Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-20
Especial Correspondent of the start
BELFAST. Ireland, May 3.
slows poor old Ireland,
And how does she stand?
Wea rim of the green. -

of the Emerald Isle in every land
are asking at the present moment
Before Erin a bright prospect opens
lip with the seemingly near realiza-
ton of her century-held aspiration
Of self government But olden foes
OF her cause have entered upon their
opposition battle with a vigor and
bitterness rarely met with in poll
tics We hear rumors of civil war
on every side; men, in semi military
announcements, parade in semi-mili
tary fashion through Ulster streets
mystery ships" land arms and am
munition in our leading ports; cler-
symen bless regimental ''colors' for
the different bodies of volunteers
with ceremonial rites that impart the
air of a religious War-a religious
Principle to be fought for-to a mere
ly political struggle: amateur Red
Cross nurses practise first-aid exer-
cises in houses lent for use as hospi-
tails in case of war; a fleet patrols
our coasts and visits our harbor as a
gentle hint that if we are not good
we shall get "eondign punishment"
Ito use the phrase adopted in a re-
cent speech); and last, though not
least, hosts Of newspaper men from
many lands descend upon Belfast In
their scores and wait in a state of
quiet expectancy. broken with odd
thrills of excitement from military
arneutes or gun-running ships or
busy moving heets-for the war that
does not eventuate.
There were two really eventful and
thrilling developments this year. The
revolt of the Curragh officers created
a. great ensation-created a great
crisis. IF there had not been a strong
government in being that knew it's
own mind and felt that, with the full
evaporation of its followers it could
go determinedly on TO victory, then
disaster would assuredly have fol-
lowed. Asquith and his men faced
the trouble with rare courage. AS
qpith added to his already heavy
burden the enormous task of guild
ing the fortunes Of the war office;
he thereby challenged the Tory party
10 r set him before his constituents.
They SUNK away from the defiance
he hurled at them and their dandy
military mutineers; Asauith was re-
turned unopposed in East Fife-and
Liberalism was stronger than ever.
Gun Running.
The next exciting episode was that
of the extensive gun-running exploit
at Larne, Donaghadee and Bangor a
couple of weeks ago. 1t made the
old staid, sober Tories OF England
open their eyes with establishment,
and then curse the terrible risky
move of their dangerous allies, the
Orangemen. What would English
public opinion think Of it, How
would it affect the Tory party in
the view of the electors? were the
thoughts that at once occurred to
them, and the result Of their cogita-
ton was not very agreeable.
On the Liberals the lawless move
of the Ulster volunteers had the eff
feet one would expect in men who
were determined not to be diverted
from the path OF justice at the bid
ding of violence-it braced them up
to face the gun-runners, if need be,
with their own weapons. Said As
quith in the House of Commons:
1.-THE House may be assured that his
majesty's government will take with
out delay appropriate steps to vindi-
cate the authority of the law and to
protect officers and servants of the
king and his majesty's subjects in
the exercise of their duties and in
the enjoyment of their rights"
A few days afterwards a fleet of
some sixteen war vessels steamed
into Bangor bay in Belfast, Tough,
and has sent out patrols along the
coast each night since.
A few days afterwards General
Macready was sent across from Lon
don with special powers to command
all the troops in Ulster in case OF
trouble and to cooperate with
the police forces in all the districts.
He was entrusted with special mag
isterial authority likewise that might
be particularly useful if anything in
fb1 ma ft1rf Of var VVprp initiated
the volunteers.
General Macready is. as I write,
making a tour of the principal towns
and districts of Ulster and consult
ing with the police and military au-
thorities as to their present resources
and the possibilities that exist for
the accommodation of further bodies
of troops if such becomes necessary.
And yet with that fleet steaming
vigorously around our coast and that
geueral-the living reminder of the
mighty arm of the war office-maktng
his insignificant inquiries in our
midst, the atmosphere is quite peace
full this week.
That does not mean that the dan
ger of war is gone. BY no means.
The danger of trouble is not gone. 1t
is, if anything, now more acute than
ever The volunteers believe they
government by their gun-running
feat they held up the traffic on the
public roads; they held up the coast
guards in their stations (and one of
these unfortunate officials died of
heart disease in the excitement of
the affair." and they landed a whole
ship load of ammunition and rifles,
and not one of them has yet been
brought TO Justice.
Not one gun-runner brought to JUS
tice, That is a very bitter fact with
many of the extreme-the radical&
class of Liberals If it had occurred
in any other part of Ireland the guilty
parties would have been at once
caught by the heels and landed in
prison. But here were those amateur
'rebels," with the connivance, it is
believed, of two prominent members
of Parliament, engaging in most
reasonable act and getting off scot
free Indeed, an influential member
of the Radical group-Sir William
Byles-asked Premier Asquith this
week whether he was fully abive to
the danger to responsible government
Winking at the affair, and whether
he was not certain suitable measures
of punishment would meet with the
warm approval of the loyalist popu-
lation of Ulster" The premier's re-
ply was, All material CONSIDERATIONS
are being carefully taken into ac-
count"
The Ulster Plot.
The Commons debate on what was
called the Ulster plot'-the sugges-
ton that the government made GER
tain movements of troops and war
ships In March so as to provoke the
Ulster volunteers into violence and
war. and thus battle Ulster in
bIood''-was the occasion of the pres