The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-10-12
ULSTER MANIA.

ULS1Elh MANILA.
The demonstration against
Home Rule which took place late
ly in Belfast is another evidence
Of the mean and contemplate
spirit which animates the Orange
men Of the North Of Ireland. They
pretend to fear that, with the
dawn Of national self-government,
their liberties will be curtailed and
their rights jeopardized by their
Catholic countrymen. They
ignore the fact that the history of
religious liberation in Ireland is
a sufficient guarantee that the
Protestant minority will never suf-
fer at the hands of the Catholic
majority. In the distinctively
Catholic portions Of Ireland non
Catholics have enjoyed a greater
measure Of political prominence
and official prestige than has ever
been accorded to Catholics in dis
tricts dominantly Protestant
As a result Of this anti-Home
Rule agitation the impression has
gone abroad that Ulster is over
whelmingly non-Catholic. Such,
however, is not the case. Of it's
nine counties only four show a
non Catholic majority. These are
Antrim with a percentage Of 1915
non-C Catholics; Down with 68.4
Armagh with SAG; and London
derry with $40. In the other five
counties Catholics are in the ma
jority. Non-Catholic in Tyrone
number no more than 446 per
. cent, Of the population; in Fer
managh 1873; in Monaghan 25.3 /;
in Donegal 21.O; and in Cavan
1875. In the Province Of Ulster
/ Catholics outnumber almost two to
one the members Of any other
Protestant denomination and con-
stitute 43.7 per cent Of the entire
population.
Nor must it be concluded that
all the Protestants of Ulster are
opposed to Home Rule any more
than all the Catholics are Nation
alists. The better class of Pro
testants are in. favor of that meas
ure Of self-government for Ireland
which Home Rule grants. But
the opponents of the measure
make up in buster and noisy dem
onstration what they lack in num-
bers and influence and thus give
the impression that they are much
more powerful than they are in
reality. The agitation is kept up
by the Orange faction whose con-
duct towards the Catholics in the
present crisis is painful indica-
ton Of what their attitude would
be If they possessed the power
which they would like to WELD.
!. Is it not ridiculous, therefore,
for these. clustering Orangemen
:. to assume to speak for the whole
/ of Ulster? Who are they any
way2 They are the descendants Of
the marauders who focked to the
) north Of Ireland at the time OF
the English invasion and took
forcible possession of the land
owned by Catholic Irishmen for
; centuries. These intruders now
want to make laws for the whole
country and to dictate the policy
of the English government to-
wards it, Under the pretense OF
fearing Catholic domination in the
event of Home Rule being granted
! they try to intimidate the English
Parliament by fomenting relig-
ious strife and political turmoil
Tt is their last grandstand play to
perpetuate their own miserable ex-
istence because they realize that
with the granting of self-govern-
! ment to Ireland, the loyalty and
patriotism of the better class OF
Ulster Protestants will sound the
, death kneH Of that militant
. Orangeism which feeds on relig-
ious bigotry and fancied griev-
, ance.
!, Let them carry on their cam
| paign Of threats and intimida-
Z tions; it will end In their own dis
comfture. They are too few in
] numbers to stay the tide OF
THAT new national life which
!, lis now sweeping towards the