The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-04-04
THE FACTS OF THE CASE-THE
REAL CAUSE OF ULSTER'S OP-
POSITION TO NATIONAL SELF
GOVERNMENT.
written for The Catholic Bulletin by
Rev. C. r. Cremin.)

Your readers may be anxious to
learn why Ulster is antagonistic to
Home Rule for Ireland. The truth is
that Ulster is not opposed to Home
Rule. For the information of the
general public who sincerely desire to
understand the situation and appre-
ciate the resistance that the Liberal
Government has to meet in Ulster I
shall mention just few interesting
facts.
Ulster is one of the four Provinces
of Ireland-the stronghold of Prot
estantism and Unionism of which the
seeds were sown there in the penal
days by the confiscation of the broad
and rich domains of the native chief
tains, and the importation and settle
ment therein Of colonies of English
Protestants and Scotch Presbyterians
For two centuries these colonists were
cherished and favored by the Govern
ment while the native population was
discouraged, despised and maltreated.
With the progress of democracy and
humanitarian sentiment this order of
things has changed, and this change
towards equality of treatment the
favored minority cannot, and will not
understand. Hence the spirit of re-
volt against the present Government.
Now it may be news to many of your
readers to be informed that even in
the Province of Ulster alone the Ma
tional and Home Rule forces have a
majority of support Yes, over so
per cent of the voters are Home Rul-
ers (the figures as reckoned on the
basis of the last contested elections
are, in round numbers, 100000 Ma
tionalists, as against $4,000 Unionist
votes), while, of the thirty three mem
bers that represent Ulster in the Eng
lish House of Commons, seventeen
are Home Rulers. This shows that
in Ulster many Protestants favor
Home Rule; for Ulster has a ma
jority of mont Catholics, but that ma
jority is not as large as some imagine
The religious statistics of Ulster are
in round numbers: Catholics, 100000,
and Protestants, $4,000 presbyterian
1G41OOOJ LploCOpd11duS OOO,OUVs MSIuO-
dists 4S,OOO); spd ofsthe non-Catholics
the vast body is confined to four of
the nine counties of the province that
surround Belfast; and the other FIVE
counties the Catholics dominate
Since, then, five out of the nine coun-
ties, and seventeen out of the thirty
three members of Parliament, and
the majority of the voters of the
province are Nationalist, it is plain
that if the majority rule were recog-
nized principle of government Ulster
could and would of itself decide in
favor of Home Rule for Ireland.
Opposition to Home Rule.
If Ulster Unionism cannot sus-
tain it's claim to special treat
ment, and justify it's opposition to
Irish self-government on the strength
of numbers, either religious or politi-
cal, whence, it may be asked, arises
it's disaffection? On what grounds
can it justify it's opposition? We
must frankly answer, on the grounds
of unreason; on the grounds of stub
born prejudice which refuses to lis
ten to reason. For no civil or relig-
ious safeguard which reason can de-
mand, but the Liberal Government
and the Irish Nationalists are pre-
pared to accept and insert in the
Irish Government Bill. They have in
vited and welcomed suggestions from
the Opposition, but the Ulster Union