The "Ulster" Question. 529 



made by the majority in the " corner " and the by the Home Rule Bill will be a subordinate 

 threats used by them if the claim is not ad- Parliament, like all the other Home Rule Par- 

 mitted. The claim is not characterised by Haments of the Empire, and under it they will 

 modesty. It is that their refusal to submit to no more cease to be citizens of the United Kmg.. 

 Home Rule shall be allowed to have effect even dom than do the people of Canada, Australia, 

 though the rest of Ireland and a majority of or South Africa cease to be citizens of the 

 the British people be on the opposite side ; it is British Empire because those countries have 

 that they will not have Home Rule " under any Parliaments of their own. Sometimes, again, 

 circumstances," either for themselves or for the they grow pathetic and say to the British 

 rest of Ireland; and they back up this demand people : " Do not hand us, who have kept Ire- 

 by the threat of civil war and separation from land for you, over to the tender mercies of our 

 the Empire. It required considerable hardihood fellow-countrymen." In the first place, they 

 to take up such a position; but the genesis of have never held Ireland for Great Britain-on 

 the attitude is to be found in the history of the the contrary. Great Britain has ever held Ire- 

 past. The majority in the north-east corner land for them ; and most of the troubles of Irish 

 of Ulster, and their comparatively few sympa- government have grown out of the fact that a 

 thisers in the rest of the country, have been for pampered section has been preferred to the Irish 

 centuries the spoilt children of successive people as a whole. But what a dreadful fate 

 British Governments. They have been placed in it is for any class in Ireland "to be handed 

 a position of ascendancy and have been allowed, over," under the provisions of the Home Rule 

 almost without a break, the privileges of an Bill, to their fellow-countrymen ! Under those 

 ascendancy. They, perhaps naturally, cannot provisions they will take their place in the Con- 

 bear the thought of losing- that ascendancy and stitution on terms of perfect equality with the 

 being put in a position of mere equality with rest of their fellow-countrymen; they will be 

 the rest of their fellow-countrymen; and conse- amply represented in the Irish Parliament; if 

 quently, when they find that ascendancy seri- the majority of the Irish people are not mon- 

 ously threatened at last, they become almost sters, and do not set out on a career of robbery, 

 speechless with anger, and in their anger hurl persecution and murder of their old opponents, 

 out threats of defiance which otherwise they the persons, or a majority of them, who are 

 would not utter. But, of course, though one now in a small minority may well, and at once, 

 can understand their feelings and account for find themselves actually part of the Parliamen- 

 their existence, such a claim as they put forward tary majority, and so find themselves repre- 

 could not be admitted anywhere. To admit it sented from the very start on the Executive 

 within the bounds of the British Empire would Government of the country. I myself regard 

 be the very negation of constitutional govern- this as a very probable result, because the ques- 

 ment, tions which will chiefly engage the attention of 

 THE ORANGE PLEAS. the Irish Parliament for many years to come 



will be those concerning the material interests 



But the men of the " corner " are sometimes of the country, with regard to which the in- 



in a more appealing mood. They say : " We terests of any part of Ulster do not sub«<^an- 



want to remain as we are ; we want not to be tially differ from those of the rest of the country, 



cast out of our British citizenship." To be The divisions in the Irish Parliament, in fact, 



allowed to remain as they are is to be allowed will be analogous to those in the British Parlia- 



to remain in a position of ascendancy, and of a ment. The present divisions will disappear ; 



religious ascendancy. In the general govern- one party will be progressive ; another will be 



ment of the country, and in all local matters, representative of labour ; another will be con- 



except those dealt with by the Local Govern- servative, in the non-party sense of that term ; 



ment Act of 1898, they are practically, through and the only " handing over " that will be pos- 



their representatives in office and on the bench sible will be the handing over to the newly 



of justice, lords and masters. To say that they formed majority composed of men who are now 



will be cast out of their British citizenship is in opposite camps, of a minority also constituted 



simply ridiculous. The Parliament to be set up of elements now warring with one another. Any 



