The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-02-14
NO ONE is MISSED
IN LONDONDERRY
Halt, Lame and Blind Are
Taken to Polls to
Vote.
PRIESTS GO WITH THEM
Ready to Administer Last Rites
if Balloting Proves
Fatal.
PRIESTS GO WITH THEM

London. February 13.-Thc parlia-
mentary by-elcction held in London
derry, which resulted in the victory
OF David Hogg. the Liberal Nationalist
candidate, by n majority Of fifty -seren
over his Unionist opponent, Colonel
Packcnham will 20 down to posterty
as one OF the most rc.Earkable contests
in Irish electoral history. The all-im-
portant consideration in the eyes OF
the Irish Nationalists is that Mr.
1Iogg's victory gives the home rulers a
majority of one in the parliamentary
representation OF Ulster the province
which. according to Unionists. is over
whelmngiy antihomc rule; but apart
from this the contest provided many
| interesting and nove> FEATURES.
Londonderry liz what Americans
would probably call banner CON
stitucncy." and on a total electorate Of
1888 only eleven qualified voters fail
cd TO record their votes. A twelfth
man dropped dead while on his way to
the polling booth Even in n country
which has always been noted for heavy
polls, these figures are Unprecedented
Accompanied by Priests.
INC frantic efforts TO poll every
available man were responsible for
many unusual Incidents paralytic
on being taken into the booth was
! unable To say more than Pack" The
broken word was accepted by the pre-
siding officer as sufficient evidence Of
the voters intention 10 vote for the
Cnonist candidate. Some OF the
priests carried tho viaticum and the
| holy oils necessary for the admins
tration of the sacrament of extreme
JUNCTION in case any of the sick Roman
Catholic voters should become i'll unto
death.
Voters of weak Intelligence on each
side first visited the committee rooms
nearest to the station, where they
| were instructed how TO mark their
papers. Two men came from Canada
a third from New York. and fourth
stopped on his way TO New Zealand
in order TO return and record his vote
G. H. Mitchell. of Manchester, and
w. Mitchell, OF Liverpool. who are in
business partnership with Mr.. Hogg
were brought over to vote for the
Cnionists. who boast that the major
ity OF the clerks in Mr.. TIoggs Office
voted for the Unonst and that his
own son abstained from voting.
The unionists alsu pollcd voter
who had fled from ireland To escape
a sentence Of one months imprison-
ment for neglecting his wife and fam
lily. The man WAS brought over from
I Glasgow closely mutiicd up, and al
though the discounted Nationalist
agent in the polling booth warned tho
police, the Unionists struggled their
man away before the arrival of an
u
Ireland is the wonderland of cleo
lions, and, so far AS cost is concerned.
IL is a veritable utopia. The usual cx-
penditure In connection with an un-
contested election Is from SIS to Sloo,
I inclusive OF personal expenses. fees to
/ the returning officer and all other out
Eoings. Even in contested elections
the expenses seldom exceed from $500
TO $500.
Work Done ny Volunteers.
The phenomenon is doubtless eX-
planned by the fact that political en-
thusiasm runs so high that the Ma
tionalists find no difficulty in getting
all the work done by volunteers, even
the lawyers coming into that category
with the result that the average is
brought as near 10 vanishing point as
the most economical candidate could
desire. This enthusiasm produces
other results quite as remarkable
Election nddresses'' in that happy land
are all but thing of the past: canvassing
most cases be regarded as a startling inno-
vation.
The English elcctloneering expert would
sibiy be "A heavy poll under such circum-
stances but there he would be wrong, the
lions being, in fact. much above the pcr-
ceniage In Great Britain. In short. in This
as in many other matters ireland is a land
oil paradoNes in which the Inevitable often
does not happen and the impossible proves
cas-! OF attainment Tho simple explanation
is that there are practically no 'wobbicrs'i
IN lre'and--none OF that perpiexing element
Nn4ch MI Goschen used to describe as the
haiancinS electors" and which Sir. Balfo,lr
cars the man in the street" and IL follows
mat the revising barrister tthe official who
sanctions the voting list) is. 10 ali intcnts
and purposes, the returning officer
Watching the Sick List.
Smai wonder. therefore. that In such a
stnbborniy -waged struggle as that which
ended last Thursday. the newspaper CORE
spondents found IL necessary to chronicle
day by day the death of any Unionist or
Nat!ohalist voter. and to enter into statistics
as 10 the comparative number of deaths on
ootn Sides since the revision sessions-a
morbid method OF political prophesvinr
which. So far as know has never married.
any other election contest and wbich ona
may hope will not be initiated
Many amusing stories-most Of them of
.nc pen troVato order-are current as to the
or the electors Ia watched by the agents
one anecdote il to the effcct that ,,Ssn :,
prominent uhionist complained n few nights
aso o! Indigestion tho party managers
ra"lHrtH WTed 10 Dublin, summoning two
specialists TO visit him. But even more
inirth provoking Is the story OF Tho NaIion
aust agent who. seeing one OF his voters
80 S'atcfl repairing a roof, shouted 10 him:
why the blankety blank couldn't that lob
wait until after the election - That sncc
dote was published ten DAYS ago ami Ia.
strange coincidence q slater fell IRON, n
Toet Two days later, broke both of his arms
anu Is nov In n hospital But he was horne
10 the pom 10 record his vote election day
British elections is the paucity OF nia,forn.
oratory. The Londonderry eiection ,vao
Ioons -uraWn out contest. as there was CON
.nucraole delay IN moving the writ: but
IL ~. ~s .vut oniy Two meetings were held by
the Nattonalis,s. three by the Unionists an;
! mere was not one STRAIT oo'.... -"