The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-06-28
READY To FIGHT
! WHEN TINE COMES
Nationalist and Unionlsts Of ireland
Are Both Prepared for 4
Home Rule
Battle.
VOLUNTEERS POUR IN
No Matter Which Way the Decision
Goes, the othsr Side viii
Take Up
Arms
VOLUNTEERS POUR IN

by Ed. L. Keen. London Correspon.
! dent of the United Press.]
i LONDON. June 27.-England has
suddenly awakened to the fact that
the nationalists OF Ireland are quite as
eager to fght for the endorsement OF
4 home rule as the unionists OF Ulster
are to fight against It. and In the
same way-at the point of the bay
onet. il necessary. Although they
haven't made much noise about 1t.
the militant home rule movement has
developed with amazing rapidity since
It was organized six months ago.
The so-called Irish national volun-
teers now have more men enrolled
than the Ulster volunteer force, and
their numbers are increasing At the
rate OF 800 . day. AS they haven't
been In business 90 long as the Car
sonites they are not SO well drilled
nor SO thoroughly equipped, but their
recent activities along these lines In
dictate that they are determined to
make up for lost time. Their leaders
claim that most Of the recruits own
their own weapons, that they have
successfully engineered q number or
gun-running expeditions in recent
weeks, and that il they were called in
to the field tomorrow they would be
able to make respectable showing
against the enemy. Among the rank
and file are large number OF the old
fighting Fenians and Sim Feiners,
but they do not control the organiza-
ton.
Curiously enough this movement has
its inception among the protestants
of Ulster. 1t is living refutation OF
the favorite argument OF the union
lists that home rule necessarily means
Rome rule. Its two principal organ
izers, Sir Roger Easement and Capt
James r. White are both ardent pro
testants. OF the present enrolment
of 100000 nearly a third are Ulster
men. and considerable proportion of
these are protestants. In the south
OF Ireland many prominent protest
ants have joined thu volunteers as an
answer to the bugaboo OF Catholic
domination and intolerance. The 9TH
er day the Rev. Dudley Fletcher, one
OF the leading protestant clergymen
at south Ireland, made a speech at
q national volunteer rally, at Portar-
OF his congregation called a meeting
for the purpose OF denouncing him,
but instead of being censured the
preacher found himself eulogized
His parishioners by an overwhelming
majority not only passed vote of
in him but roundly con.
those who dared to question
his right as an Irishman to take
sides with the popular cause" Voicing
what he believed to be the sentiment
Of many Irish protestants, Rev.
Fletcher said he had never experien-
ced anything but the greatest kind
ness from Irish Catholics. Moreover
he had never noticed any intolerance
except from his own side.
This militant home rule movement
was started quite Independently Of the
Irish nationalist party leaders. John
Redmond had nothing to do with it
at first. In fact he is known to
have counselled against copying the
methods of the Carsonites But the
members Of the party could
1T be held back, and lately Redmond
aas openly and positively given his
consent for them to 60 ahead Steph-
N Gwynn, prominent official Of the
,arty who has been most active in
he work Of organization, today pre-
licted that the enrolment would soon
each 100000.
The especial object OF the national
volunteers is to prevent any possible
OF the nationalist
counties Of Ulster out OF the jurisdic-
ION Of the Dublin parliament. In +.
barge of recruiting in the north and
vest Of Ireland is Col Maurice G.
foore. brother of the Irish novelist /.
aeorge Moore and for many years
Of the sSth Connaught :
hangers, one of the most gallant regf-
A. sSTNn n