nionists
were returned. But the general feeling of the newly-formed Councils
may be gathered from the following resolution which was passed by the
Mayo County Council in that year:

"That we, the members of the Mayo County Council, congratulate
the gallant Boers on their brilliant defeats of the troops
of the pirate Saxon. That we hope that a just Providence will
strengthen the arms of these farmer fighters in their brave
struggle for their independence. And we trust that as Babylon
fell, and as Rome fell, so also may fall the race and nation
whose creed is the creed of greed, and whose god is the god of
Mammon."

And by 1902, when the next triennial elections were coming on,
the mask was thrown off. The _Freeman's Journal_ (the principal
Nationalist organ) said:--

"In every County or District Council where a landlord, however
amiable, or personally estimable, offers himself for election,
the answer of the majority must be the same: 'No admittance
here.'"
And J. Redmond stated the case still more plainly:

"We have in our hands a weapon recently won, the full force
of which is not yet, I believe, thoroughly understood by
the English Government or by ourselves. I mean the weapon
of freely-elected County Councils and District Councils who
to-day form a network of National organizations all over
Ireland, and who to-morrow, I doubt not, if the other
organizations were struck, would be willing to come forward
and take their place, and, in their Council Chambers, carry on
the National work."

Pledges in the following form were presented for signature to all
candidates by the United Irish League (except of course in north-east
Ulster):--

"I ---- hereby pledge myself, if elected to represent the ----
Division on the County Council, to promote the interests of
the United Irish League, and to resign my position whenever
called upon to do so by the ---- Divisional Executive."

So completely has the policy been carried out that by 1911, to
quote the words of Mr. FitzGibbon, M.P. (to whom I have previously
referred):--

"There was not a landlord in the country who could get his
agent returned as District Councillor or County Councillor,
or even his eldest son or himself. The Organization had
emancipated the people; it had given them the power which
their enemies had wielded; it had cleared the road