THE IRISH VOTE.
[TO THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—Your correspondent, Mr. G. R. Portal, in his letter of January 11th, says :—" Is it so certain that the Irish are in the
least unanimous for Home-rule ? The voters number 585,715; the votes cast for Home-rule were 295,269, leaving a majority of only 4,823 for Home-rule." Allow me to point out that Mr.
Portal has left out of his calculations the unopposed returns. The true figures, based on statistics published by the Pall Mall Gazette, are as follows :-
Total Irish electorate 741,984
Deduct electorate of constituencies where there was no contest, viz. :— Conservatives (4 seats) 23,468 Parnellitea (20 seats) 133,393 156,861 Electorate of contested seats 585,123 Total votes polled in contested seats 439,272
Equals 75-07 per cent. of electors.
The total Parnellite vote polled was 296,960 Electorate of the 20 seats which re- turned Parnellite Members unopposed 133,393
Which at the average polling (75 per cent.) equals 100,045
Total Parnellite vote 397,005
Make any reasonable deduction for the opinions of the minority who might have voted against the Nationalist candi- date had opportunity been afforded them (and the very fact that the seats were uncontested shows that minority to have been trifling), and it is clear that Mr. Portal's Home-rule majority of 4,823 will have to be increased twenty or thirty- fold before it approximates the truth.—I am, Sir, &c.,
70 Great Prescott Street, E., January 16th. B. WHISHAW.
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