Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-22
RESIGNS TO EVADE
ULSTER COMMAND
Gen. Cough Reported to Have
Accepted Offered Option to
Retire From Army.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
RECALLED BY CRISIS
Wholesale Abandonment of Commits
sions by Officers Rather Than
Fight in Campaign.

LONDON. March 22-The Sunday
Observer asserts on high authority that
Gen. Sir Arthur Paget visited Curragh
Friday and gave Gen. Cough of the Sd
Cavalry Brigade the option of taking
command at Ulster or retiring.
Gen. Cough, wlo was allowed two
hours for consideration. resigned i'm
mediately.
The Observer says that the govern
ment has decided to issue 200 warrants
for the arrest of the leaders in Ulster.
The governments military precautions
TO preserve order precipitated a crisis
without parallel in the history of
the British army. Rather than be
placed in a position where they might
be called upon to act against the Ulster
covenanters. numbers of officers have
resigned their commissions.
designations Are Numerous.
While the war office has refused to
say how many have resigned, popular
belief. based on reports from the diff
ferent regiments, is that the number
of Withdrawals has crippled the whole
military organization in Ireland and
prevented carrying out the orders for
moving several large bodies of troops.
The Marquis of Londonderry, one of
the Ulster leaders, said tonight that
nothing of the sort had occurred in
the British army since the days of
The American revolution.
Public curiosity is at fever heat over
the question of how the government
is to deal with the designations. The
liberal sentiment is that the seceding &
officers should be court -martialed.
Many conservatives argue that the
situation amounts to civil war and
that the officers should have liberty
10 choose the faction with which they
should ally themselves.
King George as Peacemaker.
The entrance of King George on the
scene peacemaker was the dramatic
event of the day. He had long con-
ferences with Prime Minister Asouith
the secretary of state for war, Col.
Seely, and several high officers. He
afterward summoned Field Marshal
Lord Roberts, who has been much
criticised by the liberals for utter
ances which they construed as en-
couragement to the officers to refuse
to obey orders.
From the palace, the veteran field mar
shal drove directly to the war office.
There he had a long talk with the sec
retary for war. The army council held a
long sitting at the war Office, generals
and lesser officers of the staff coming and
going throughout the day.
In the meantime the movement of troops
continued in Ireland. The center of in
terest shifted to Curragh, twenty-five
miles from Dublin. where the sd Cavalry
Brigade, under Cen Cough. and the 14th
Infantry Brigade, under Col. Rolf, are
stationed.
Gen. Sir Arthur Paget, commanding the
forces in Ireland, spent the day in camp.
He held conference with fifty officers
of the Curragh. Dublin, Kildare and
Newbridge sarrisons.
1t was said that orders had arrived for
life dispatch of the Sd Brigade to Ulster
out that these could not be carried into
execution because practically all the Of
ficers had resigned. Orders for the dis
patch of the 10th Lancers also failed of
execution by reason of the same whole
sale retiTements of officers.
According to some reports. the military
men have unanimously refused inforIna-
ton y Dublin dispatch says that the
designations from the Curragh forces
number forty. Other advices place the
number at 100.