ifford, whose kindness and
long-suffering are administered _con amore_ by genial Captain Baillie.
They have no opinions on Home Rule or, indeed, on any other political
subject, and will agree with anything the stranger may wish. Whatever
you profess as your own opinion is certain to be theirs, and like
Artemus Ward they might conclude their letters with "I don't know what
your politics are, but I agree with them." Every man Jack of the
Catholic peasantry votes as he is told by his priest, and no amount of
argument, no amount of most convincing logic, no earthly power could
make him do otherwise. He will agree with you, will swear all you say,
will go further than you go yourself, will clinch every argument you
offer in the most enthusiastic way. Then he will vote in the opposite
direction. He thinks that in voting against the priest he would be
voting against God, and his religion compels him to conscientiously
vote against his conscience, if any. A burning and shining light among
the Home Rulers of Stranorlar having been indicated, I contrived to
meet him accidentally as it were, and after some preliminary remarks
of a casual nature my friend informed me that he was agin Home Rule,
as, in his opinion, it would desthroy the counthry; that the farmers
believed they would get the land for nothing, and that they were told
this by "priests and lawyers;" that he believed this to be a delusion
from which the people would have a dreadful awakening; that
Protestants were better off, cleaner, honester than Catholics; that
they were much more industrious and far better farmers, and so forth,
and so forth. This man is a red hot Nationalist, and was under the
impression he was "having his leg pulled," hence his accommodating
speech. When taxed with flagrant insincerity he only smiled, and
tacitly admitted the soft impeachment. Farmers you meet in rural lanes
will profess earnest Unionism, but--find out their religion--you need
ask no more. Whatever they may say, whatever their alleged opinions
may be, matters not a straw. They must and will vote as the priest
tells them. So that the last franchise Act endows every priest with a
thousand votes or so. Will anybody attempt to disprove this? Will any
living Irishman venture to contradict this statement? The fact being
admitted, Englishmen may be trusted to see its effect. Is there any
class or trading interest which would be by working men entrusted with
such enormous power? And these t