The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-09-20
REPUBLICANS AND
COMMUNISM GAIN
in FREE STATE
Workers Defeat Tom
Johnson, Elect Larkin

DUBLIN, Sept. 10. - With 26 con
stituencies to be heard from the fol-
lowing is the result Of last Thurs
days general elections:
Government, 49 seats; Fianna Fail,
40; Labor Party, II; Independents, 10;
Farmers, 4; National League, 2 and
the Irish Workers League, l.
Granting that the Labor Party will
line up with the Republican opposi-
ton, it is possible that when complete
returns are in, Cosgrave will learn
that his alleged brilliant manouvre in
calling a snap general election viii
prove complete failure. At best he
is only assured of a slight majority.
The outstanding feature of the cleo
ton is, the return Of Jim LarEin, on
the platform Of the Irish Workers
League, which openly declared that
it was the Irish section of the Com
munist International. Dovetailing in
to Larkin's victory was the defeat Of
Thomas Johnson, leader of the Irish
Labor Party and William O'Brien,
general secretary of the Irish Trans
port and General Workers Union.
Turning Out Unreliable.
This defeat is a workingclass re-
buke to those two leaders who have
given tacit support to the Free State
government since its Inauguration, the
putting up a respectable opposition
to it in the Dali. O'Brien, an old as
scciate of James Connolly, recently
wrote a letter to the press declaring
that Irish labor was supporting John
son and had complete confidence in
him. The voters however indicated
that they did not share Mr.. O'Brien's
viewpoint on Thomas Johnson's value
to the Irish labor movement. The de-
feat Of the two outstanding right wing
leaders of the trade union and politi-
cal movements paves the way for the
building of Left Wing in the trade
unions and the building Of a Commun-
list Party, whether under that or some
other name. The election Of Jim
Larkin shows that Irish workers are
not afraid of the name Of Communism.
De Valera Uncertain.
If the leader of the Irish Labor
Party refuses to vote for De Valera
as president of the executive council
of Dali Eireann, Cosgrave may sue
ceed himself. There are persistent
rumors that Cosgrava and DeValera
may come to terms making coalition
! government possible. Such a move on
De Valera's part would very likelZ,
result in split in his party, tho as
far as that leader is personally con-
cerned he is just as willing to put
himself at the disposal of the capital
lists as Cosgrave.
Among the outstanding casualties
of the election, is Mr. links of Sligo
who saved Cosgrave's political neck
in the recent Dali crisis by absent
ing himself from the chamber dur
ing the voting. The people of Sligo
decided to send Jinks into political
obscurity.
All the small parties suffered loss
es in the election The Farmers
Party as well as the Labor Party
lost its leader. The Sim Fein party,
led by Mary MacSwiney did not con
test tie elections and is now only
memory. Redmond's party survived
with two deputies and Clam Eireann,
decided that discretion was the bet
ter part of valor and supported De
Valera.
On the whole the election repre-
sents a swing towards parliamentary
Republicanism and in the labor move
ment loss of confidence in the right
wing.