The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-02-17
BELFAST MEETING
IS GRAND SUCCESS
Liberal Meeting in Unionist Strong
hold Causes Nothing More
Than Lip Dissension.
Churchill, Redmond and Devlin
Heard by Cheering Thousands
in Home of Orangeism.
Presence of Kings Troops Awes
Loyal" Tories Into Respect
ing Rights of Others.

When the announcement was made
some time ago that Mr. Winston
Churchill, First Lord of the Admiral
ty, together with Mr.. John Redmond
ana Mr.. Joseph Dcvlin would address
IL meeting of Liberals in Belfast, the
Unionsts of Ulster construed the move
in tho light of Il challenge. They there-
fore proceeded to take steps to pre-
vent any such meeting. Tho childish
plan of securing the hall for Union-
list meeting on the previous evening
and their remaining in possession of
1t, unlaWfully, Of course, long enough
to interfere with tho holding of the
Liberal meeting on the succeeding
evening was hit upon, But the Lib
erals, determining to hold the meet
ing, and determining furthermore to
place the responsibility for any riot
ing that might occur where it prop
crly belonged, decided to hold the
meeting at midday in an open mark
in the city of Belfast. In making this
slight concession they not only avoid
cd any possibility of rioting but in ad.
in ridiculous light.
Shortly before the meeting Mr..
| Winston Churchill stated his position
clearly in n letter to Lord London-
derry who was among the leaders OF
the opposition to the Liberal meeting
Mr.. Churchill wrote:
ChurchilI's Letter.
my Lord-The very grave and di-
rect personal responsibility which will
fall upon you If serious rioting oc-
ours in Belfast on the occasion of my
visit makes me sure that you will not
lightly seek to widen the ground of
quarrel. For my part I only care
about one essential thing. 1t is my
duty to keep my promise to tho Ul-
ster Liberal Association and to assert
our right of free speech and public
meeting.
"If, as now gather from the news
papers, the main objections of your
self and your friends as directed
against our holding our meeting in
the Ulster Hall, then, although such
claims are neither just nor reason
able. ! will ask the Ulster Liberal AS
sOciatinn to accede to your wish.
There will thus be no necessity for
your friends to endure the hardships
of a vigil or sustain the anxieties of
a siege. Neither will it be necessary
for you to break the law in an at
tempt to deprive us forcibly of the
use of property to which we are law
fully entitled.
ut is not a point of any Importance
TO me where / speak in Belfast. On
the contrary, ! desire to choose what.
ever halt or place is least likely to
cause ill-feeling to the Orange Party.
1t has. however, become Of Importance
to the public liberties that tho meet
ing should take place in Belfast on
the Sth February, and 1 intend to hold
it there in lawful exercise Of the ele.
mentary rights of citizenship
When it became evident that Ulster
bluster was not damping the enthusi-
| asm of the Liberals. the Orangemen
began to pull in their Sails They
knew that they had made an unreason-
able bluff and that their bluff was
called. They had helped the cause of
Home Rule by using unreasonable tao
tics to hurt it. They withdrew their
threats when they saw that the hald-
ing Of the meeting was inevitable by
saying that the only point for which
they contended was that the meeting
should not be held in Ulster Hall.
At any rate the meeting was held in
Belfast and Ulster did not fight. Tho
Unionist leaders had been awed by
the display Of force, the Cheshire regi-
ment, kings own Scottish borderers
Scots fusileers and Highland light in
fantry, 200 mounted dragons and 1000
royal Irish constabulary - and their
| influence was used to prevent rioting.
The removal Of the place of meeting
from Royal Ulster hall, for years the
headquarters Of the unionists and con-
sidered sacred by them, to tho Celtic