Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-04-04
UN|ON|STS RALLY
ON ULSTER ISSUE
Great 0pen-Air Demonstration
Is Conducted in Hyde
Park, London.
# ARMY AND NAVY
FIERCELY DENOUNCED
Demanded That Government Submit
Question to People-Premier AS
quith Opens Campaign.

LONDON, April 4-The widely heralded
rally of unionists to protest against
any coercion of Ulster brought an enor-
nous concourse of people to Hyde Park
from all points of the compass today.
Twenty-Five professions with bands play
: ing and banners flying converged on the
central open space of London from as
many different localities and modified
around fourteen platforms. All the meet
ings were addressed by peers and mem
hers OF parliament who never before
had competed with the orators of various
creeds and theories. who customariiy oc-
cupy the opcn-air platforms.
The speakers fiercely denounced any at
tempt ito the army and navy to
drive out by force of arms our fellow
subjects in Ireland from their full heri-
tagc in the parliament of the United
Kingdom.
Demands were expressed that the gov
ernment should Immediately submit this
grave issue to the people.
Prominent Men Speak.
Sir Edward Carson. the Ulster unionist
leader: Austen Chamberlain, son of
Joseph Chamberlain: Walter Long and
such prominent unionist peers as Wis
count Miner. the Earl of Selborne and
Lord Londonderry as well as Lord Rob-
ert Cecil and Lord Charles Beresford,
were among the speakers.
An sattractive contingent in the pro-
cession was formed by body of 5000
men mostly from the stock exchange,
Lloyds and other city institutions which
formed up on the Thames embankment
then marched to the park and there took
a lively part in singing the hymn, 'Oh.
God, Our Help in Ages Past and God
Save the King which opened the pro-
ceedingS
Heads Convenanters.
Lord Roberts last night was elected
president of the League of British
Covenanters at meeting held in Can
ton Hall. Resolutions were adopted at
a meeting pledging the British cove
nanters to do all in their power to pre-
vent the establishment Of home rule in
Ireland without the sanction of the ma
tion and the support of the people of
Ulster in their gallant struggle to
maintain their constitutional rights"
Speeches We're made at the meeting
by Walter Hume Long former chief
secretary for Ireland, Lord Miner and
Sir Edward Carson. Sir Edward said
the government either would have to
exclude Ulster from their bill or make
up their minds that they would have
bloodshed and coercion.
Asquith Opens Campaign
LADYBANK, Scotland, April 4.-Pre-
mier Asquith opened his election CAM
paign this afternoon in the Masonic Hall
of this little village The hall is a
diminutive building. with a holding ca
pacity limited to 800. Under these cir
cumstances the speech of the prime min
lister was made to the sixty reporters
present rather than to the delegates of
the Scottish liberal associations who
filed the rest of the hall. The elaborate
telegrap phic arrangements for the circu-
lation of the premier's address through
out the United Kingdom testified to the
Importance attached to the speech In
political circles.
Premier Asquith, as befitted man who
had just assumed the duties of secretary
of state for war quickly approached the
subject of the army crisis He said he
had felt it to be his duty in the higher
interests of both the army and state to
assume his new Office because "a grave
situation had been created both in regard
10 the discip pline of the army and in con-
nection with its relation to the civil
power.
The premier continued:
There is a certainty that if things
went on as they had threatened to do
controversy would have arisen which
every patriotic man would have been anx-
iouS to avoid until a case of crucial ur-
gency arose