The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-05-23

the permanent allenatlOn Oh a Irac-
tion of the Irish people from the
mass of their fellow-coultrymen. A
time has now come, however, when
this carefully segregated and former
ly privileged part of the population
finds itself apparently destined to be
ruled by a local government which
will be necessarily controlled by the
great majority of the Irish people,
that majority which it once oppress-
ed and which it has been taught for
generations to dislike and disdain.
'.Many Man Lost His Head"
When one hestitates to stamp out
a few sparks, he may soon have to
contend with a conflagration. Had
Sir Edward Carson been prosecuted
as soon as he began to hint at armed
resistance (and many man, both in
England and in Ireland, has lost his
head for saying good deal less,) it
seems to the writer eminently prob
able that the whole threatened re-
bellion would have ended in a liberal
outpouring of "hot air." But when.
after nearly two years of "watchful
waiting" the Government at last
made up it's mind to do something,
in the face of movement which only
its own inaction had rendered SER
iously dangerous, it found itself en-
barrassed by new and really alarm
ing complication in the disaffection
of the army.
The Army and, Ireland.
American newspapers have gener-
ally attributed the recent or present
attitude of the army officers, an atti-
tude which has apparently quite up
set the plans of the. Ministry and
very nearly caused crisis in British
politics, to the supposed "aristocra-
tic origin and environment of these
officers and their consequent want of
sympathy with popular" policies.
This suggestion overlooks the radical
change in the system of selection of
British Army officers made by Mr..
Gladstone 43 years ago, when he
abolished the purchase of commits
sions. British officers are now
chosen by methods far more demo
cratic" than those applied in our own
army; for, instead of being picked
out arbitrarily by Senator and Rep
resentatives, the original appointees
have been selected, since 1871, with
few exceptions, through open COM
petitive examinations conducted by
the Civil Service Commissioners.
The truth is that, just as the Pro-
testants of Ulster were taught for
generations, and even centuries, to
look upon Catholic 1rishmen as 1.-The
common enemy" so patriotic Eng
lishmen have been taught, from time
whereof the memory of man runneth
not to the contrary. to think of Irish
Catholics as the Kings enemies and
Irish Protestants as the Kings
friends, and this mischievous teach
ing has been furnished at illustra-
tions in the rebellious of 1898 and
1848, the Fenian movement, the fire.
quent periods of unrest in Ireland,
and some incidents of the long strug-
gle for Home Rule.
What May Happen.
Just what the Ministry proposed
to do with military and naval
froces in Ulster is now involved in a
cloud of denials, but there is little
doubt what the officers of General
Coughs cavalry brigade, and also
the many other officers believed to
have been ready to follow their ex-
ample, supposed to be the Ministry's
intention; they thought they would
be called upon to forcibly disperse
the Ulster Volunteers; and, being
patriotic and loyal subjects. they pre-
ferred to give up their commissions
rather than fight against those they
considered the Kings friends. for
the benefit of those they had been
taught to hold the Kings enemies.
Like the officers from the South
ern states, who resigned from our
army and navy at the beginning of
the Civil War. they cannot be fairly
accused Of treason or mutiny; but
their course certainly verged on con-
certed insubordination, and tended
to seriously aggravate a situation
which the seeming irresolution of
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