Evening star., 1920-01-05
IRISH ELECTIONS
FALL JANUARY IS
Will Show How Well Sim
Fein Party Is Hold
ing Own.

DUBLIN. January 4.-The first 10
cal elections since the beginning of
the war will be held all over Ireland
January Is. and remarkable interest
is attached to them because they will
show how far the Sim Fein party is
holding its own.
Irish local government for a long
period has been conducted by popular
~ elected county. rural and urban
district councils. Their composition
Is generally safe guide to the stats
Of feeling in the country. for the opin
ion of the candidates on the question
OF self-government is generally the
principal factor in the voting.
The local councils in the three
southern provinces thus far have been
overwhelmingly composed of home
rulers of the old nationalist party.
All local elections were suspended by
the government during the war. to
prevent possible trouble. Meanwhile
the nationalist party has almost dis
appeared from the scene, and the Sim
Fem has taken it's place.
Formerly the ne bers of the local
bodies Went o.: O. Office in patches,
one-third being elected yearly. Now
clean sweep is 20 be made of all.
from the administrators Of a whole
county to the administrators of the
smallest districts.
Plan Used for First Time.
vi tuc ilSl Illlt me NOllnS Will De
on system of proportional repre-
Sentation. known as the single trans
ferrable vote. This plan was adopt
ed after a successful experiment in
the town of Sligo. II gives chance
for the representation of minorities
Although the Sim Feiners had
large majority in Sligo. all the par
ties obtained representation The OBJ
1ect OF the change was to prevent the
Sinn Fein from capturing local bodies
wholesale. but its chief opponents
were Sir Edward Carson and the ITI-
ster unionists, who have the same su-
periority in the northeast corner that
the Sim Fein holds in the rest of Ire
land
Despite the advantages of the plan for
securing minority representation, the
TACT remains that voting organization
IS a telling factor even under this
system. 1t can prevent the waste of
majority votes and spread its first
preferences carefully over the whole
ticket. In this connection Sim Fein
supporters point to the organization
OF that body as being highly scien-
tif1c and far more effective. although
conducted mostly by volunteer work
ers. than any other organization in
Ireland now or in the past.
No Rush of Candidates.
There has not been the rush that
was expected of candidates of con-
>SoSNis SIVups, VINO nave
presented to them now their first op-
portunity for representation. The
demonstrated supremacy of the Sim
FeinerS appears to have exercised a
sort of hypnotic effect and some OBJ
servers predict that neither the
unionists nor the nationalists will be
represented in proportion to their real
numbers and influence.
The labor party, for the first time in
Irish politics. is expected to play an
Seem to anticipate dividing power
with the Sim Fein. The labor party
has been growing during the past
five years. but at the last parliament
AIRY elections, when tha threat of con.
ssription hu1e ..sc 1.NtAnd it TIL. -.
ir IS lo. =-". -. Sim Fein. The la
bss- unif.ss havs their own policies in
1o>al affairs. although most of their
members are Sim Feiners. but
while the two parties may differ on
trades questions. there seems no rea-
son to doubt that on Irelands one
great political question they will con-
tinue to act together.
Sinn Fein Avowedly Confidrnt.
The Sim Fein is avowedly confident
of obtaining control of all the Irish
local bodies outside of the northeast
Ulster, claiming that even in Dublin.
where the unionist minority sisASssAn Ga
by comparison with the country 6s-s
tion and elect whoever they please
lord mayor, as we'll as controlling
the Dublin county council. Given this
success. it is pointed out that they
could virtually turn all the local
bodies of the country into Sim Fein
branches. and. since the Sim Fein
has been proclaimed an illegal or
ganization. the situation which would
develop in such a case is pointed to
as being likely to prove an interest
ing one from the standpoint Of the
viceroy. s. - ~
The fact is not being overlooked
by observers. however. that the gov
ernment holds the whip hand over
the local bodies. All Of them are
subject to the local government board.
appointed by the castle. the assent of
which is necessary for all appoint
ments to local offices and for all i'm
portant measures. Under an act of
parliam ent the local government board
has the power to disband any re-
fractory council and substitute paid
administrators of it's own selection.
Thus. it is noted. the outcome of the
elections may be found as providing
another test of strength between the
Sim Fein and the government.
FlAlA NOT AAIAIIorTnc