The Irish standard., 1914-05-16
The ,UniOnist Plot.

The UniOnist Plot.
The latest development of the Un-
ionist plot against Home Rule and
the Parliament Act created some
what of a weekend sensation. On
Saturday evening, the news was pub
lished in London that the Ulster
"volunteers" had organized a sham
mobilization" all over Ulster for
Friday night, with the object of COW
ering the landing of guns and ammu-
milton from the steamship Fanny
or "Mountjoy" at the ports Of Larne.
Bangor. and Donaghadee; that the
plans had worked out satisfactorily,
and that rifles. variously estimated
in number from $4,000 to $4,000.
with plenty of ammunition, had been
successfully landed at the ports
named, and had been transmitted, in
motor cars, to destinations in. vari-
Gus parts of the province. Fuller in
formation came to hand on Sunday
and Monday showing that the au-
thorities were taken entirely by sur
prise, and were hoodwinked at Bel
fast by the pretence Of q landing Of
arms at that, port, where they await
ed the berthing of a steamer loaded
with no more dangerous combusti-
bles than Goals. At the same time,
the "Volunteers" took possession of
the Midland Railway station at Bel
fast, which is the approach route to
Larne;; stopped telegraphic and tel
ephonic communication, by earth
ing the wires; put cordons around
the three ports named, and .blockad-
ed all the highways leading to and
from them; surrounded the police,
the customs officials. and the coast
guardsmen in several places where
they had turned out, aud prevented
them from taking any action; kept
other police and coastguardsmen in
their homes; commandeered country
carts and replaced their drivers by
others who then assisted in trans
porting the rifles and ammunition; |;
caused the death of coastguards-
man at Donaghadee, through excite
ment; and carried out their purpose
generally without interference and
without a hitch. According to the
Belfast correspondent of the Man
chester Guardian" IAN official
statement says that at Bangor. the
Volunteers were in charge of Cap
tain Craig, M. F., and. at Donagha-
dee. in charge of Captain MaCalmont
which is probably a mistake for
Colonel McCammond. the officer in
command of the Special Reserve bat
talon of the Roya4Irish rifles"
The Effect.
1t was stated on Friday that a
crowd of war correspondent" rep
resenting London Unionist newspe-
pers. had gone over to Belfast to
write up the mobilization" But
the object of their visit was appar-
ent in the reports which appeared in
the Unionist press on Monday. when
the gun-running was written up as
one of the greatest feats of daring,
enterprise, courage. and resourceful-
ness in history. Not a single Union
ist newspaper had word of con-
Gemnation for this act of disloyalty
on the part of men who are posing
as loyalists par excellence and con-
stitutionalists in excelsis. On tho
contrary, from the Times" the
worthy leader of the yellow press
and the faithful inheritor of the ira
ditions of Richard Pigott. down to
the meanest of the Unionist board
sheets, there is nothing but unstint-
ed praise for the "Volunteers" In
the Pail Mall Gazette, SIS Mr.. ]. L.
Garvin says: ga tenfold shame will
rest upon the nation If it does not
yet arise to deliver loyal Ulster from
the power of the dog" AS this is
the concluding sentence of a lead
ing article in which the government
is charged with being dragged at the
chariot-wheeis of Mr.. Redmond, 1t is
presumable that by 1.-The dog" Mr..
Redmond and those who sympathize
with him in Ireland. It is true that
Garvin is a renegade Nationalist
"hillsider." and such epithets COM