Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-10-08
IRISH WOMEN WILL VOTE
IN GENERAL ELECTION
ror First Time in History. They
VIII BE Factor In Emerald
Isle Politics.
MAY SAVE THE SITUATION
FORECAST Is That, on Advice of Priest.
mood, Many Will Take Political
ATTITUDE Generally Antagonistic TO
Sim Fcin Aspirations.
by ALFRED PERCIvAL GRAVES.
author OF "Eathrr O'f'Iynn"

attempted to account for the nuility of
opihion in Catholic Ireland. Opinions
ian been gradually less stubbornly
Slagnant in protestant, Ireland on 10
,tical and politics -religious issues.
i'cawakcncd interest in Irish iitera-
irn' ART, music and archaeology had
, usn begun To break down the old
".rrlamitc and Jacobite aiRmositics
nc sons and daughters of cduca ted
;ansemcn were under these Influences
.p!tcninE toward home rule and even
luz lister protestant peasantry were
,csinhing to oscllate in that drec-
But 1rcland's evil genius again in.
.etvened The McCann mixed mar
c iSse s case: the P9pe's nc temere dc;
Tho iIibcrnian Association. semi
secret Catholic scctaran and political
e9c'ctE: as practically a party machine
OF the Parliamentary Nationalists
auscd a revulsion Of feeling against
nome rule in the north that swept
tto US current not only the heads Of
nc ulster Protestant Episcopalian and
.ohcohforlnist churches. but also the
IEca majority OF the men OF business
IN MAT province.
Thus TO q nuctuatinc politlc,f min
Oh In the west of Ireland there was
pposGd solid, me,hodic resistance
oTSsnized and led By a man OF re-
lnarkabic resolution and talent Sir Ed
ward Carson
NOTHING HAS SAWED
FEELINGS OF ULSTERITE:S
Many intervening events. the taking
uoTthcrn and southern gun-rurnins
ne ostrich!ike attitude OF The Brill
Wiioournc government toward Sim
Feln tho Eastor rebellion and subsc-
gucnt too drastic executions tho equal
oYcr-easy release Of the Sim Feim
convicts with the objec, OF crcatin: a
'a"orable atmosphere for the Irish con
Nchtion, pui With the result Of letting
ioss the toulcst weather upon it-aii
thcSc things have done absolutely moth
,nS to salvc the wounded feelings OF
Ulster and have, indeed, only strength
rest OF ireland.
II is clear. indeed. that whatever
compromise was reached at the con
wension between home rule and Union
was due TO the action OF Mr. Red
mond.s and Lord Midle,on's followers.
and not TO any sufficient concessions
Carson.
And since the convention the chances
Of such compro'nis" have recedcd
into remote distance owing to the com
1incd anticonscription aititud. Of MIR
Di!iion, Mr. DE Valera aud the Irish.
No doubt n fresh situation has been
created by the re!mprisonment OF the
SIM Fem leaders. combined with Lord
Fren.h's rcsolutc government and jus,
that Kind CT plain speaking the Irish
most appreciate.
The Irish Parliamentary party has
moreover, rcasscrted Itself in an anti
sim Fcin sense both inside and out
side of Parliament.
SIM FEM MAY HOLD
FIFTY COMMONS SEATS
Eut the TACT remains that Northeast
Lister doEgedly opposed to home rule
and still armed 10 the teeth. stands
sui!eniy and solidly apart. and in a
doubly strong position. in view Of the
tsaiparous condition OF the rest OF
Ireland. For only consider wha, con-
los. instead OF los, may have IN store
ior US. First let us assume that out
OF these los constituencies Sim Fem
VIII be representcd by some nifty mem
bcrs OF various dyes from the red
repuhiican TO ne so-calied "iiunsa-
rian" who would accept King ,icorge
a King OF ireland not more closely
connected with England than Hum
Sary is with Austria. The official
twenty-five members. a rca sonable in
ference from the fact that they only
carried three out of eight OF tho re-
cent by-elections in ireland. This
would leave twenty-scvcn seats for the
l.ish Unionists. whose ranks are bound
TO be increased by the addition under
the redistribution act, OF i've mem
hers to Dublin and County Dublin and
six TO Belfast and County Down con-
stituencics.
II the. Sim Feiner> continue their
policy OF refusing 10 sit in The Eng
lish House OF Commons. and they are
not. consequence. disfranchised
nc faced with the strange situation of
Cnionist majority .: lrishmen at
w eSt'll'HStci III Spllc 81 Il ~ per cen I
majority for home rule at the Irish
polls.
But there is another possible, result
Of the next Irish elections. Women
Will then have votes for the first time.
and. owing 20 the loss oil men in the
war or their emigration 10 America
pondcratinE numbers VIII they vote
Sim Fem under the Influence OF the
Younger generation Of men or be ad !.
yised privately by the bishops and
parish priests not To do so" III. wives
and widows ard sisters ?f soldiers who
have had a bad time froi;; their sim
the Nationalists as we'll the majority
Of soldiers at the various fronts who
can be reached in time by the ballot
papers.
But there viii be strong struggle
Tor the womens votes between their
fessoTs. The Sim Feiners boast that
they will win but they arc evidently
getting. nervous of the powers OF the
Irish bishops for they are already de
nouncing so called secret treaty be-
twen Niscount French and Cardinal
Logue. More .signficaEt still is the
dispatch OF letter from the Pope to
the Irish bishops, evidently advising
them to go easy with the british gov
crnmcnt with whom the Vatican al
ways seeks 10 be on good terms.
re the papal suggestion Is that the
bishops should now drop the slightest
show OF countenance of Sim Fein, the
fully chosen. For Father OFlanagan
who took up the running for DE Vaicr.,
when he was arrested has been si-
fenced by his bishop and whilst the
Catholic hierarchy are in the spring
tide Of Irish popularity owing 10 their
hitherto. anticlerical parliamentary
NationaliStS are at it's lowest neap.
and would no doubt be only too glad
OF helping clerical hands at the forth
coming elections.
MAY EVENTUATE IN
4 FEDERAL SOLUTION
suppose the bishops thus support Mr..
Dillon and his party and persuade half
the women to vote for them. and yet
half the seats now held by Nationa-
lists are not occupied in the House OF
commons. owing to the abstention of
Sim Feiners, what will follow? The
prophecy may be sgarded that the
home rule bill which Mr. Short de-
clares he is now engaged upon will
take Federal direction and set up
TWO governments in Ireland. one for
Ulster. the other for the rest OF Ire
/ land with an intergovernmentai coun-
ell regulating tho relations between
them on the lines suggested nv mo In