IRISH ELECTION EVIL

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 615, 18 March 1929, Page 9

IRISH ELECTION EVIL

BOGUS VOTERS AT LARGE WOMEN BORROW BABIES

(United P.A .— By Teleyraph — Copyright) (United Service) DUBLIN, Saturday. Flying-squads, who impersonate the dead, sick and the dying, besides absentees and indifferent voters, are still most prominent in tlie Irish elections in spite of the Government’s efforts to check the evil, which the party organisers are alleged to encourage. It is said they even provide disguises to enable the impersonators to represent several voters. The enfranchisement of women has proved that they are more adept in impersonation than are men. They change their hats and clothes and even borrow babies in order to deceive the polling officers.

-at me recent election in iieiiast, where the electorate numbers 20,000, the flying-squads impersonated 2,000 voters. One man voted 20 times. The abuse has become such a scandal in Ulster that the Government has ordered an inquiry to be held. CLOSE BY-ELECTION SIGNIFICANT WARNING DE VALERA MAY WIN OUT Times Cable LONDON, Saturday. The Dublin correspondent ol' “The Times” says the fact that the Dianna Fail’s candidate polled so many votes in a Government stronghold is a significant warning of how precarious is Mr. W. T. Cosgravel; majority in the Dail. The possibility of Mr. de Valera’s administration after the next general election cannot be ignored. A sinister speech made by the Republican leader in the Dail clearly indicates what may be expected if and when he comes into power. He said neither the Government nor the Dail had any moral right to represent the people. The real authority rested with those persons who were excluded from the Dail by the imposition of the test oath to the King of England. Until that oath was removed the continuity of the Irish Republic could be claimed rightly by those outside. Turning to the Government front bench, Mr. de Valera declared that the proper thh.it, ment to do was to give those who did not agree that this State was 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-estab-lishment of the Republic, or, as. they say, continuance of the Republic,” said the speaker. He warned the Government that if its harassing methods continued it might have repeated against it what was done against the British Government in the past. Mr. de Valera added: “There is no use blinding yourselves to the fact th; t you are regarded as simply continuing British authority in another form.”