The Washington times., 1914-04-16

Throughout Ulster find signs Of
the political machinery through
which the spirit Of denominational
passion is being aroused to a mur-
. derous pitch from the revolutionary
headquarters in Belfast, SO that tie
Irish dream Of a restoration of self
Cover nment may be defeated on the
very threshold Of its realization and
that the peers and landlords and
their millionaire allies may drive the
radical British democracy out of the
government.
There Is a constant stream of in
cendiary literature pouring into
these quiet little towns and villages
and the drilling Of volunteers every
where by army officers Ii a part Of
the method through which the
Unionist politicians whip up the
naturally excitable temper of the
north of ireland.
The sending out of an army Of
messengers on bicycles from tho
Uniontst revolutionary headquarters
to tell the volunteers In all the
counties that the Liberal govern
ment was about to make an armed
attack on Ulster was simply a
, ,shrewd party device intended to
shock the nerves of the armed and
drilled Protestants and provoke
threatening demonstration Of feel
ing that might have a political ef-
feet In England.
And the glorification\ of the army
officers at the Curragh. who offered
to resign rather than serve In Ulster
is being carried on in a thousand
ways by the armed Unionist pro
visional government In Belfast. 70
that the volunteer forces have come
to believe that the British army will
revolt rather than interfere with the
Unionist plan to seize the province
il the home rule bill passes. collect
trust for the imperial treasury until
the Unionist party is in power again
and the home rule law IL repealed.
Belfast Dominates.
In every place have been have
found cards and leaflets eulogizing
the insubordinate officers as glo-
rious heroes who saved the Protes-
tants of Ulster from sudden massa-
ere and slavery. Take doggerel like
this. printed under crossed union
jacks. and representing the defiant
song of the uniformed young whip
psr-snapper at the Curragh:
The government Of England. in the hands
OF roguish knaves.
Give orders. spite Of conscience. you must
this home rule save,
For we're pledged to John Redmond,
them to Roman bondage drag.
Their only crime. We must confess, II 10y
atty to the flag.
ou may order US TO Russia. or to th,
mouth OF hell,
But we'll never go TO Ulster and enslavS
those loyal men.
We're loyal. sir. to England until the end
of time.
But before we'u coercs Ulster our COM
mands We aTill resign
To understand this extraordinary
and almost unbelievable situation in
the north OF Ireland just now 1t is
necessary to know that Belfast domt-
mates the whole province OF Ulster.
This rich city. the stronghold Of
lord power in Ireland, is to this
island, in a sense, what Wall street
Is to the United States.
Here Irish industry, wealth and
commerce are concentrated. Here Is
the largest shipyard. the largest to-
bacco factory. the largest rope
works. the largest fax spinning
and mating factory in the world.
Belfast alone pays two-thirds Of the
customs and excise duties OF Ire
land, something like $S,Oo.0o .
year.
Part of Tory England.
The city is a monument to the in
telligence. thrift, enterprise. and pro-
digious energy of the Protestant
leaders in industry, commerce, and
finance, who made its success possi-
Bile. for Catholics have had little or
nothing to do vita the prosperity OF
Belfast, although they sepresent a
third, and at one time represented Q
half. of the population.
AS the seat OF financial and in
dustrial power. however. Belfast is,
in a political and business sense, a
part OF Tory England. and speaks
with open scorn OF the great body
of Catholics who control the prov
inces of Leinster, Connaugat, and
Munster, deriding them as a purely
agricultural people unfit for business
or the work OF government.
The whole of Ireland is not as big
as the State OF Maine. and its popu-
lation is a million less than the city
of New York.
II will be easily understood how
the combined industrial and financial
interests of Protestant and unionist
Belfast. backed up by tie money,
influence. and patronage OF the Cn-
ionist party in England, and with tho
prestige of the naughty Irish nobility
behind it. completely controls a
single province in this small country.
1t is true that the Protestants have
only a slight majority in Ulster, but
the immense wealth and social and
political influence at their command
and their long control OF imperial Of
fetal patronage has given them an
ascendancy almost absolute in its
character
The sympathies OF Belfast have al
ways been with industrial England
and the English. never with pastoral
Ireland and the Irish.
Naughty Masters of Ulster.
One of the most distinguished men