Imperial Valley press., 1913-12-02
English Opinion
Differs Widely
By Ed l.. Keen

will be embalmed in history as a
patriot or rebel, a high minded
statesman or fire eating demagogue.
Present British estimates of the char
acter of the dictator of the "Ulster
provisional government" depend
largely on whether one is Unionist
or a Nationalist, Protestant or a
Catholic. For in England and partic
ularly in Ireland personal judgments
are far more apt to be biased by po-
litical and religious convictions than
in America.
Carson himself admits he's para
dox. I'm a rebel because I'm 10y
alist," he says. He proposes to fight
the government in order to preserve
the empire, the unity of which he be-
lieves would be destroyed by home
rule. Those who know him find other
contradictions in his makeup. Born a
fighter, from a long line of fighting
Celts, among whom was the famous
fighting General Lambert, one of
Cromwell's lieutenants, in his private
life Carson is as soft and gentle as
a woman. He has the cool, calculat-
ing brain of the diplomatist and the
fierv heart of the Irish chieftain. He
is at once orator, actor, poet, soldier
and organizer He is one of England s
greatest lawyers and most persuasive
stump speakers. His eloquence is a
sort of an Elihu Root-William Jen-
nings Bryan-Theodor Roosevelt COM
bination. He is both gentleman and
democrat, and his modesty of demean-
or in his every day life is only sur
passed by his tremendous magnetism
on the platform.
The fighting career of the man who
is just now causing the British gov
ernment more anxiety than even the
suffragettes began in his early days at
school in Dublin, where it was his IA
vorite pasttime to lick kids twice his
size and weight. This spirit of COM
bativeness never deserted him for a
moment in his subsequent public life.
Now gaunt and spare, he wouldn't I'M
press the casual observer as real
brigand at heart. Yet he is never
really happy unless he is in the midst
of scrap, political or otherwise.
He had perfectly joyous time
when he was crown prosecutor in Ire
land during the Fenian outrages.
While murder, pillage and cattle
manning were going on he went up
and down the country fearlessly pros
ecuting men arrested under the crimes
act, regardless of the almost daily
threats to "do him." and whenever he
could he would dodge the espionage of
the armed detectives assigned by his
superiors to guard him. Don't you
know, Carson, that you are carrying
your life in your hand?" remarked a
friend one day. "Yes," was the quick
response, "and a loaded revolver in
my pocket"
The fact that his courage is thor
oughly appreciated by his enemies
was illustrated by an incident follow
ing the conviction and sentencing of
a half dozen men whom he had prose-
cuted. An immense crowd had gath
cred outside the court. Shillalahs and
stones were flying through the air,
and there were open threats of ven
geance. Carson stood at window,
calmly watching the storm. His
friends besought him to withdraw
from the window and sneak back to
the hotel from the rear entrance. Car
son consented to leave, but he went
by the front door. "I'll go by the
kings highway or not at ALL" he told
them. AS he stepped out, carrying
only a light cane, it looked for a mo-
ment as though rush would be made.
On all sides there were howls of exc
Grafton, to which Carson paid not the
slightest attention. With smile on
his face he walked down the steps anc.
went into the crowds. The crisis
ceased. The hitherto frenzied Irish
men fell back before him, and amid
utter silence he passed through un-
molested. perhaps it's just as we'll
that l forgot to bring my revolver
today" he said, as he entered the
hotel
Politically, Carson has never been
tanned, and he has often felt the sting
Of the party lash. On one occasion,
differing openly on matter of policy
with the then Unionist leader, Bal
four, Carson became political out
cast for months rather than surren-
der his convictions, although at the
time he was about to be awarded a
high Office. His last big fight before
he took up the Ulster cause was
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