IMPERSONATION IN DUBLIN ELECTION.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 18 March 1929, Page 7

IMPERSONATION IN DUBLIN ELECTION.

PARTY ORGANISERS PROVIDE DISGUISES

BELFAST MAN VOTED 20 TIMES.

'Sun” Cable. Received Sunday 7.0 p.m. DUBLIN, March 15. Flying squads, impersonating tk« dead, sick and dying, besides absentees and indifferent voters are still most prominent in Irish elections. Despite the government’s efforts to check the evil which it is reported, party organisers encourage, even providing isguises to enable the impersonators to represent a dozen votes. The enfranchisement of women has proved they are more adept in impersonation than men, changing hats and clothes, even borrowing babies, in order to deceive the polling offi ® ers ’ During a recent election at Belfast, where the electorate is 20 000 these flying squads impersonated 2000 voters One man voted twenty times, and the abuse has become such a scandal in Ulster that _ the government has ordered an inquiry. Sinister Speech by de Valera WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF RETURNED TO POWER. Times Cable. Received Sunday, 31.3 p.m. Times Cable. LONDON, March 16. The Times Dublin correspondent, in referring to the North Dublin by-elec-tion, says the fact that the 3' ianna Fail candidate polled so many votes in a Government stronghold is significant warning of how precarious is Mr. Cosgravc’s Dail Eircanu majority. The possibility of do Valera administrating after the next general election cannot be ignored. Meanwhile, do Valera’s sinister Bail Eireann speech clearly indicates what may be expected if and when he conics into power. He said: “Neither the Government nor the Dail Eireann has any moral right to represent the people. The real authority is vested with those persons w-ho were excluded from the Dail Eireann by the imposition of the test oath to the King of England. Until that oath is removed, the continuity of the Irish Republic can be claimed rightly by those outside.” Turning to the Government front bench, do Valera declared: “The proper thing for the Government to do is to give those who do not agree that this State is properly established an opportunity of working without foreswearing their views. You have no right to debar them from asking the people to support the re-establishment or\ the Republic, or as they say, the continuance of the Republic. ”

Ho concluded by warning the Government that if its harassing methods wore continued, it might have repeated against it what was done against the British Government in the past. Ho added: “There is no use blinding yourselves to the fact that you arc regarded simply as continuing in another form the British authority.”