The New York herald., 1921-05-25
BELFAST IN UPROAR
over THE ELECTION
Attacks Made on Anti-Parti-
ton Voters and Several
Stabbed.
TERRORISM AT BOOTHS
Great Efforts Made to Bring
Out Votes Despite the
Intimidation.
TERRORISM AT BOOTHS
Bu the Associated Press.


BELFAST, May 24.-The whole OF
Ulster, which has been seethins with
excitement all day long over the cleo
ton Of candidates 10 the new Parlia-
ment. which only Unionists will at
tend. if they secure the necessary ma
jority-a foregone conclusion-is
regular babel this evening, with ex-
treme tension in some quarters.
Attacks were made at one OF the
Belfast booths on anti-partition voters
Several persons were stabbed and
beaten. one seriously. Two policemen
who came to their assistance also
were injured. Many Of the voters had
to be rescued from their assailants by
armored cars.
Attacks with stones and bottles were
made on another street booth as well as
in the Ballymacarret district, and the
whole section became the scene OF ter
rorism and intimidation. which deferred
the voters from attempting to record
their votes.
Many of its residents Of both persua-
sions are nursing sore heads Tonight
while the police. reinforced BY Black
and Tans and soldiers in armored cars,
are in possession of the streets.
! Trouble was started when Protestants
held a demonstration outside OF 81.
Matthews Catholic Church. and was in
tensified when Sim Feiner raised
flag in Protestant street. stone
| throwing and few revolver shots were
| exchanged before the police broke UP
! the crowds and formed cordons between
| the rival factions.
The Sim Fein quarter here IS an
| isolated one. so II kept the military
busy in preventing II from being IN
vaded and its flags. among which were
many American flags. from being torn
down and the houses attacked
| In North street, which connects Prot
estant shankhin road with Royal ave-
nue.. Belfasts main street, there Is an
other small colony OF Sim Feiners' VINO
to-day we're also flying their coors
| despite the overwhelming number OF
| their opponents, and here. too, party
of Black and Tans. backed by the police,
had ALI they could do to prevent the
| Protestants from crossing the oorder
| line.
A disturbing development to the un-
fonists was the fact that It number OF
"covenanters," men who pledged nen-
selves In 1914 when Sir Edward carson
was raising his army, never to consent
10 home rule In any shape or form, ap-
stained from ting on the ground that
10 vote for members of the Ulster far-
llament would be TO break their pledge
IL was estimated that go per cent OF
/ -
polls and that the Nationalists and Sim
Felners in the western division, where
Joseph Dcvlin. Nationalist member OF
the British House of Commons for Bel
fast. rs running with one Nationalist and
| two Sim Feiners. would poll as high as
rs per cent of thu votes.
The elections to-day were for the
new Pari,aments under the Irish home
rule bill. but only in the north OF Ire
nd were ballots cast. as the nomins-
tions for the southern Irish Parliament
were made without contest, which was
tantamount TO election.
Counting OF the votes will not COM
mence until nine o'clock Wednesday
morning and VIII continue until six
o'clock in the evening. ~ which time Il
will be adjourned until Thursday. 1t is
possible the Belfast results will be
known Wednesday night. but the others
will not be In for several days. There
are fifty-three polling divisions, with 3ss
polling stations. In Belfast alone.
II was evident IN West Belfast that
tricky tactics we're being employed.
Donegal Pass, one OF the polling stations
for Unionlsts. was crowded hours before
the time for voting by Nationalists. An
other ionS line OF Nationalists waited
outside. thus blocking the way 70 their
opponents.
There also we're large number of
child voters whose votes could not be
refused They ranged in age from a
child OF two and one-half years. who
was just able 10 lisp u vote for Moles"
n candidate in South Belfast. TO boys
end girls az IS and ~ years.