This may seem to some people like a very tragio
end to a long agony, and yet as a matter of fact we venture to say that the majority of the people of Ireland are at heart deeply relieved by the conclusion. They have had the immense satisfaction of bullying, worrying, and generally humbugging John Bull for the last twenty years, plus extracting from - his pockets vast sums of money and getting land for the farmer, cheap houses for the cottager, and many nice little privileges for the Church in the way of education, and on the top of it all, the excitement of a rebellion and real bloodshed. And after all they are not going to have the very doubtful blessing of being ruled and taxed by the Sinn Feiners. It may please the Roman Church still to pretend that they are devoted to the con- stitutional cause, but as a matter of fact there is a good deal of evidence to show that they are heartily glad that their property is likely to remain under the protection of the United Kingdom. The members of the Church who profess Sinn Fein views are of course numerous, but all the same the Church does not want Sinn Fein to win.
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