Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 December 1879 — The Elective Franchise in Ireland. [ARTICLE]

The Elective Franchise in Ireland.

In order to enable a few wealthy Tories to exercise an undue political influence in Ireland, the qualification for the elective franchise is fixed so high that not more than one man in eight to ten is a voter; whereas in England, in the cities and towns, four out of five men are allowed to vote. This unjust discrimination is pointed out by a writer in the London Spectator, from whose letter we make the following extract: When the numbers of electors in places of equal population in the two countries are compared, the effect of the restricted Irish franchise is immediately apparent. Thus: Population. Electors. Dublin 267,717 12,117 Leeds 259,212 49.545 Cork 100.518 4,618 Leicester 95,220 13,365 X-iimerick 49,853 1.781 Middleborough 46.621 11,824 Wexford 13 112 498 WhUby 13 091 2,103 Kinsale 6.955 191 Elpon 6,806 1,096 The Reform bill that is required is one that will remove this great inequality and place the Irish franchise in exactly the same position as’ the English. Such a measure was introduced on several occasions daring the present Parliament, but was on every occasion voted down by the Conservatives. The Liberals, who have supported these bills when in opposition, will be expected to pass them when they return to power. Fussy About Dress. Talk about women being particular and fussy about dress—did you ever watch a man buy an ulster? He strays in apparently by accident, lookß over a pile of coats, and the gentlemanly clerk puta one on him It’s too big plaid, Hackman's overcoat; the next one is too

big stripe, college student’s; the next too fine, regular parson’s gown; then one fits too much, one fits too little; one has arms too long, buttons too big; another has arms too short, buttons too small. And he keeps up this straying all over town, sampling every clothing store, filling clerks with higbjhopes and subsequent disgust, till at last he buys (he first coat he tries on, wears it a week, and thinks it “immense,” and the rest of the winter spends his spare time in -trying to trade it off for a secondhand coal-box buggy.