The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-03-24
NOT COMPELLED
TO FIGHT ULSTER MEN
General Paget and Three Senior Officers
Get Satisfactory Assurance After
Conference in London With
the Crown Officials.

London, March 24.-The detection Of
the army officers who refused to serve in
Ulster is now closed incident but its
consequences are likely to prove far
reaching. Premier Asquith and Colonel
Seely, secretary OF state for war, made
explanations before an excited and tur-
bulent House yesterday that the whole
affair was the result OF misunderstand-
ing.
This misunderstanding, it was inferred.
although they did not directly say so,
was due to misconstruction OF the GOV
ernment's plans by the commanding gen.
eral, Sir Arthur Paget, whereby he i'm
formed the officers in Ireland that they
We're to move on Ulster for repressiye
campaign.
General Paget and three senior officers
from the Curragh camp-General Cough.
Colonel McEwan and Colonel Parker
We're summoned to London for confer
enee. According to official statements,
the misunderstanding has been cleared
away, and these officers returned to Ire
land last night.
Prior TO their departure they said they
were entirely satisfied with the results
officers remain at their posts were not
disclosed, but the general belief is that
they were assured that they would not
be compelled to fight against the Ulster
men. This is considered distinct sur
render by the government.
Lord Morley of Blackburn explained
in the House of Lords significantly that
he did not think, in the interests Of the
efficiency of the army. that all that tran
spired in the army council should be
made public, and that the king approved
the orders to the officers to return.
The part the king played in the crisis
has not been disclosed. Army officers
addressed their resignation to his ma
jesty, and the report is that the king
insisted that the designations in the
present instance should not be accepted
and used his influence with the cabinet
for compromise with the army.
The Unionists firmly believe that the
government has participated in fiasco.
They think that the two most enter
pfising spirits OF the cabinet, David
Lloyd George and Winston Spencer
Churchill, were the chief movers in the
plan, and that the government proposed
wholesale movement of troops into
Ulster to overcome the eoyenanters by
the display of superior force and the ar
rest of their leaders and that the plan
was frustrated only by the opposition of
the officers.
Some of the Unionist members assert
that Andrew Bonar Law recently re-
ceived letter quoting one of the high
est officers in Ireland as saying;
"By Saturday there will be hundreds
of dead in Ulster"
The Unionists also accuse the govern
ment of making a scapegoat of General
Paget for their own colossal blunder."
The future of the home rule bill is
wrapped in clouds. No declarations of
"'full steam ahead" or meeting force
with force" were heard from the Liberals
in the debate in the House of Commons
Yesterday. None of the fire and firmness
which permeated the speeches of the
ministers only last week was in evi-
dence. The army has checkmated the
government according to the Unionists'
view, and the covenanters of Ulster have
won their fight.
No one will be surprised if the poy-
eminent soon relinquishes the power of
dIUlss h5 It's dttlou udu Tie immediate
result of striking shower of sparks
of class iealousies.
Liberal newspapers of high standing
and influence, like the Daily Chronicle
and the Daily News, print bitter denun-
Citations of the officers as part of the
Tory aristocracy, which insists upon the
prerogative of ruling the country against
the will of the people and demand the
democratization of the army. and that
the system of offering it from the sons
of the rich be superseded by a system
whereby officers may be promoted from
the ranks.
The labor papers are equally bitter
and demand to know why privates should
not have the same privilege of refusing /
to fire upon working men when called 4
upon 10 suppress strike riots.
What about the strikersl" was the
shout with which the Labor members