The Irish standard., 1914-06-20
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the ultimate settlement of the Irish
Question, but we are all united in
the determination that ireland shall
not be divided, under the pretence
of political expediency, into two sep
arate and warning sections. with the
Cleavage arranged on religious lines
The very thought of such a mutila-
ton is monstrous and revolving. Yet
the Government of England is now
engaged in preparing scheme to
thus perpetuate and intensity the
the bitter religious strife which has
been Ireland's bane for the past three
hundred years and which was intro
duced and has since been maintained
by England with cynical malignity
as the best means of maintaining
English domination.
A Bill granting to Ireland certain
limited powers of local self-govern-
ment has just been passed by the
English House Of Commons and its
application and enforcement now
await the passage of Bill to exclude
from the authority of the Irish Par
lament certain counties of Ulster
and probably portions of other coun-
ties. The sinister purpose of this
measure is shown by a cable de-
spatch published few days ago
stating that the Chief Secretary's
Office was engaged in making ar
rangements for taking vote on the
exclusive proposition and was taking
A RELIGIOUS CENSUS Of some Ul-
ster counties which have a Nationist
majority.
Now, leaving out of account the
political monstrosity which the Tex-
clusion of Ulster would create, the
dislocation of Irish administration
and the ruin of Irish business
which would be among its inevitable
consequences, the fact of chief mo-
ment to consider just now is that
the British Government was led 10
take this course by threats of armed
Instruction made by the Ulster
Orangemen. or used those threats as
its excuse. Anglo-Irish history has
thus repeated itself and a British
Government yields to the menace of
force a demand which 1t has refused
to unarmed men. The opinions, the
wishes, the interests and rights Of
the majority of the people of Ire
land-all the people of Leinster.
Munster and Connacht and "a major
ity of the people of the whole prov
ince of Ulster-are treated with con-
tempt, because they are unarmed and
the demands of minority Of the
people of Ulster are conceded for the
reason that they have arms in their
hands and threaten to use them.
This lesson aft repeated. but al
ways forgotten, has at last sunk deep
into the hearts of the Irish people,
and every thinking Nationalist will
thank the Orangemen of Ulster for
their timely and forcible reminder
They have undoubtedly rendered Ire
land service which their leaders
did not intend. They have organized
and armed portion of an Irish citi-
zen army and they have shattered
the discipline and morale of the regu-
lar British army, so that it's effect
iveness as military force has been
destroyed and it has become the
laughing stock of soldiers through
out the world. And the Ulster Vol
unteers have presented to the Irish
people the first opportunity they
have had since the days of the Irish
Parliament of organizing a citizen
army to defend their rights and their
national integrity.
Since the dfsbandment of the Irish
Volunteers who won the 1ndepend-
ence of the Irish Parliament in 1882,
England had always prevented the
organization of Volunteer force in
Ireland until the Ulster Orangemen
defied the Government now in
power by starting the present armed
movement. Previous to that any at
tempt to organize a military force in
the rest of Ireland would have been
promptly suppressed. The Unionists
of Ulster therefore gave the Nation
alists of Ireland the desired oppor-
tunity, they availed themselves of it
and we see the result in the Irish
National Volunteers.
This makes a completely new stu
alton in Ireland. The Government of
England. beset by difficulties and
dangers abroad. cannot and will not
dare to suppress one set Of Volun-
teers while leaving the other in ex-
istence. But after allowing the
Orangemen to arm it showed the in