The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-17
CAUSE OF CARSONISM
By #. !. MONK

Proof, If any proof We're wanting, of the
fitness of Irishmen to govern themselves
has been amply given in the patience and
forbearance shown by the Irish ma
tionalist members of Parliament during
the past and present debates on the home
rule bill. BY conquering himself Her
cules conquered the bods, and by their
eules conquered the gods and by their
tory over all the powers of prejudice and
pa ssion.
Scarcely had Mr.. Asauith concluded his
speech when he first introduced the home
rule bill two years ago than up jumped
Sir Edward Carson to reply, and in so
doing poured out the walls of his wrath
in the most rancorous terms ever heaped
upon human beings. That speech was re-
ported verbatim, and it is safe to say that
the day will come when Sir Edward will
hang his head in shame as he reads the
bitter and unworthy insufts which he, un-
der parliamentary privilege hurled across
the floor of the House of Commons at the
Irish members, their country and their
religion. 1t was a demonstration of the
greatest abuse of parliamentary priv
|
so virulent and vulgar was his vitupera-
ton that even his unionist associates
forbore to express their assent, for the
Englishman, to his credit be 1t said is al
ways a gentleman. Following Carson. on
that memorable occasion, John Redmond
spoke, any anyone who knows John Red
mond must know what his feelings were
after listening to such a TRADE of abuse
and vilitication; but in words so
sublmely beautiful as Carson's were ex-
ecrable he assured the house that neither
he nor anyone of his party would be
tempted to reply in kind to what had
| been said then or might be said after
ward by any unionist speaker. The re-
straint that Redmond imposed upon him.
| self and his party then has been strictly
| observed by him and them ever since. al
| though at times accusations and charges
| have been made against him and them
| coarse and vile enough to set the blood
| boiling in their veins.
| Sir Edward Carson like his proto-
| type, Joseph Chamberlain, is the victim or
disappointed ambition. Thirty years
| ago he was Ned Carson, an aspiring
| political barrister He joined the liberal
! association at a time when Gladstone
was on the crest of the wave, but when
Gladstone fell on his home rule bill in
1896 and the unionists came into office,
Mr. Ned Carson turned his coat and
was rewarded for his apostasy by being
appointed crown prosecutor in Ireland. As
| crown prosecutor Mr.. Carson distin-
| inns
and National league days, and as a re-
| ward for his services evcting tenants
| and convicting innocent men, he was
| made Sir Edward Carson and became the
| petted darling of the unionsts. Ahead
! OF him lay a clear path to office: Judge.
chief justice, even lord chancellor: these
are the plums that fall to the faithful
party servant, and Carson had earned
prominent place in the line of promo
ton. But alas. before the judicial err
mine fell upon Carsons shoulders the
| unfonist party fell, and in the debach
down went Carson, or rather out he went
into the cold shade of opposition. No
wonder Carson feels aggrieved, es-
pecially as he has seen the prizes. for
which he labored so industriously and to
win which he had prostituted his political
principles, fall into the hands of men who
won them honestly and honorably.
Baked in his ambition and chatting ln-