27 AUGUST 1927, Page 1

News of the Week

THE recent narrow victory of Mr. Cosgrave's Govern- ment obviously did not bring safety to the Irish Fr= State. The issue was only postponed. This accounts for the extraordinary interest which has been taken in the two Dublin by-elections of this week, one in the City and the other in the County of Dublin. In both constituencies the candidates represented the Govern- ment, the Republican Party (Fianna Fail) and the Sinn Fein Party, but as the Shin Fein Party is no longer of any account, there was in effect a straight fight between the Government and the Republicans. The Government were not confident of the result in the City constituency, as it had hitherto been opposed to them. The results are not known when we go to press, but they will probably give a clue to what might happen at a General Election.