BRITISH. GENERAL ELECTION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 89, 9 January 1919, Page 6

BRITISH. GENERAL ELECTION

Sir,—Tour correspondent A. C. Holms in a letter in your issue of to-dny quotes the 'John o 4 Grant Journnl" as affording an illuminating incident of Coalition : tactics," nnd in regard to which there , is manifestly a misconception of the poii- | tlon. Jlay I point out that if the hith- < srto separate constituencies of Caithness i and Sutherland have been combined, Sir i E. L. Harmeworth, whatever his per- ■ sonal merits or family relationships may ; be, had "a prior claim to selection as'a ' candidate, for he has represented the ■ County of .Caithness in Parliament for ] very many, years, ■ while Sir Robert 1 Munrp, Secretary for Scotland, was elect- 1 ed within a more * recent period, for a 1 constituency known as the: Northern I Burghs, comprising the comity towns of I Orkney,, Caithness, Sutherland! and Ross. ] If, as ,scems probable, n redistribution scheme merged the towns mentioned in ■] some other electorate, naturally Sir Rob- 1 ert Muiuro' had to seek n seat elsewhere, i —I am, etc., " j CORRECTION. < Wellington, January 8. i ' ' ( Sir, —Your correspondent signing him- t self "Lower Hutt" complaine of the (

meagre detaile of the recent general ele> tion.- No doubt they were.not very clear, but the.elections'being held on one day makes a lot of difference. It would be almost impossible to cable all the results. Hβ singles out the results of Deny, as they appear rather confused. I think I can furliisb him with the true state of matters in that county. Derry City was won by a Sinn Feitier," and South Derry County was won by a Unionist—Mr.' Denis Henry, Iv.C. He has sat for that division of Derry some years now. It may be news for your correspondent that Mr. Henry is a Roman Catholic, though a strong Unionist. When he stood for the division at a by-election some years ago the Unionists' supported him to a man. Then in'regard to "Lower Hutt's" reference to Mr., A. J. Balfour, who, after a. seat had been found ! for him, his party threw him over as its leader, I think I am right in saying that . it. was Mr. Balfour's wish to drop out of the leadership, with the result, that Mr. Bonar Law was chosen. Then, again, as regards Mr.. Gladstone, I was not aware that he was defeated .at an election from the time he represented Midlothian to his death. Perhaps I.may bo wrong. Your correspondent seems to, be worrying over tho elections in Ireland. • He singles out the actions of the Ulstermen iii 1914, and says that they openly proclaimed their intention to resist with force of arms the granting of self-govern-ment to Ireland in 1914. "Lower Hutt" seems io have been sleeping these last-, four years. All they (the Ulstermen) intended to resist was the'imposition of a law coming from a.-Dublin and Nationalist Parliament. So far as Ulster was-concerned, they preferred to remain under the British Parliament, and to ' bring "Lower Hutt's" memory up to date.- the resolve of the 'Ulstermen still holds eood. —I a.m. etc.,. -January 7, 1919. ■ ' •