ibog the two last carriages were blown
from the rails Fortunately the engine
stayed on the track and the two carriages
hung over the bog while the passenger
climbed -.At and scrambled back on IN,
track s'Nind was 50 strong that they
had 70 lie flat on the viaduet for a tim,
and when lull came they formed a hu
man chain, and. holding hands TO keey
themselves from being blown away. they
reached firm ground. They then tool
two cars TO reach Letterkenny. but wher
they were crossing another bog the car
were blown off the road and overturned
Luckily no one was hurt and they event,
rally reached Letterkenny on foot
Wood Alcohol AZ beverage.
Attention was drawn by the Derry cor,
oner recently 10 the growth In the rura
districts of ireland OF the habit OF drink
Ing methylated spirits or wood alcohol
He was holding an inquest on a man VII.
had died suddenly from alcoholism ant
Il was stated by one witness that h,
often drank more than a pint OF thi,
stuff In a day. Nr. Lindsay. the coroner
declared that he had heard OF severa