Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1912-02-10
Nationalist Had Nothing to DO
with Organizing This
Meeting.
Ulster Unionist Association and
It's Inevitable Climb
Down.
THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN AMUSED

The last issue of the Dundalk
Democrat has a calm review of the
Belfast situation and the Liberal
meeting that was to be addressed by
Winston Churchill, First Lord of the
Admiralty, and John Redmond. The
widest conjectures have been haz-
arded, and allegations equally wild
and improbable have been printed in
sans newspapers. As times goes on,
however, the public mind is less and
less agitated over the prospects of
bloodshed In Belfast. True, Sir Ed
ward Carson, and other Orange lead
ers, speaking at a perfectly safe dis
tance-which they intend to keep
are endeavoring to buster out the
situation; but II is evident-and the
saner Unionist organs don't attempt
to conceal the fact-that public opin-
ion is against the Ulster thugs, and
that the best thing they can do is to
climb down while there is still time.
Indeed there is evidence that this
is just what the Ulster thugs are
about to do.
An Official statement issued by the
Secretary of the Ulster Liberal Asso-
citation puts out of court the conten-
ton that 1t is Nationalist meeting
provocatively announced to be held
in the citadel Of Belfast Orangeism.
Mr.. Graham declares that the meet
ing has been summoned by his as
ISOLATION, which is composed almost
exclusively of Ulster Professionals;
that tickets for the meeting were is
sued only to members of the asso-
citation, and have been applied for
twice over; that no tickets are avail
able or have been offered to the out
side public; and that the meeting
will therefore be a meeting of the
Protestant home rulers of Belfast
and Ulster. So far as the Nationalist
OF Belfast are concerned they have
had nothing to do with the organic
ing of this meeting from start to
finish. Messrs. Churchill, Redmond
and Devlin have been invited by the
Protestant Ulster Liberal Associa
ton. The Ulster Hall, where the
meeting is proposed to be held, is a
public hall, under the control of the
Belfast Corporation--the same hall
In which Lloyd George not very long
since addressed a meeting under the
same auspices. Not only Lloyd
George, but Secretary Birrell re-
Gently addressed public meetings Of
Liberals in Belfast, and there was
no question, so far as the public
knew, of breaking up or preventing
those meetings.
The insane project of the Ulster
Unionist Association to prevent Mr..
Churchill's meeting can only be
ascribed to a species of rabies due
to the imminence of home rule, and
a desire to arouse their followers to
frenzy, and thus induce the world to
believe that the talk of armed re-
sistance to home rule in Ulster Is
more than the mere buster we all
know ii to be. During the week the
public was amused to read that the
Ulster Unionist Association had be-
gun its inevitable climb down. For
days the public had been invited to
visions of riot and bloodshed. We
have been told of the hundreds OF
thousands of resolute Orangemen
who were to throng the streets Of
Belfast, armed with weapons spe-
cially released from pawn for the
purpose of resisting, il necessary, the
whole British army. An Orange or
ator recalled how the Protestant
Beers had kept the British army at
bay for three years, and suggested
that the "Bores" of Ulster were
equal to performing a like feat.
Timorous residents of Belfast were
arranging for special policies of in
surance for their property and ex-
cursion tickets for themselves and
their families. Special CORE
spondents of the English press had
unlimited sensational copy" There
were hints of Secret Plans" which
we're being kept a secret until Tues
day, when Il leaked out that all the
bold defiance OF the Ulster Unionist
Association had simmered down to
the paltriest schoolboy dodge. 1t APP
pears that the great plan of the
Ulster Unionist Association TO pre-
vent Churchill speaking in the Ulster
Hall is to hold smoking concert in
the building the night before, the
audience at which will refuse to
leave the building to make way for
Churchill and bis Liberal home |
rulers. Our Orange friends could |
hardly have adopted more effective |
means of making themselves and !
their EARNED Instruction" buster |
more ridiculous in the eyes OF the |
public. Their declared resolution to
prevent the right of free speech in |
Belfast had aroused the condemna-
ton and scorn OF Englishmen; the
publication of their precious plans to |
prevent Churchill speaking in the
Ulster Han has done much to change |
that feeling into one OF amused con-
tempt. Meanwhile Belfast Liberals |
declare their intention OF holding |
their meeting and Mr.. Churchill has
resolved to attend and speak. The
whole thing Ia typical OF the buster
Ing DULLES who. while ready TO at
tack inoffensive minorities: to drive
Catholic girls out OF mills; 10 wreck
a Catholic publican's shop, and
ready to brag and buster
and talk cheap treason. OF the kick
the Grown into the Boyne" variety.
have never placed and never will
place their necks In halter by at
to make good their tall