Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1912-09-07
Five of the Nine Ulster Conn
ties Favor Home
Rule.
Correction of Inaccurate Reports
and Erroneous Impressions
Made.
REAL CONDITION At PRESENT

Ulster is not opposed to homa
rule. Instead majority Of the
people of Ulster have declared in it's
favor at every election since 1883.
when the household suffrage law
was passed. This is a fact not
withstanding the cabled reports
that Ulster is preparing to resist
nome rule by armed force The
threat to set up a provisional gov
ernment in Ulster and take up arms
against the forces of the British
empire Is highly amusing to every
person familiar with conditions
there. What are these conditions?
Ulster comprises nine counties and
is represented in the Imperial Par
lament by thirty-three members.
During two Parliaments the prov
lnce has been represented by sevenL
teen Home Rulers and sixteen
Unlonists. From 1886 until 1892
the figures were eighteen Home
Rulers and fifteen Unionists. while
at present the representation is
sixteen Home Rulers and seventeen
Unionists. Analyzing the situation
further, it is found that five Ulster
counties, Donegal, Tyrone, Ferman-
agh, Cavan and Monaghan, are
overwhelmingly Nationalist, while
but three counties, Antrim, Down
and Armagh. are correspondingly
Unionist. The people of Derry are
practically equally divided on the
question. In the five Nationalist
counties there are but two
Unionist districts, while in the three
Unionist counties four districts
are represented by Home Rulers.
There is in Ulster much opposition
to home rule. That can not
be denied, but the opposition is
almost entirely to the
notheast corner. Antrim and Down,
together Ei.h tie =. largsr past Of
Armagh and about half of Derry.
What the opposition lacks in num-
bers it endeavors to make up for in
vociferous protests against an Irish
Parliament. It does not hesitate to
the case, loudly proclaim
ing that Ulster will never submit to
4 government in Dublin. All this
Of course is designed to arouse the
of the English electors
and thus defeat the home rule bill.
rhe threats deceive no one. how
sver. The English as we'll as the
IRISH people have grown accustomed
o them. They are no more serious
han those of 1869, 1886 or 1898.
When Gladstone proposed the dis
of the Episcopal
hurch in Ireland in 1869 similar
hreats were made One reverend
declared the Orangemen
would kick the Queens crown into
he Boyne" if she dared to sign the
lisest bill. The bill be-
anne law, and neither the Queen
Tor her crown was molested. In
tead the law was obeyed and all
lands now concede that 1t was a
measure for church and
ountry alike.
Gladstone's first home rule bill
n 1886 was received with a storm
# execration in Orange circles.
Threats of rebellion were openly
made. Lord Randolph Churchill,
ather of the present War Minister,
'rossed over to Belfast and urged
He declared ulster
will fight and Ulster will be right"
blissfully unconscious OF
he fact that at the moment eigh-
cen OF listers thirty-three mem
,ers were Home Rulers. William
Johnston, then leader of the
)rangemen, talked of "lining the
iitches" north of the Boyne. He
laid they would go into battle with
| Bible in one hand and a sword in
he other" When later their mis-
guided followers threw Belfast into
wrecking and burning busi-
less houses, the leaders left them
o their fate.
Again in 1898, when the second
home rule bill was before Parlia-
nent, similar scenes were enacted
rhe rioting this time was curbed In
/ brief period and comparatively
title damage was done.
With the introduction of the third
lone rule bill came a recurrence OF
he bluff and bluster so frequently
leard in the past.
TnTUCNyTVTE MAN u,Du A cUroun