The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-01-22
Unionists SwearWinston Church
i'll Shall Not Make a Speech
AT HOME RULE INVASION
Grave Fear of Bloodshed-3o,o 900 Orange
men to Pour into the City on
Special Trains to Squelch
the Meeting.

London, Jan. 22.-All the elements are
present for most serious trouble in the
north of Ireland If Winston Churchill,
John Redmond and other prominent lead
ers carry out their intention of making
speeches in favor of home rule at the
meeting scheduled to be held in Belfast
on February 8. All through Ulster the
excitement has been on the increase ever
since the meeting was announced, and
it has been intensified by the declara
ton of the Unionist council that the
meeting shall not take place. This pro-
hibiton has been backed up by the
Ulster Unionist clubs in hiring special
trains to bring their members to Belfast
on the day of the meeting
Mr.. Churchill, who is known to be
stubborn and pugnacious, is credited
with the intention of sticking to his
promise of making speech in the Or
ange stronghold and it is expected that
he will give then and there the outlines
of the government home rule measure
The Unicnists of Ulster are emphatic in
their declarations that he shall not
speak.
The widest rumors are afoat. which,
taken in connection with reports that
the Ulster men are drilling for the pur-
pose Of resisting home rule by force OF
arms, are the cause OF grave apprehen-
sion. The fractional feeling is so bitter
that the government is keeping troops in
their barracks as a precautionary meas
ure.
While the British Unionist newspa.
pers with few exceptions depore the
threats OF the Ulster men, some OF them
are encouraging the Unionist council to
stick to its determination to prevent
the meeting being held. Fear is felt that
bloodshed viii result unless the govern
ment interferes. The Times and The
Post, despite their Unionist sympathies,
warn the Unonist council that freedom
Of speech must not be infringed
The Saturday Review is an exception
to the popular condemnation of the coun
Gil for its threat 1t says: Churchill |
is going to get it and we are frankly |
glad"
The government declines to make any
statement as to its possible action, but |
the prospects are that 1t viii refuse to
interfere.
The grievance of those opposed to
home rule and to the holding Of this |
particular meeting has been intensified /
by the fact that it is to be held in
hall which is regarded as sacred to the
cause of Unionism. Capt. James Craig, |
NJ. p, a rabid Unionist partisan, who
On one occasion threatened to throw the
irish Nationalist members of Parliament
cut OF the House of Commons single
handed and quickly received numerous
offers to try il, was one of those who
voted for the resolution to prevent the
meeting. He declares that he is deter
mined that the meeting shall not take
place, and he will use every ingenuity
n preventing this rebel crew from dis
IGNORING a historic hal"
Much is heard in condemnation of the
Of Londonderry, who presided
It the meeting of the council which
,dopted the resolution. The Nation
Liberal holds that he will be response
lie for any bloodshed and recommends
hat he place himself at the head Of the
men who are going to take the risk OF
loing some killing or being killed them
elves.
The statements attributed to promi
tent Unionists, that the government Is
to concentrate large force OF
,olice in Belfast, is not confirmed, but
here are other stories in circulation
which tend to excite the population of
he province, who are already worked
~ to a high pitch. There is no doubt
hat preparations are being made for
n enormous gathering of Unionists in
Belfast on the day of the home rule
emonstration, and it is reported that
he special trains referred to above win
and 10000 Orangemen in the city.