The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-27
NAT|ONAL|STS HOPE
TOCARRY DERRY CITY
Is Pivotal Constituency in
Ulster
BY r. x. CULLEN

Dublin, january 26.-tSpecial )-Great
Importance is attached by both national
lists and unionists to the election in Derry
city, which vii take place in about fort
night. The vacancy is caused by the
death of the Duke of Abercorn and the
CONSEQUENT elevation to the house of lords
of his son, the Marquis of Hamilton, who
has represented Derry in the house Of
commons for several years
If the nationaists win the seat. as
seems most likely. the unionists will no
longer be able 10 claim that they hold a
majority of The lister seats in parlia-
ment- AT present Ulster is represented
by Il unonists and 1e natonalists II
the unionists lose Derry the position Of
course, will be reversed. Much more sig
nificance is attached, however, to the
verdict of Derry which is always re
garded as one OF The key constituencies
in Ulster. In one sense 1t is regarded rs
the stronghold of unionism, although
why this should be It is hard to say, for
a more evenly divided city politically It
would be hard to find in the world. Per
haps it is because the Derry unionists are
the most rigid in their principles to he
found anywhere in Ireland, but the same
may be said of the nationalists.
If the nationalists carry Derry at the
coming election il will not be the first
time that they have held the Maiden
City" The Have Justin Mccarthy won 1t
in 1886 He was succeeded by @. F. F. Y.
Knox, c.. another home ruler in 1895,
and by the late Count Moore, also a ma
tionalist. in 1899. Lord Hamilton, who
now becomes the Duke of Abercorr.
ousted the nationaiists in 1905, and in 1919
held the seat by a majority of 105 in tile
electorate of 1000.
Elections in Derry are won or lost
not at the polls. but in the registration
courts. The polling booth only registers
the verdict given there. The politics IT
every citizen is known and woe betide
the man who turns his coat or who fails
to vote. All the Efforts of the party man.
ayers, therefore, are devoted to getting
their own men on the register and keep
Ing the other people off.
The exactitude with which this work Is
done is well Illustrated by what happened
when Justin Mccarthy, won the seat in
1886. The first count gave the seat to the
unionists by a majority of five The ma
ticnalst managers protested.
There must be a mistake, they pro-
tested. 1--WE know that We have a
majority of three
A recount was ordered and sure enough
it showed a majority of three for Nc
Carthya
Since the election of 1910 at which Lord
Hamilton had majority of 105. 267 names
have been added to the list of voters and
about 80 old voters have died. On the
actual count the unionists still have a
majority of 30 or so, but number of
unionist voters are In the United States
and Canada Cables urging them to re-
.ffx - xx.tII
be made to delayAthe election long enough
to enable them to make the journey. The
Second Battalion Scots Fusiiers left Derry
this week. The regiment had 10 unionist
voters and much depends on whether the
soldiers can obtain a furlough to enable
them to return to Derry to vote.
Another fact which endangers the union
list chances is that at present 1t seems
likely that there will be two unionst
candidates. The official candidate is Col
onel Pakenham, who Is nominally a
County Antrim man, but who really lives
most of the time in London He is hard
1y known in Derry. Marshall Tilie, a
we'll known and popular Derry business
man. has announced his intention of
standing as an independent unionist cam
didate and declares that he will UNDER
take not to vote either way on the home
rule bill This will hardly appeal to the
enough votes among his own employees
and their friends to ruin the unionist
chances.
The nationalist candidate Is a particu-
larly strong man. He is David C. Hogg
his majesty's lieutenant for County Der
ry, a great Derry business man and q
Presbyterian. He is assured. of course.
of the full Roman Catholic vote and he
may win the votes Of some of his own
On ra1ioioniStS who nnmfDal rarlx0n-
ed as unionists, but whose sympathes,
apart from home rule, much more
liberal than tory. Hogg is one of the
pioneers of the revival OF the national
sentiment which was once so strong
among the Presbyterians of the north.
SO far the actual date of the election
has not been fixed. 1t rests with the
unionist chief whip to move in the house
of commons for the issue of the writ
ordering the new election. In the ordi-
nary course of events this would have
been done Immediately after the funeral
of the Duke of Abercorn 1t has not
been done yet, however, but it is under
stood that the motion will be made early
next week. The election must then take
place within eight days BY delaying the
election as long as possible the unionists
not only hope to be able to gather their
voters together from the ends of the
earth, but to bring pressure to bear on
the Independent candidate to induce him
to withdraw.
Tillie declares that he will not with
draw and insists that he has a far bet
ter claim to the unionst nomination than
Colonel Pakenham, who knew nothing
about Derry until few days ago. He
admits that life in Derry has not been
exactly pleasant since he Announced his
candidacy He has received a number
of threatening letters from tinionists and
when he appears on the street he is fol-
lowed by crowds who express their opin-