Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-15

Special Gable to The American.
LONDON, March 14.-Tuesday will
be the anniversary of the legendary
birthday of St. Patrick. Clashes be-
tween the Catholic Irishmen and the
Protestants of Ulster Province are eX-
pected but these are nothing unusual
for the saints day or "BoYne Water
Day The real question is: Will this
st. Patrick's Day mark the passing
of the long years of peace in lrelandE
Will Erin be deluged with blood, as
she has been so many times before in
her long history, ere St Patrick's Day
comes round in 1915?
The coming tWelvemonth is to de-
eide the question of home rule In
Ireland.
On the day when the patron saint
of the Emerald Isle is honored her
leaders will look to future which
is most dark and menacing. Ireland
is a house divided against itself,
Despite the efforts at compromise
made in the last two weeks, the
avoidance of hloodshed is problemati-
cal
Three Struggles involved.
There are really three struggles in
volved in this question. More than
century Ireland has fought for the
ending of British domination. At the
same time Ulster Province is prom
Using to appeal to arms before it will
allow itself to be governed IA the
Catholic provinces. Thirdly, the
Catholics in Ulster. who are not few
in number, will not calmly submit to
the rule of the Protestant Ulstermen
Cardinal LogIe lived in Ulster ana
so does Joseph Devlin, who may sue
coed John Redmond as leader of the
Irish Nationalists In Belfast itself,
one of the four divisions is Natlonai-
list and Catholic.
The third problem often is lost to
sight, But il is the real reason which
prevents the acceptance of the vari-
Gus propositions to separate Ulster
from the rest of Ireland; to give the
Catholic provinces home rule and let
Ulster stay closely connected politi-
cal;y with the rest of Great Britain.
That conditions have come to
critical mass. no one will deny. No
one has denied it since December 3,
when King George V invoked the GUS
toms consolidation act of 1879 to for
bid the importation OF arms and am
munition into Ireland.
There are to-day two armies OF
volunteers drilling in the island. The
Nationalist army is the smaller and
the more formless, because ii was
started the more recently. its
strength is very hazy Photographs
of the corps being inspected are not
impressive.
But the Ulster army, long derided,
has a strength not so problematlcal
as it's opponents. on the evening or
the day when King George officially
recognized the gravity Of the situa-
ton by the arms order Sir Edward
Carson. the leader Of Ulster, said IN
a speech at Nottingham, England
that the Ulster volunteers mad ag-
gregated 5000 year before ana now
numbered 10000. These are the men
actually enrolled and serving. II II
came to an actual clash, 1t Is safe
to say. the Ulster leader could count
on more than twice this number.
Two hundred thousand volunteers
are not to be dismissed with a Word.
Thev could cause much trouble even
for a detachment of the British army
and should the volunteers of the
south of Ireland be sent against them,
the conflict would be prolonged and
sanguinary.
Ulster Sways Business.
II is to be remember that Inc
FISHERMEN have in their number most
of the principal business men OF Ire
land Belfast is the city of wealth,
The Mace of mills and shipyards. The
resources of Ireland would be at the
disposal of the minority in the North,
NOT the majority of the other prov
incos MANY keen observers believe
This is the principal issue underly-
ING the. fight against home rule. They
minimize the church issue and bring
out The fears of the Belfast merchants
thar a Dublin Parliament would con-
rive To make Belfast pay all the
taxes and have Dublin and Cork take
all he Offices. lucrative contracts and
various patronage.