THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE IRISH ELECTIONS. [To THE EDITOR OF
THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Mr. J. J. Murphy has called attention to the very large number of abstentions at the recent elections in the provinces of Munster, Connaught, and Leinster. The more the figures of these elections are studied, the more they seem to modify one's first impression that the elections indicated a nearly unanimous desire in Ireland for Home-rule. The total number of electors in those constituencies in which the election was contested was 585,715; the total number of votes given in the same constitu- encies for the Separatist candidates was 295,269, or just over one-half. In Leinster, Munster, and Connaught there were fifty-one contested elections, and in thirty-five of these the votes thrown for the Separatist candidates were less than two- thirds—and in some instances very much less than two-thirds— of the constituency ; and these thirty-five include nearly all the constituencies of greatest importance—viz., every division of the City and County of Dublin, the City of Cork and every contested division of the county except one, the City of Galway and the only contested division of the county, every contested division of Berry, the City of Limerick, the two con- tested divisions of Mayo, both divisions of Sligo, every division of Tipperary, the City of Waterford and both divisions of the county. The most striking example is Mr. Parnell's own City of Cork, where, out of 15,116 electors, only 6,716, or consider- ably less than one-half, recorded their votes for himself and Mr. Healy. That the cause of these large abstentions through- out the South and Wrest was largely the frightful terrorism exercised by the priests and the National League, must be well known to every one who has correspondents in those districts, or who reads the Irish papers which are not devoted to the League. In Ulster the returns are very singular. While the Separatists:return a majority of one Member from this province, the number of votes actually given was,—Separatists, 68,750; Unionist, 114,705 ; or the number of Union votes not very far from double the Separatist.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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