'Whether
Roderigo kill Cassio, or Cassio kill Roderigo, or each kill the other,
every way makes my gain.' His theory of Nationalist progress was
four-square and complete, and showed a neat dovetailing of means with
the end. There is some justification for his simple faith. He has seen
Mr. Gladstone and his supporters, converted _en bloc_, including the
great Sir William Harcourt, styled by the Parnellite sheet "the
new-born, emancipator of Ireland," the unambitious and retiring
Labouchere, the potent Cunninghame Graham, the profound Conybeare, and
the pertinacious Cobb--he has seen these great luminaries throwing in
their lot with the sworn enemies of England, and doing all that in
them lies to disintegrate and destroy the Empire, and the rude peasant
may be pardoned for expecting that the British army will, at his call,
complete what these worthies have so well begun. To narrow loyalist
liberties, to tax loyalist industry, to create a loyalist rebellion,
and to have the loyalists shot by other loyalists is an excellent
all-round scheme. This is indeed a high-souled patriotism.

Continuing, my friend said:--"A Romanist neighbour of mine had
promised to vote for Lord Frederick Hamilton, for, as he said, he had
no confidence in any Irish Parliament. Just before the battle he
called and said he must vote the other way, for Father Somebody had
called on him and said, 'I hear you are going to vote for Lord
Frederick Hamilton.' Admitted. 'Then you may call in Lord Frederick
Hamilton to visit you on your death-bed. You can get him to administer
the Sacraments of the Church.' 'What could I do?' said the farmer. 'I
couldn't go against the priest. I could not incur the anger of my
clergy without imperilling my immortal soul. Besides that, I'd be made
a mark and a mock of. Perhaps I'd be refused admission to Mass, like
the men in South Meath who voted contrary to the orders of the
priest. So to save my soul I'll have to vote against my conscience. No
use in telling me we will vote by ballot. Them priests knows
everything. They fix themselves in the polling booths, and they can
read what way ye went in your face. Sure, they know us all inside and
out, since we were So high. We couldn't desave them.' Then they always
act as personation agents, and they order people who can read and
write to say they can't do either. So they have to declare aloud whom
they will vote for, and the priest hears for himself. This is the true
explanation