The result of the contest at Cork between the Parnellites
and the Anti-Parnellites was not known till the afternoon of last Saturday, but turned out as every one had expected. The priests carried the Anti-Paruellite candidate, Mr. Flavin, by a majority of 1,512,—Mr. Flavin polling 3,669 votes, and Mr. John Redmond, who stood in Mr. Parnell's place, only 2,157; and Captain Sarsfield (the Protestant Unionist) polling only 1,161. If all the Unionists had supported Mr. Redmond (which they could not have done except by a gross abandonment of their principles for the sake of weakening their strongest opponent), Mr. Flavin would still have been returned by a majority of 351. The total poll was a very light one,—only 6,987, whereas at the last contest (1885) it was 8,138, on a considerably smaller register. It seems that there must have been a number of Unionists who were not inclined to show themselves as Unionists, a good many Parnellites who were afraid of being known as opposed to the priests, and even not a few Anti- Parnellites who had not the courage to let themselves be pointed at by the mob as opposed to the late Mr. Parnell.
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