Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-08-18
RIOTING IN BELFAST,

Our dispatches Of yesterday morning
contain accounts Of further riotine and
blood sheddtag in Ireland. It now appears
that Beiast and the recent events there
win prove the point of departure Tor the
Tory policy in-the government Of frsland.
In speaking Of it an exchange ~psrtinently
remarks that even Lord Randolph
Churchill, in his original proposition to
light up nee mor the fires of religious war
and 'lead Ulster against Ireland" could
hardly have imagined how easy q labor he
had set himself, nor tn what an extent the
passion of the old Orange Catholic hostility
would lend itself to the purposes of his
party. Belfast is the actual center of civil
war. It contains near two hundred and
fifty thousand native belligerents, Protes-
tants and Catholics together, more or less
equipped with firearms, but with a genius
for warfare capable of turning to accounts
as a lethal weapon any handy thing, from
a bottle to a paving stone; and, in addi-
ton to those, about 5000 perfectly armed
and thoroughly trained and disciplined
~troops-5,5O0 Of the army and $500 con-
stabulary. The constabulary are veterans
and better troops than many regiments in
the army. In our best battle in the Mexi-
can war we had q smaller force than the
Government has at Belfast. But at Buena
Vista we had only 20, 900 Mexicans on our
hands. 1t is a very different thing for q
government to have on it's hands over
2OO,O 600 Irishmen inspired with the rage of
an undying animosity, compared to which,
as stimulating moral forces. discipline and
patriotism are but feathers in the scale.
And into the furnace thus seething at
Belfast, other elements are being drawn,
sending in arms and ammunition. and des-
perate fellows ready to form the second
line OF battle if the first shall prove to have
been in any degree shaken by the killing
already done. Her Majesty's commander
OF the forces for Ireland is one of the orna-
mental gentleman that the Queen keeps
about heroine OF her German cousins. He
the forces not for fighting
purposes generally, but mainly in order
that he may glorify himself in the rank and
pay Of the position. The gross abuse of
the monarchical system, the giving to ia
the places and emoluments that
should be the rewards of good service,
in England in time Of peace, but
hitherto there has been sense enough to put
real soldiers to the front in cases of emer-
sency. Much will turn upon the policy
pursued in this particular just now, as to
whether the fire will spread. If Prince Ed
ward of SAKE Weimar takes it into his
head that he can deal effectively with the
laundering will necessary follow. /
The Tory temptation will be to send Lord
W~olseley-who at the time of the late ex.
in Parliament. was reported to
have expressed an inclination to resign /
rom the army and head an instruction in
Ulster.
If Sake Weimar handles the case, it will
70 handled badly; if Wolseley is sent, fuel
will be added to the fame. Catholic Ire
and will understand that those OF that |
aith in Belfast are ruthfully put under foot;
hat with more than three Professionals to |
very Catholic in the city, and the army
by q man reported to be red
for a religious war, there will be no fair
LAY for any Catholic. It will not matter
hat the story as thus put may not be
rue. It will have it's effect just the same,
md the government will have to deal with
he facts, though these may arise from the
misconceptions of an impassiored people.
n every place where the Catholics are the
the Protestants there will have to
'ay for Belfast. The evil result will be dis
rider in many other places, and an uneasy
tate of the whole country which will for
he time being solve the problems oil evic-
and rents, just as a war ends the OBJ
lgation OF debt. Landlords will presently
70 as little satisfied with Tory government
n Ireland as the people themselves, and
and Churchill and the rest in
up Ulster and a new religious war,
nay find that they have only screwed to-
ether the old scraps of a F~rankenstein ma
hine.