The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-13
HOME RULE.
suggest ion That All Ulster But I'VE
Count les Be Exempt for Twenty Years.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SrS-Sir. The
suggested plan of Mr.. Asquth of allow
ing the individual counties of Ulster 10
vote upon retaining their Independence
and being administered by the Imperial
Government instead OF By home rule
government for six years IL naturally not
acceptable and hardly looks workable
proposition.
The last election shows that the total
vote in Ulster has a Cnouist majority
Of over 5000. The counties of Cavan.
Monaghan and Donegal are overwhelm-
ingly Nationalist, Tyrone has Il Sigh,
Nationalist majority. and I'm FermauAgh
the parties are approximately equal. Now
| would suggest that the counties north
OF line drawn from Carlingtord Lough
a 'ong the northern border OF Monaghan
to the Erne should be exempt from home
rule for say twenty years. This would
mean that all the counties Of Ulster with
the exception OF Cavan and Monaghan
would be governed by the Imperial Gov
eminent, This arrangement, | admit APP
pears hard upon Donegal. a Nationalist
county. but owing 10 its geographical po-
stlon IL would be impossible to exempt
II from throwing its lot in with the bulk
Of Ulster. In political arrangements and
alterations In territorial boundaries some
one has to suffer and the people OF Done
gal would he no more unfortunately
placed In the situation named than sup
porters OF the Tuionist cause throughout
the other provinces of Ireland that would
under the arrangement suggested become
subject to home rule.
The serious question that Mr. Redmond
and his followers have to face in the
working 90 home rule In Ireland is the
necessary financial supply for upkeep, and
he and his party are loath to lose the rev.
enue to be obtained from lister. but in
order to meet the situation and in view
of the generosity the Imperial Govern
ment has shown to Ireland in the last
thirty years by the numerous loans II has
supplied and guaranteed, 1t might be
asked to 20 "A step further and provide
the revenue that the home rule Govern
ment would lose by the isolation of the
seven northern counties OF Ulster under
the plan referred TO.
The six years Mr.. AsQuith suggests
would simply mean, II accepted. six
years of agitation. turmoil, dissatisfaction
and rristrust. In the twenty years ] sus
gest the present leaders would have dis
appeared from the scene, new men un-
biassed on both sides would have come &c
the front. and the seven counties Of Ulster
would have before them twenty years OF
working OF the home rule bill in other
parts OF Ireland and be able to Judge of
Its efficiency or defects and form a GOOD
estimate OF how their fellow tnionlsts
and coreligionists were treated under n
On the other hand, the rest of ireland
would have had twenty years Of self
government and would be able TO remedy
its defects and IL necessary ask for an
alteration OF its terms In short. the
whole question from both sides of the
fence could be weighed from practical en-
perience,
In considering this question II must he
remembered that the Home Rule party as
we'll as the Liberal party in England has
counties In Ulster as vote against home
rule Therefore they are prepared In
any case under these terms to lose four
counties for six years. and they are
only now asked to lose seven instead OF
the -four and to increase the period from,
six to twenty years, and ms "A Quid pre-
quo to receive In compensation the de-
fciency of revenue they would not collect
yearly from the seven counties in Ulster
NEw YORK. April II. A.