The New York herald., 1922-07-09


certain knowledge. the Irish leaders,
whether Free StHters or Republicans,
have been praying for this pressure.
But the British statesman has been
afraid of the Ulster bogey and so the
pressure has not come. But it will
come.
Cruelty to Catholics
in EIizabeth's Reign
Put into a few words, the historical
origin of the Ulster problem was that
in the reign OF Elizabeth six Irish
counties were planted with settlers.
These six counties did not include An
trim and Down but included Donegal.
Tyrone. Fermanagh and Cavan, all Of
which during the recent war with Eng
land were Republican in majority.
These settlements were accom-
panied by much cruelty to the
Catholic population supplanted. but
the curious fact was that Just as
to-day's Ireland will in the future
gradually absorb the present Ulster
Protestants, who while retaining their
faith will throw their lot in with a
united Ireland. so the Catholics in the
earlier days of planting gradually abb
sorbed the settlers in four of the six
counties. All this despite the fact
that some of the Irish republican
leaders to-day have given up all hope
of seeing to-day's fisherman part Of
a united island in our day.
1t was the Presbyterians Of An
trim and Down who in the 1898 rebel
lion were the leading spirits in the
attempt to establish an Irish Republic.
but gradually. receiving preferential
treatment from the British Govern
ment of that day. and the flames Of
religious warfare being famed by in
terested parties. wedge was driven
into the ranks of the United Irish
men, with the result that gradually
Ulster became violently pro-Empire
and anti-Home Rule The recent
riots in Belfast had their exact
parallels when the Gladstone Home
Rule bills of 1886 and 1893 were in
troduced, the introduction synchro-
nizing in each case with desperate
riots in Belfast, and having. as in the
present instance, the object of pre-
venting the break of any part Of
Ireland from the predominant partner
in any way Whatever.
The astonishing thing about Nhe
whole Ulster problem is that it is not,
in base, religious but an economic
problem though to-day for the first
time in Irish history it is becoming one.
The terrible Belfast preroms. which
began in July, 1920, up to the end
of May 1922. resulted in nearly 400
killed ard 1.4s3 wounded. There
have been claims for property de-
stroyed. aggregating s1o,00o,o00. Ten
thousand Catholic men and 1000
Catholic women have been driven
from work, while 10000 dependents
Of these people have been forced to
apply 10 the Irish White Cross for
relief.
Religious War a Peril
To Spirit of Tolerance
The Sim Fem reprisals have, for
the first time in Irish history, taken
the form of murders of Protestants at
Mullingar, Cork. and in the North on
the Down-Armagh border, and even
II the South the greatest adherence
felt by every Catholic at these cold
blooded murders. Southern Ireland
from earliest times has been the safe
refuge of Protestant Hugenots, and
only recently there appeared a six
foot notice in the Rathmines road,
Dublin, as follows:
"Irishmen: Remember that the men
t1ho hare led ireland in the past
Wolfe Tone, Lord Edicord Fitzgerald,
the Grdttdns, Charles Stuart Pdrnell-
all ,cere Professionals. Remember that
1t has al,cdys been the boast of the
Irish Catholic that the Protestant tUds
safe in the Catholic heart Don't dis
grace the good name of ireland by the
murder of Protestdnts"
Not only do Protestant and Catholic
live in Ulster in amity at ordinary
times, lending one another their horses
and their labor, but many prominent
Uletermen. Protestants and Orange
men, have testified to the sense of
religious toleration displayed by all
Catholics. Only comparatively re-
Gently DR.. II. p. Glenn. Moderator Of
the Presbyterian Church in Ireland,
stated at the opening of the General
Assembly in Belfast that "In all my
going North and South ! have never
been molested or threatened. nor have
1 found one of our churches, even in
the most isolated places. wantonlv
injured" Wherever he had gone in
the South and West. he added. he
had heard that people Of his church
stating that amidst all the fearful
political upheaval there was no trace
of a religious war manifesting itself.
This testimony can be multiplied in
definitely.
Something else that Is going to pro-
foundly modify the position~ of six
county Ulster with its population Of
1.25O.531 out OF the four and quarter
millions in Ireland is the. coming OF
Labor. Already in the recent general
election Of 1922 Labor in the South
has beM returned in force. while be-
fore the war the late Jim Connolly
and the other Jim--Jim Larkin--had
begun to unite both Catholic and
Protestant workingmen upon common
platforms. Nor is 1t generally known
that the avowed policy of the Inde-
pendent Order OF Orangemen was to
bring Catholic and Protestant together
in a common Ireland.
The rising Catholic-Protestant La
Dor Party in Ulster was destroyed in
the 1919 fight In which the Irish
Transport Workers went down to de-
feat. but II is sure TO come again.