Imperial Valley press., 1913-06-18
ULSTER IS PREPARING FOR
ARMED RESISTANCE TO Law
BY Ed L. Keen,

London Correspondent of United Press
LONDON, June 17.-That England
today faces bloody civil strife in Ulster
can no longer be denied.
The Orangemen are preparing, just
as quietly, seriously and thoroughly, as
Dom Paul did, to ''stagger humanity"
If there have been any doubts as to
the deadly determination of the north
of Ireland to resist by force of arms
the establishment of home rule, these
reaching Dublin castle in the past few
days from its agents in the dsaffected
province. 1t has been definitely estab-
-lished that a well organized and well
drilled army of approximately 300 900
men has been formed, the members of
which are pledged to obey their officers
to the limit, and that great quantities
of arms and ammunition have been
privately cached in strategic localities
throughout the province. Moreover, it
is known that all the machinery for
setting up a provisional government of
Ulster men in Belfast. to begin business
the day home rule goes into effect
has been secretly prepared by Sir Ed
ward Carson, the marquis of London
derry, the duke of Abercorn and other
leaders who constitute the inner circle
of the Ulster Unionist Council.
The facts are so patent that England
has at last awakened to realization
that the oft repeated threat, "Ulster
will fight" is no joke. Unpreiudiced
investigators who have been going
over the ground recently are absolutely
convinced that the first attempt to en-
fierce in Ulster the authority of Dub
lin parliament will be the signal for
open rebellion. September % last
21S,206 male inhabitants of the north
ern province more than II years of
age affixed their names to what is
known as the Ulster covenant, in which
they pledged themselves ''to use all
means that may be found necessary to
defeat the present conspiracy to set
up home rule in Ireland" and in it
they declared further that "in the event
of such parliament being forced upon
us we solemnly and mutually pledge
ourselves to refuse 30 recognize its
authority" Practically all of these
men are now enrolled as members of
the unionist clubs, which have been
organized throughout the province and
which are really i'll disguised recruiting
and drilling stations for Ithe "army Of
Ulster" The membership has been
steadily increasing since the passage
of the home rule bill by the house of
commons last January, and new clubs
are constantly being formed In the
counties Of Antrim, Down. Derry and
Tyrone there are clubs in every village
and small rural district, Even in Don
egal, the most Nationalist county Of
Ulster, it is reported that 10000 men
have been enrolled
1t
week are devoted to drill, and in the
larger communities especial service"
sections have been organized of mem
bers available for active duty at a
moments notice. The drill masters are
for the most part former soldiers or
sailors Of the regular establishments
It is estimated that Ulster will be pre-
pared to throw into the field a quarter
Of million men, whose military train
ing will have been more thorough even
than that Of Englands territorial army
as the militia force is called. Nor
will the Ulster army lack capable off,
GERS. A number Of applications for
commissions have already been re-
ceived from retired officers of the
British army.
In the meantime the British govern
ment is doing nothing with the situa-
tiOn-eXcept collect facts. Carson, who,
besides being an astute politician, is an
exceedingly clever lawyer, feels that he
and his associates are perfectly safe
from prosecution personally, and he is
equally confident that the government
would not dare to prescribe the ''po-
litical clubs" of Ulster. There is one
difference in law between the Carsonian
and Pankhurstian brand Of Indictment.
The Ulster chieftain has been quite
as violent in his public speeches and
doubtless in his private counsels as
the leader Of the w. S. P. u, but the
militancy Of the Ulsterites thus far has
been contingent, whereas that of the
suffragettes is actual. Carson has been
urging his followers to flsht-if home