Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-05-20
HOME rule
IS OPPOSED
Ulster Men are Drilling to
Fight Against Home Rule
if Necessary
Guns and Ammunition are Being
Imported IDto the North
Of ireland

LONDON, May 20.-Revelations by
Independent Investigators in the north
of Ireland lead a great many persons
to believe that when, on the occasion
of the recent big anti-home rule dem
onstration at Belfast, more than 1O0,-
900 Ulstermen raised their right
hands and solemnly repeated after
Sir Edward Carson the words: "Nev'
er, under any circumstances, will we
submit to home rule" they were not
swayed by the enthusiasm of the mo-
ment nor ittering a mere platitude.
Confronted with indisputable evil
dence Of secret drillings by members
of the Orange lodges, and apparently
authentic statements from various
! sources that arms and ammunition
are being quietly imported and Sc
questered throughout Ulster prov
ince, even the government is begin
ming to fear that there may, after all,
be something in the boast, Ulster
will fight" .A
Army Being Drilled.
One investigator who mas just re.
turned from tour of the anti-home
rule territory says:
"The machinery of war has only to
be put into motion. At the first call
to arms Ulster will be able to put
100000 trained men into the field,
equal in numerical strength to the ar
my used by Great Britain in subduing
the Beers. have seen Ulster men
drilling and I have handled their RI
files. The whole of the district is
honeycombed with drill halls and rifle
ranges. Every Orange lodge has its
battalions and its instructors. The
thing Is being done with quietness
that dehes ridicule. Those engaged
in raising and training the Ulster ar
my do not boast about it neither do
they seek to disguise it. The army
is not being drawn from one class
Of the community, but from all
shipyard hands, tradesmen and veal.
thy manufacturers, all mingle quietly
together in the work of drill and mus
kerry practice"
The government has been informed
that arms and ammunition are arriv.
ing in large quantities and are being
stored in the cellars of clubs and pri.
| vate houses. The cellar of one Of
the large hotels in Belfast is said to
be distributing depot. Most of the
rifles are said to have come from
New York. Thus far the government
has done little in the way of inter-
ference. 1t is said that the govern
ment is aware of the identity of tho
commander-in-chief of the Ulster
army and that he is being constantly
Swallowed by detectives.
Divided in Religion.
listers case against home rule
which regardless of the truth of the
alleged military activities, has led
many of the Orangemen to say open
ly that they would rather die fighting
against it than live under it, may be
summarized as follows:
Home rule would mean Rome rule
1t would involve the Roman Catho-
licizing of Irish education in all it's
branches.
1t would injure listers material
prosperity - industrial, commercial
and agricultural.
There is no national demand for
home rule, because there has never
been a homogeneous Irish nation. VI
ster stands outside the Nationalist
unit
Ulster is loyal to the empire and
home rule would weaken 49, imperial
position.
The Nationalists' answer is:
Home rule would make Irishmen
loyal as it has made Canadians loyal
The general Irish spirit demands
self government and that spirit can.
not be eradicated. 4
At present the Irish people have
not the slightest control over the 1907
900 officials who spend $35,00O,oOO an
nually.
Ulster is not all Unionist, nor even
| overwhelmingly so. Sixteen of its
thirty-three members in parliament
are Nationalist.
Ulster is not pre-eminently prosper.
GUS, law abiding or intenigen., nor Is
| it all Protestant.