Evening star., 1923-09-02
FREE STATE FIRM,
ELECTION REVEALS
Government Stands Better
Than Its Supporters
Anticipated.
Dy the Associated Press.

Dy the Associated Press
DUBLIN, September 1.-The results
OF the Irish elections have been more
favorably for the stability of the gov
ernment than was anticipated.
The election speeches of the
ministers and the articles in the
press supporting them revealed an
apprehension of the return of a large
number of members representing sec
tional interests. and it was not ex-
pected the republicans would make
any considerable show.
Eliminating the complications of
the proportional representation sys-
votes as d plebiScite, it is realized
that of the first 756,O00 votes. PreSi-
dent CoSgrave'S men polled, roughly.
$4,000 against $4,000 for de Valeras )
men, or d victory of less than two to
one over the party whose principals
are all either in jail or on the run.
evading arrest. Labor came next
with 10000: then the farmers with
$4,000.
Strength CT Minority.
The free state of these 756. 900 votes.
polled $4,000. against it's opponents
$4,000. The minority. nolled by men
in arms against the state and
charged by the ministers with re-
sponsibility for property damage
as surprisingly large.
The votes remaining to be counted
totaling about another quarter mil
lion, are not expected to modify this
proportion seriously and 1t Is thus
ascertained that the feelings of the
minority were marked, not only by
the total number of votes polled, but
by the high number of first prefer
ences given to notable personalities
in the armed fight against the free
state.
Men in Jail Elected.
De Valera, Dan Breen. Austin Stack
. and Ernest O'Malley are all In jail,
and all were elected. This republican
enthusiasm for their chiefs was pal
, anced by a corresponding enthusiasm
among the free staters for their gov
ernment ministers, all of whom were
returned and those ministers VINO
were most outspoken in favor OF re-
pressive measures had the most strik-
OHiggins, Patrick Hogan ana
Richard Mulcahy receiving huge
pluralitieS.
The net result of the whole con-
test is to re-establish the CosgraVe
2 ministry to security in power; Wneh
Z the final results are reached the gov
ernment will surely have nearly nan
; of the 1853 seats in the house, ana they
can count with certainty LOT IuSih ie
appointment on all. or nearly ALL OIL
the farmers and Independent repre-
- sentatfveS.
VIII Have Majority.
Their safety is increased by the
fact that no personalities apparently
have emerged in any party capaoie
> Of challenging their supremacy. II
the republcans. as has oeen conn
IDENTIFY supposed, boycott the .parlia-
/ ment tho government will have a
clear majority in the diminished
house over all the other parties COM
bined. -,
Whether the republicans Will fol-
low their previous tactics OF absten.
ton is not yet certain. They will
refuse to take the oath, but they
may attend at the start and claim
s that the oath Is not legal prelim-
mary to membership. If the repub-
licans decide to attend the question
must be raised at once of the re-
lease of the imprisoned republican
deputies to enable them to attend,
so there will be some thorny points
awaiting solution when President
Cosgrave gets home from Geneva
In the last dali the labor members
constituted the only official opposi
ton. but their diminished numbers
( will make that role difficult or i'm
I possible for them in the new parlia
mont Ireland Is at present in the
throeS of a strike fever and the
feebleness of the labor party in the
dail, 1t is pointed out in political
circles, may possibly lead to serious
Developments outside.