The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-03-17
Clashes Expected Between
Catholics and PrOtestantS.
THE ORAN6EMEN OF ULSTER
They Still Swear by Prince
william of Orange.
Catholics VIII Never Forget
Battle of the B0yne.

London, March 17.-Today Is the
anniversary Of the legendary birthday
Of st. Patrick. Clashes between the
Catholic Irishmen and the Protestants
OF Ulster province are expected. Dut
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
long years Of peace in Ireland? VIII
Erin be deluged with blood. as she
has been SO many times before in her
history, ERE st. Patrick's day comes
round in 1918?
The coming twelvemonth is to de-
eide the question of home rule in Ire
land
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
bloodshed is problematical.
There are really three struggles Tor
home rule involved in this question.
More than a century Ireland has
fought for the ending of British domi-
nation. At the same time Ulster prov
ince is promising to appeal to arms
before it will allow itself to be gov
erned by the Catholic provinces.
who are not few in number. will not
calmly submit to the rule of the
Protestant Ulstermen. Cardinal Logue
lived in Ulster and SO does Joseph
Devlin, who may succeed John Red
mond as leader of the Irish National
lists. In Belfast itself one of the four
divisions is Nationalist and Catholic.
The triple nature of this question
is often lost sight of. But it is the
real reason which prevents the ac-
ceptance Of the various propositions to
separate Ulster from the rest of Ire
land; to give the Catholic provinces
home rule and let Ulster stay closely
connected with the rest of Great
Britain.
That conditions have come to a
pass no one will now deny. No one
has denied it since December S, when
King George v invoked the customs
consolidation act Of 1879 to forbid the
importation. of arms and ammunition
into Ireland.
Two Armies Of Volunteers.
There are today two armies of vol
unteers drilling in the island. The
Nationalist army is the smaller and
the more fOrmless, because it was
started the more recently. It's strength
is very hazy. Photographs of corps
being inspected are not impressive.
But the Ulster army, long derided.
Its opponents. On the evening of the
day when King George officially rec
ognized the gravity of the situation by
the arms order. Sir Edward Carson,
the leader Of Ulster, said in a speech
at Nottingham, England, that the
Ulster volunteers had aggregated 49,
900 year before and now numbered
10000.
These are the men actually enrolled
and serving. If it came to an actual
clash. it is safe to say. the Ulster lead
er could count on more than twice this
humber.
Two hundred thousand volunteers
nre not to be dismissed with a word
They 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 con-
fict would BE- prolonged and san
culinary.
Orangemcn Have Belfast,
1t Is to be remembered that the u
etermen have in their number lost of
the principal business men of Ireland.
Belfast is the city Of wealth, the place
Of mills and shipyards. The resources
Of Ireland would be at the disposal of
the minority in the north, not the ma
jority of the other provinces.
Many keen observers believe this is
the principal issue underlying the fight
against home rule. They minimize the