The first General Election in Ulster resulted in a decisive
victory for the Protestant Unionists, who returned 40 members out of 52. The Nationalists returned six members, and the Sinn Feiners six. The elections were held under Proportional Representation, so that they were an absolutely fair test of public opinion. Over 90 per cent. of the electors voted. The Roman Catheite Church did its vinsost.for the, Nakienalist and Sinn Fein candidates, including Collins, the notorious leader of the gunmen, but failed to snake-any serious_ impression on the strong Protestant majority. The Unionists won 15 out of the 16 Belfast seats, Mr. Devlin being the only Nationalist returned. The Socialist candidates, who were put forward in the vain hope of dividing the Unionist workmen's vote, polled so badly that they forfeited their deposits. In Londonderry city and county the Unionists won 3 seats out of 5, in Antrim 6 out of '7, in Armagh 2 out of 4, in Down 6 out of 8, in Tyrone-Fermanagh 4 out of 8, with 4 members for the Queen's University. The Unionist "first. preference" vote was more than twice as large as that of the Nationalists and Sinn Fein combined.
