Omaha daily bee., 1914-07-06
NATIONALIST ARMY GROWING
Number Of Men Enlisted is Esti-
mated All the Way from Eighty
Thousand to Quarter Million.
LACK ARMS AND EQUIPMENT
Home Rue Sympathizers in America
Expected to Furnish Funds.
COvENANTERs NOT ALARMED
Ulster Volunteers Are Saturated
with Military Squirt and are AnKi-
Gus for ActiOn-FOrce IL Wen
Organized aud Well Armed. -

VI
LONDON July 5.-wth every we.L ..
suspense In the settlement Of the fnt,sa
government of ireland. the menace ~ tho
iiiHtary preparations by the Irstar Ga
inc Home Rule volunteers increases IT,
present tendency among the volunteers
OF the south is to accept leadership bv
tne nationalist party which John Red
mond offered them. Thus led tbera
would be clear division of Home Rulers
and anti-Home Rule men into hostile
armed camps. The very dangers Of a
bitter civil war which such a prospect
presents, furnishes the best safeguard
for peace.
Correspondents of the Associated Press
at Dublin and Belfast have written of
the situation from the nationalist and
Ulster points OF view, respectively. The
most interesting development is the plan,
hitherto unpublished, OF the orangenn
under Sir Edward Carson for taking
charge OF affairs by force II a provisional
government is set up. and the fact that
the commercial men of Belfast have used
their influence in Ulster councils to post
pone radical action until Home Rule
parliament has been established in Dub
lin. The great question which confronts
the Nationalist volunteers is how far
their American sympathizers are likely
to come forward with funds for their
arms and equipment
strength Of the NatiOnaIistu.
DUBLIN. July 6.-Estimates of the num-
Der OF Irish NationlIst volunteers vary
between $1,000, which is the Dublin castle
figures compiled by the police. and $4,000.
which is the estimate given in platform
| -. A. 49,
there are $1,000 in Leinster, which takes
the lead, about 5000 in Ulster increasing
! rapidly $4,000 in Munster and 5000 in
ConnAngllt.
The difficulty Of exact estimate arises
from the fact that the movement is not
organized from the centre. Forces have
sprung up spontaneously in every parish.
: and 30 far are only loosely connected
with the provisional central body. There
! has been complete wiping out of all
! class distinctions. and the rank and file
include every grade-farmers, laborers,
shop assistants. clerks, doctors, lawyers
and country gentlemen. There is very
strong leaven of time-expired soldiers
old Connaught rangers. Dublin fuslleers
and Munster fusileers, and their experi-
ence is proving useful in the drill.
| Officers of Experience.
| The chief military commanders are
Colonel Maurice Moore who commanded
the Connaught rangers in the Boer war,
and Captain White, a son OF the General
White, who defended Ladysmith. Recent
accessions are Sir Henry Grattan Bellew.
a grandson OF the great Henry Grattan'
who had experience in the fifth Dragon
guards; and Captain Bellingham. brother
of the marchioness of Butte, who is at
present an aide-de-camp to the lord
lieutenant Military experience however
slight, is at a premium, and medical
student, with a little volunteer training.
is commanding as sergeant squad which
includes among the privates' a uniVer-
sity professor of law.
The army has extremely little equip
ment and almost no money But the
material is excellent and the enthusiasm
unbounded Mr. Redmond's open associa-
ton with the movement will remove the
difficulty of getting money. The men in
charge OF the movement are for the most
part unknown and there has been much
reluctance to provide funds till the public
knew who would spend the money and
for what.
strong Central Body.
The central body consists OF twenty
five men. of them fifteen are said TO De
Home Rulers. in sympathy with MIR. Red
mond, but the more active, influential
and effective spirits are members OF the
Sim Fein party. They have few sup
porters in the country and the great oulk
l.of the volunteers are supporters OF Red
mond Mr.. Redmond offered his CO.
operation TO the central body II he was
allowed 10 nominate an equal NUMBER
of men on II, pending the election OF the
volunteer branches of the central execu-
tive. Failing acceptance he VIII recon-
mend each county to govern hsell'
This offer was rejected on has'hy
summoned meeting or the executives
who proposed that each county shouiE
elect a representative to SIT with thetii
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