The Washington times., 1914-04-16
By JAMES cREELMAN.
Copyright, 1874. by James creeir


side Of Irish aspirations for self
government.
Intensity ten Thousand times the
feelings of the standpat interests Of
Wall street toward the movement
for the suppression or public control
Of trusts in the United States. and
add religious bigotry to 1t. and you
will get faint idea of the attitude
Of the naughty masters of Ulster
toward the aspirations OF the rest
Of Ireland today.
Belfast Is getting richer and rich
er. Meanwhile since 1876 the popu-
lation of Ireland. which was then
more than 100000 has been growing
smaller and is now only a little
more than x.000,000
One-half of the whole Irish people
have been driven out of the island.
But Ulster has prospered.
There are today four times more
Of the Irish race in the United
States than in Ireland
Yet there is nothing in all human
history more touching than the love
of the Irish for theN native soil.
Up here In dreary, infertile Done
gal, men sometimes carry soil In
baskets on their backs and plant IT
between the stones in order to gain
their living from the earth that bore
them In the neglected west and
south. the peasants used to go ovef
into the English harvest fields and
send their children to America In
order to pay the cruel rack rents
and keep the poor little farms they
Fraud of listers Cry.
But in spite of this deep hunger
and affection for her soil. Ireland
has steadily lost her population.
And while her Inhabitants have de-
creased one-half. in the same
period the population Of England
has increased from 100000 to
34.o00.o00 and the population of
Scotland has almost doubled
II Is pathetic to hear the Nation
alists, who represent an over
whelminG majority OF the Irish
people, call attention to these facts
as a proof that there is something
wrong with the government of a
country whose exiled Catholic mil
lions have succeeded wherever else
they have gone.
No man can examine the situa-
ton here today without realizing
that the rich and powerful Ulster
leaders and their followers are de-
void of Irish feeling, that they are
interested only in their own indus
tries and commerce. and, inspired
by religious hatred and political
Jealousy. are working frantically
with the arrogant British aristoc-
racy to overthrow the English de-
mocracy. represented in the present
government, which has listened to
the appeal Of the Irish people for
- -, hANy 40
fairs and lift themselves up from
the humiliating status of a de-
spised.. subject race.
The utter fraud of the Ulster cry
OF loyalty to tine flag and King as
an excuse for the arming and drill
ing of 100000 men. infiamed almost
to madness by religious hate, is
seen in the cold-blooded, systematic
arrangements made to produce civil
war rather than obey q law to be
proclaimed in the Kings name.
Savagely In Earnest
Not only has the powerful wire
less telegraph station maintained by
the volunteer forces in Belfast been
used day after day to tap the gov
ernment's messages and comnnuni-
cate them to Sir Edward Carson's
revolutionary leaders, but deliberate
and systematic attempts are being
made to corrupt the army and re-
serve forces and to cultivate gen.
eral feeling of disloyalty toward the
government.
Another insidious idea spread
about by whispering methods is.
that with civil war in Ulster the
British empire will be destroyed. be-
cause at the first outbreak of hos
tilities the German emperor will in
Cada ENGLAND for the lQEa hf The
Protestant religion. as William OF
Orange did two and a quarter CEN
turieS ago.
That preposterous suggestion has
been repeated to me wherever l
have gone in Ulster.
Before going through the province
I was in doubt whether or not all
this drilling and talk Of civil war
was merely q gigantic and spec
tacular piece OF Unionist political
bluff. intended 10 force the Liberals
10 consent to a general election and
thus postpone the passage OF the
home rule bill for years, or indeff-
nitely.
But, whatever the politicians have.
or may have had. in their heads. I
am satisfied that there will be wide
spread bloodshed when home rule
goes into effect in Ireland.
The leaders may have intended
only to frighten the Liberal gov
ernment. but the 10000 drilled men
are savagely in earnest. and are
drunk with denominational fury.
Intend To Fight.
Outwardly there is discipline and
order in the revolutionary forces,
and the colonels and captains and
the members of the supreme Union
ist council in Belfast say that they
have their army under perfect con-
troll. and that not a blow will be
struck unless the order is given.
They also emphasize the fact that
the rifles and cartridges are hidden
away and will not be given out I'M
less war is decided. on.
My lifetime of experience OF men
in rany countries goes for little II
anything can keep these militant
masses whose hatred of the Cath
olics has been fired day by day and
night by night. and who have been
exhorted to look forward to the
shedding of blood from flying at the
throats of the home rulers as soon
as an Irish government is assured.
The scherning politicians who con-
trived this horrible covenant for
civil war as the only answer to an
Irish parliament may be bluffing.
but the rank and file intend TO fight.