Widnes Examiner. — 1913-02-22 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

SEPARATE 30VERNNIENT." fact, these 992,000 people will have to have a 17r, rate Government of their own. (Laughter and %Ps). That will cost them a good deal of money, 4,;;: not emy will it be very expensive, hut it will raeeta.te them and mark them off for ever from the •their trial' fellow-subjects, and they will not (Cheer 3. The man of business will not like it• And the railway system, how is that to be worked ? The r .act is, Ireland is one groat separate institution country of its own. What I complain of these , taster gentlemen in Parliament is that they don't put alternatives plainly before their own people. 7°Y say, " Leave us alone,"—as if they could be left they can'tibe left alone. They must either becc422e England, Ireland, or Scotland, or' set kf tt Gnvernment of their own. (Hear, hear.) I an --el do the last-named they must pay for it. quite willing—and always have been—to deal graveiy end seriously with the Ulster question. I recognise that it is a serious question. There are hundreds of thousands of stalwart, sound sensible men in North-east Ulster who don't relish throwing in their lot with their fellow• Catholic countrymen. Tbay don't like it, and I kion't blame them for not liking it. But what I do ask them is th select the one alternative they like best and ilone altit, it before us for our consideration. Then, and then 2, business will be done. I honestly don't believe they wiii be able to make proposals that will be likely to satisfy or to be possible for them. Therefore, my own yiew is that after a time they will find that their dislike I.9vvever well founded, will vanish with experience. tlowever that, may be, I put the case to them most serious!' and I challenge them to tell us what it is they want and what Government they propose to set lip for themselves? They must adopt one of the alternatives I have mentioned, and if they have T 1 Administration of their own I repeat they will find ,Jt expensive. As for shooting them down, who intends to shoot them down ? They say, "Will soldiers of the ritleag march through the streets of Belfast. mowing 'ti)iowiz with their horrible artillery the honest rates4Ants of the city ? " The answer to that is No:; we have no intention of doing such a thing." wo fact, at tae present moment, the only persons who tare on my mind and conscience as being in any danger =•,_re not the -Protestants, but the Catholics of Belfast. they are the people who have alone up to the present -Buffered l hardships. (Hear, hear.) They have been driven iruornndred the shipyards, deprived of their livelihood, a have been compelled to leave their homes, _tioeaving wives and children behind them and are g :a over here to seek work. and People whose lives, and what is dearer to  them than their lives—their homes and means of earning a living, have been interfered with and are endangered. Of course, we must protect them at all costs and at all hazards, and whatever steps are taken to protect them I am sure will receive the support of the people of this country. (Cheers.) These good people in Belfast tell us that they will be compelled to come out and be shot and lie weltering in their gore. My answer is, " Unless you commit suicide, there is nobody to shoot you." I am very glad to think and believe that this great question is approaching solution. There is a great de.il to be done before it can become law.  WILL THE LORDS APPROVE? There is still the possibility of a settlement Of the question with the other House. They will have the opportunity of rec,nsidering their judgment, somewhat too hastily arrived at the other day, and we shall look on with interest, but our interest will be more for the Lords than for ourselves. We shall be curious to see what they are ving to do rather than alarmed at what they are doing. 1 hope they will approach the question with a spirit of statesmanlike consideration, and will ask themselves the question as to what will follow, and what will be the consequences of saying to the Iris people, after the House of Commons has twice recognised their demand, " You shan't have it." ',have  delayect you rather a long time on this subject—(" No, no ")--and there are other matters of interest, upon which I should like, wiih your permission, to say a word or two.