The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-15
Ulster Leaders Say Exclu. sion of Protestant Coun-
 ties Only Acceptable
NO FURTHER BASIS
 FOR NEGOTIATIONS
Government Exponents Say Asquith Has Gone Limit in Offering Con cessi0ns-Problems Believed
 Approaching Climax

London, March 14.--A settlement of the Irish home rule difficulty appar- ently has been little advanced by the British governments great concessions to the Ulsterites, and taking the as- sertions of both political parties at their face value tho deadlock today remains as immovable as before Pre- mier Asquith's conciliatory offer was made in the House of Commons on March g. The signers of the Ulster covenant declare strongly that nothing less than the permanent exclusion of
 the Prothestant counties of Ulster from the Irish government at Dublin instead of the proposed six-year option will be considered by them. The more radical covenanters demand not only the ex- clusion of the four counties--Antrim, Armagh, Londonderry and Down---in which the Protestants are in the ma jority but they want the entire pro- vince of Ulster excluded. Anything else they say, would be the assertion of their comrades in counties where Protestants are in the minority and would be trea- son to their covenant.
 Carson Sends Message Sir Edward Carson. leader of the Ulster unionists, sent a message to Belfast today saying:
 "1f anything necesstates a still more forward movement this year, We are going to make good in action all We have been saying and preparing for during the past two years" On the other side the government newspapers assert that Premier As- quiths scheme is the absolute limit of concessions and Is not basis for further negotiations.
 Winston Spencer Churchill, first lord of the British admiralty, speaking 1t Bradford, Yorkshire. today, said;
 'It seems to me that in principle--I I don't speak of details-that 1t Is the last offer his majesty's government can or ought to make"
 Sir Edward Russell who Is close friend of Premier Asquith, writing in the Liverpool Daily Post. of which he is the editor. takes a different view. He says;
 In n-political clubs everybody Is confident that Premier Asquith has made up his own mind to let the na i tionalists go that sooner or later ne win tell Mir, Redmond that the only feasible home rule is one with the entire exclusion of Ulster"
 Irish nationalists newspapers declare that John Redmond, the Irish national ist leader in the House of Commons. and his colleagues could not possibly support bill containing further sur renders from the original scheme of home rule. Some of the nationalist or gans bitterly denounce the nationalist members for submitting to Premier As quith's terms.
 Talk Not Bluff
 Little talk Is heard that the Or angemen's preparations to fight are a gigantic bluff The covenanters claim to have 90.000 men drilling in Sir Ed ward Carson's army. with 60,000 rifles and some pieces of artillery.
 The London newspapers are filled with pictures of Ulstermen In civil ian clothes and with rifle and cartridge belts, executing sl<irmsh and other drills like trained soldiers.
 MT. Churchill in commenting today in his Bradford address on the prepara tons being made in Ulster to resist home rule, said:
 "The first British soldier of coast guard who is attacked and killed by the Orangemen will raise such an eN- plosion in this country the tories little appreciate and it will shake the foundations of society,""
 Percy Holden Illingworth. the chiee liberal whip in the House of Commons. speaking at the same meeting said there would be no general election un- til the home rule for Ireland, the Welsh disestablishment and the plural voting bills had been passed by parliament.