HOME RULE AND THE BY-ELECTIONS.
[To ran Eamon or nix ..8PSOUTOD:9 • The Advance of Home Rule." "Majority for Home Rule, 1,170." These are the headlines in which the Manchester Guardian purports to epitomize the outcome of the recent by-elections. Would anyone suppose that they refer to three elections, in one of which a Cabinet Minister lost his seat, in another a majority of 2,331 was cast for the Union, and in the third a Liberal majority of 1,829 fell to one of 278? Thus do even the best of Liberals blind themselves to plain facts. Nothing could show more clearly why they should so fear a General Election on the subject of Horne Rule, though even then an adverse verdict, if not its effect, could be readily explained away on the system adopted by your contemporary. The rules of the game are something as follows: (1) In all three-cornered contests the votes given to two of the candidates are to be added together, and this is called the Home Rule vote. (2) Should the Government candidate win, by however reduced a majority, this is a popular verdict in favour of Home Rule. (3) Should the Union win by a large majority, if there is any redaction on previous records, this marks "the advance of Home Rule." And finally, (4) wherever and however a Government seat is held it is a victory for Home Rule; wherever and whenever one is lost it is due to misrepresenta- tion of the Insurance Act. The system is one which seems to cover all possible contingencies, and to make a verdict against Home Rule impossible of attainment. I believe, Sir, you will agree that much credit is due to your contemporary for devising so practical an application to current politics of the old formula of " Heads I win, tails you lose."—I am, Sir, &a., A READER Os' BOTH SIDES.
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