The Irish standard., 1911-03-25

careful to explain that his vote did not
mean any change in his attitude to-
ward the Home Rule question:; he
thought, for some obscure reason, that
free election in Louth would be i'm
possible. Mr.. Byles has had expert
ence of real undue influence" in Sal
ford or elsewhere. The Tories in
England do the thing pretty thorough
ly. But Mr.. Byles might have remem-
bered that The people of Louth, whom
he now joins in accusing of violence
and corruption, are the same people
whom he defended against the coer-
cion government in 1883 when he was
here at the side of Mr.. John Dillon;
and that on their part they are fight
ing the same fight now with, we ven
ture to assert, far more constitutional
weapons than those he approved and
defended in his salad days.
The great matter is that the House
OF Commons, following the petition
judges, has asserted the claim of the
people of Louth to the franchise, and
the right of the majority here as else
where, to make their choice of par
liamentary representative. That Il
handful of Protestant and Unionist
voters, intervening to prove their APP
probation of Mr.. Healy, were hooted
in Louth on the day of polling is re-
grettable; but it is no reason why the
people of Louth should be disfran-
chised. Mr.. Healy and his friends had
less regard for the tender feelings of
the Professionals of Louth in days gone
by. In the '95 contest, for instance,
MIR. Healy told his friends in a public
speech that "he had two Joes to fight
Joe Nolan and Joe Rainsford"-
latter being the elegant way in which
he chose to refer to the Rev. DIR.
Rainsford, the then rector of Dundalk.
Truly do times change and men with
them. Mr.. Healy is now the darling
of the Unionists Of Louth, and the pro-
tege of Mr.. VIM Moore and the Car
rion Crows. His worst enemy Of Is
years ago would not have predicted
for him fate SO bitter to one of his
early political professions.
The probabilities point to an unop-
posed return for Mr.. Roche. II Mr..
Healy be wise enough to respect the
verdict of the people of Louth in De-
cember and accept the situation, he
will be establishing some claim to the
gratitude Of his own supporters and
of those who are concerned for the re-
establishment of peace and friendly
relations between the people of all
political creeds in Louth. The De-
cember poll was a most exhaustive
one and it resulted in majority Of
4SS against Mr. Healy. An election
now must be decided upon the new
register; and on the new register the
Nationalist have gained some eight
hundred votes. The result of a con.
test, should one be forced upon us, is
forewritten. But in the interests of
peace and charity we may express the
hope that the holy season of Lent may
not be profaned by contest-even
contest the issue of which is assured
amongst people embittered by pro-
longed political contention and by its
sequel Of uncalled for legal conse-
quences. We throw out the sugges.
ton in all good faith that the verdict
of the people be respected, and that
the Nationalist of Louth be permit
ted to register their choice of a Par
liamentary representative without any
further hopeless appeal to the ballot
boxes, which can and will give only
one answer.