New-York tribune., 1907-08-26
PTCKET[NG AND RI0TING
Relfasfs Old BattIeground-Retrsat
and Compromise.
Belfast, August "A

| 4io+tra sr5or for fighting IL is a natural
| s+rair of corobativeness drawn from the soil Of
the North OF Ireland which has been for gene-
| ratfons a battle-ground for principles. At tho
outset men may not know what they are hight
ing about. but there is the joy Of getting into
a white heat and of giving hard KNOCKS IN
vhirI of excitement; and it is never long before
| noItics and religion are dragged in. In this IN
| stance there was uncertainty over a confused
/ labor issue A small body Of lockers had besn
! called out because their wages and allowances
| for overtime were below the Liverpool scale and
] the carriers had stopped work out of sympathy
and because they themselves had long hours
and short pay: and the employers had refused
I N recognize trade union rights A proionseo
and disastrous struggle had been orousnl on
/ but ft WAS not a serious question for strong
,1fs - oorsc,ance like Belfast Suddenly history
| ro,aa+ed itself when the constables were renei-
Rvs and the Lord Mayor. Lord Shaftesoury'
/ called in a strong military force Ihe Nauon-
! aIfs+ quarter around the Roman CatnON'
cb,,rcbee Was again the cockpit Of political and
! ,,,r,o,,s 1varfare as IL had been IN lsoo ard
/ often before; and the passion for IL nao not 20.
| cIined Why the scene OF conflict was snII1so
| from the docks and warehouses 20 " est 00'a7~
| vras not clear; but It the old battle-ground
! - er+.ipg vent on hour after hour In outer
darkness between mobs OF stone throWers ana
/ The cons.abIes and soldiers. and 1T had nothing
whatever to do with picketing or the LABOR ques-
tons which had unsettled the business interests
of the town. There could hardly nave oeeh
more characteristic exhibition Of Irish asgrss-
siveness.
There WAS also much that was peculiarly IRISH
In the vagarie5 and grotesque exaggeratlons or
partisanship II Ioyalist zealots could be be-
Heved, It was a campaign OF lawlessness delib-
erateIy planned and wantonIy carried out for the
benefit Of the home rule cause The labor Is
sue was a convenient pretext for misleading
vvorizingmen and entrapping Protestants The
/ real interests were Feuianism and Ttoman1sn!
/ Socialists and Nationalists had been working
| hand In hand throughout the strikes the revoic
Of the constabulary force had been caused Dy
political Vaccinations; outcrfes were raised
/ against regulars when traffic was restored Win
their help; rnobs were openly melted by insidious
| appeals Of agitators and newspapers and there
! was a final outburst against the authority or
the Crown, with rioting ard bloodshed- These
fantastic exaggerations were readily matched on
| the Nationalist side It was asserted that
greedy capitalists and Protestant biSots mad
| sought TO crush organized labor and 70 humiiate
| a proud spirited self-respectins city By calling
/ in English soldiers when they were not needed
and thereby rnenacing public peace and instigat-
ing the murder OF innocent victims a band OF
| Tory Protestant conspirators had made "a dead
set' against the Nationalist and Roman Catholic
quarter for the sake OF rnalisning and dtscred1t-
ing il and raising false issue Of Feniansrl and
sectarian riot! IN this tournament OF frenzied
talk and Iurid writing there was as much erratic
! unreasona bleness On side as on the other
Partisanship is the breath OF life In staid old
Belfast. Political antagonists are never any
/ thing less than blood stained conspirators
! marching through rapine and outrage So elec-
tric is suspicion in times OF excitement that let
| tiers cannot be posted with the postage stamps
turned upside down without exciting comments
on overt treason and public indignation over the
/ invasion Of the city by the military forces
/ Resistance TO constituted authority IS always
/ contagious in Irish city. So long as the
constables were disanected Natioualists and
Socialists petted them; but when the insuo-
| ordinate members were scattered over Ireland
| and their places were taken by veterans from
other towns there was an Irresistible itching OF
| the palm 10 smash their pates. The same fac
| tious spirit was shown IN uerciless criticism
| of the Lord Mayor for his efforts 20 preserve
| order. in offensive Onslaughts upon the soldiers
and in ceaseless TRADES against Dublin Castle
and the LIBERAL Ministry. Loyalists could noe
find fault with their own Lord Mayor for sup
| porting the interests OF municipal order and
property rights. even when he was conferrins
with pious priests and converting them into
| special guardians OF the peace: yet they were
ready to turn against the Liberal government
/ when there was the slightest sign OF vacila-
| ton or any disposition 10 be merCicul as well
as lust AS for the residents Of the crowded
Nationalist district little provocation was need
ed to set them against local imperial author
itv The spectacle OF bswildered constables
charging with batons and OF soldiers with gilt
terIng helmets loaded rifles and well stocked
bandolfers manoeuvrins in narrow streets and
/ crooked lanes TO keep the peace fnfuriated them
| 1t is hardly necessary TO assume that Socialist
| agitation or home rule editors were drumming
I'D recruits by playing Nationalist tunes; nor
| that there was a large reinforcement OF crtmi-
| nails The memories OF the traditional battie
! ground revived the ardor of the district for an
| oldfashioned fight. With Encouragement
or leadership the street lamps were smashed
and the region left in darkness; ropes and
chains were stretched across streets 70 trip up
constables and soldiers: the invaders were furi-
ousIy attacked with stones bottles and scrap
iron: and hostilities kept up for hours by
I swarrns of men, women and children until the
troops turned against their assailants and fred
one voIley afer another So intense was ths
popular enjoyment of the holiday sport OF bait
ing constabIes and harassing battalions OF m
fantry that systematic preparations were uads
for a general renewal OF lawleSsness on ths
following night. with armaments of stones and
! bottles strengthened with revOlvers and rines'
and without doubt there would have been ter
ribIe rioting and bloodshed if the priests haa
not intervened and induced the Lord Mayor 70
| Nationalist district
These battles in the dark are described WIZ"
vivacity and realism in the local press. Every
l.wfa do