Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1919-08-02
ULSTER
Not So Opposed to Irish Home
Rule as Tory English
Claim.
Religious Question Bugaboo
Raised by Grating Landlord
Politicians.
More Catholics in Ulster Than
Any Other Religious De-
nomination.
NOT THE RICHEST PROVINCE.

Ulster stood in 1914 as England's
sole excuse for the reputation of its
home rule agreement. Ulster stands
today as England's one avowed rea-
son for refusing to grant Ireland any
measure of self-government. With
the British Government as an inter-
preting voice, the world has been
given the impression that Ulster is
at least half of Ireland; that 1t is
settled almost solidly by Scotch
Presbyterians; that it is unit
against home rule. Even the aver
age American, sympathetic with the
irish cause, has the feeling that
Ulster presents very serious prob
lem" What, then, are the facts?
Ulster is one of the four provinces
Of ireland and contains nine coun-
ties. The other three provinces
Leinster, Munster and Connaught-
have twenty-three counties. The
population of Ulster is 1851, 696;
that of Ireland as whole is 4,975,-
554. 1t is admittedly the case
therefore that the few are locking
the will of the many; it is this re-
sistance of minority that goes out
to the world as evidence of Irish
inability to agree" Acceptance OF
any such doctrine would have pre-
vented the formation of the United
States of America; If accepted today
there will be no CZecho-Slovakia, no
Poland, no Jugo-Slavik, and Alsace-
Lorraine must be broken into
French pieces and German bits. for
in all are bitter minorities of no
small size.
None of those most prominent in
the "Ulster rebellion" has any real
connection with Ulster by birth or
residence. Sir Edward Carson did
not even represent an Ulster con-
stituency until put up for a Belfast
seat in December, 1918; Sir Fred
erick E. Smith; the "Galloper of
Ulster" is an English lawyer; Bonar
Law is a Scotch Canadian; Gen.
Richardson and Gen. Wilson, who or
ganized and drilled the Ulster reb-
els, are Englishmen; Walter Long
has no U4ster connection and Bal
four, Lord Cecil, Lord Curzon, Lord
Miner and scores of other "Ulster
leaders" are English through and
through.
In December, 1918, an English
general election was held, and while
the Unionists in Ireland banked a
solid front in support of unchanged
and unchanging British rule, the OPP
position split into two camps. The.l
went before the people
with their usual and traditional de-
mand for home rule; the Sim Fem
declared that forty years of futile
begging showed the folly of parlia-
mentary methods; announced that
their candidates, If elected, would
assemble in Dublin, not London, and
asked votes on the bold platform of
an Irish Republic. Leinster, Nuns
ter and Connaught went almost as
unit for Sim Fem. The Nationalist
were annihilated and the Unionists,
frankly confessing an overwhelming
majority that made contests farcical,
did not put up a single candidate in
twenty-one counties. In Dublin
county out of four seats they cap
tured one in a carefully gerryman-
dered district, the only Unionist
fight and the only Unionist victory
in the twenty-three counties outside
of Ulster.
A study of the Ulster vote reveals
that the Unionists did not contest in
Cavan, the Sim Fein taking both
seats without a struggle. In Done
gal, with four seats, the Unionists
contested only one. losing handily to
a Nationalist. The Unionist vote for
the county therefore was 4,797
against Sim Fein Nationalist total
OF 39,041. In Monaghan. with two
seats, the Unionists attempted one
contest only, losing badly. and Sim
Fein swept the country. The total
vote: Unionist. 4,497; Sim Fem
21,497. This showing
and there has never been any other
election result for forty years--lifts
Cavan. Monaghan and Donegal out
of the rebel Ulster" leaving only
six counties to be considered.
In Tyrone, the Nationalist cap