Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1912-10-05
Orangemen VIII Not Throw the
Crown the Crown Into the
BOgne Water.
Sir Edward Carson Is Evidently
Coming to His
Senses.
BELFAST COVENANT is SIGNED

| <Ab lOItCdblGu htIGlOlOIb III Int
columns of the Kentucky Irish Amer
lean, the much advertised signing
of the covenant of resistance tC
home rule at Belfast last Saturday
ended without the necessity of call.
ing in the police, or rather the
militia, which were on hand in bar.
racks ready to put down any riot
started by the Orangemen. The
good temper of the Nationalists and
the Catholics of Belfast prevented
bloodshed and, except for a few
bruised heads and shins which re-
suited from the display of a few
green flags after football game, the
city of Ulster was as quiet as or
dinary. Orangemen did not go about
breaking the windows of Catholics
and there was more moderation dis
played than usual at an Orange gath
ering.
This gives rise to a we'll founded
rumor that Sir Edward Carson, the
Unionist leader, has become heartily
ashamed of the spectacle the Orange
men of Belfast and of Ulster gen.
orally were making of themselves in
resisting home rule through unlaw-
full methods-to wit, attempting to
stfIle free speech and by destroying
the private property of their neigh
bors, to say nothing of their threats
to physically resist the acts of Par
lament creating a home rule Gov
ernment. Sir Edward Carson was
himself once the Chief Crown Prose
cutor for the Coercionist Govern
ment and earned his promotion
through securing the conviction of
Nationalist leaders for alleged Of
fenses against law and order. This
gives him pause before endorsing the
attitude of the Belfast mob. and he
evidently has given orders to &c
slow. -
The Belfast demonstration took on
the nature of a quasi-religious move
ment, whereas it was expected to be
military and physically demonstra-
tive. 1t is stated in the cable
grams and press dispatches that the
fact of the signing of the covenant
was made to be a religious obilga-
tion had restraining influence upon
the Orangemen.
Sir Edward Carson was the first
to sign the solemn covenant of the
Ulstermen, which binds them "to
use all the means that may be found
necessary to defeat the present con-
spiracy to set up home rule in Ire
land" and also to refuse to recognize
the authority of an Irish Parliament.
He was followed by many men who
have become noted leaders in the
campaign against home rule, and
these were succeeded by thousands
of the rank and file of the Orange
men and Unionists in the northern
province of Ireland.
Religious services preceded the
signing of the covenant and services
of a similar nature were held in
many churches. Undoubtedly the
arrangements which had been made,
whereby the signing of the document
was treated as a solemn religious
obligation, exercised restraining
influence on the bellicose Orange
men, while the humorous view taken
of the ceremony by the Nationalists
tended to diminish their feelings OF
hostility.
A semi-military aspect was not
lacking in the religious meeting, the
dispatches say. There were to have
been 900 guards of honor, but only
200 picked stalwarts showed up.
They wore bright sashes, acted as
guards of honor, standing around
the pulpit. The service was opened
with the hymn 20 God, Our Help in
Ages Past" after which a short
prayer was offered and an appeal
made to the Almighty to stretch
forth thy arms and help us in this
time of national danger" The first
lesson was taken from Isaiah, XVI,
10: 1--WE have a strong city," etc.
The Rev. w. Mclean said the Irish
question at bottom was a war against
tablish Roman Catholic ascendency
in Ireland and to begin the disinte-
grafton of the British empire. In
the afternoon there was a march
past OF the members Of the Unionist
clubs. all in full regalia, with bands
playing patriotic airs. Sir Edward
Carson and his principal supporters
reviewed the procession from the
windows Of the Unionist Club.
Why a guard of honor should
stand around a pulpit while the Rev,
Mclean was invoking the aid of the
Almighty TO prevent Ireland-pre-
sumably Mr. McLeans own coun-
try-from gaining its political free
dom is past understanding. but no
one pretends to understand the
cavorting. Of an Orangemen.
BY no means was the Belfast dem
onstration anything like in import
ance to what II was intended TO be,
and the comments of the English and
American press are TO the effect that
Ulster Unionists can not withstand
the onward March for home rule for
Ireland. In fact nearly half OF
Ulster. Catholic and Protestant. is
patrlotic-that Is for the political
freedom OF their country. AS Mr.
William Redmond pointed out In sln
address in New York the other night,