GOVERNMENT AND THE ARMY.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14977, 26 May 1914, Page 7

GOVERNMENT AND THE ARMY.

GREAT REVIEW IN ULSTER. THE NATIONALIST VOLUNTEER FORCE. (From Our Correspondent in Ireland). I>UBLIN, April 14. During tho last week Colonel Seely has been stamping the country, declaring that tho Government never intended to mako war on Ulster, and that tho idea of their doing so was an entire delusion

on the p art o t *{~, o ffi cerS( f erm ented by e*-il-minded writers ia the Tory ress. Of course there aro some peoplo wfi o aro such blind supporters of tho present Government that they will accept as true anything they say, without thinking of the evidence: and there are others who never read anything but Radical papers, and consequently have never heard'the othor side; but outsido tbeso circles it will bo hard to find People who can bo led to believe that a *l the officers, from General Paget downwards, made and acted on such an extraordinary mistake; or that 30.000 troops, with 174 guns and a largo fleet. including 10 destroyers, were suddenly required to protect a few Government £ tores from a possible attack by a local mob.

The cry of "Democratise the Army" has fallen fiat. For when the matter is looked into, it i=; hard to s-oe what steps could be taken that would pleaso tho Radical party. No doubt there aro amongst the officers a few really wealthy men, tnd a fair sprinkling who could be called rich. But tho vast majority only possess privnt© means varying from £400 a year to nothing. In existing circumstances, as the life of a. British officer becomes more strenuous and the cost of living increases, it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain officers for the very small pay which the Government gives; if the army is to be "democratised" by eliminating those officers who possess any private means, the rato of pay must bo raised, and the cost of tho Army enormously increased—which is tho very thing the Radical party would most dislike. Then as to tho proposal to make promotion froan the ranks more frequent, it is dbvious that in an Army recruited as tho British Annv is. tbo

proportion of privates suitable for commissions must bo vnrv limited. No

doubt if military servico were- mado compulsory on all young men, tho numbers would bo largely increased; but

that again is what the Radical party s-et their faces against. Hence the cry of "Democratise the Army" is not likely to beconio popular.

In one pense, the employment of the Navy in the raid on Ulster was even of greater importance than that of the Army. For there is a section of the

Radical party which, though ttrongly opposed to any increase of the Army,

'ot favour a powerful Navy, on tho

ground that it can only be used against foreign foe*, and is necessary to secure the food supply of tho country in timo of war. This may perhaps account for Mr Asquith's eagerness to explain that tho only orders given to the Navy were for tho despatch of two cruisers to convey some troops to Carried Fergus. But when it was found out that a whole fleet had

been summoned from the coast of Spain, with machine guns and .ammunition, which were to he landed nnd used

"in cjiec of emergency," it was realised that tho Government intended to employ thorn in tln» civil war they were bringing on ; and it was at once argUed that if the present Government aro ablo to send tho Navy to mow down tho TJlstermen, might not sotno futuro GoTernmonfe do tho samp in tho case of a body of strikers? Ido not"say whether tho argument is good or not; but it has certainly had weight amongst some of tho Socialists, Radicals, and Labour party who now support tho Government. . . ' It is evident, also, that tho British public, have at last began to realise that Ulster is in earnest, a-nd can only be compelled to submit to a Nationalist Government by military force, martial law, and an amount of bloodshed which

is tefriblo to think of, arid which those who a few years ago were plaintively crying, "Shall I kill my brother Boer?' , ought to be the last people in the world to advocate. Tho Easter Reviews of the Ulster Volunteers have beon witnessed by a large number of visitors

from England and Scotland, who have seen for themselves that the North Bel-

fast Regiment now consists of over 8000 men. and the South Belfast of about the same number, and that throughout the Province there aro many other corps, varying in numbers, but ail composed of trained soldiers, instructed in tho use of tho rifle, and many of them young; farmers, expert riders, acenstomed to shooting from their boyhood. All, officers and men alike, have shown that they are .prepared to face hardships in a way that proves proves they are no mere carpet knighte. Then tho Visitors have realised what I havo referred to in my former letters;—the extraordinary unanimity which pervades the whole community. Peers and ploughmen, merchants and mechanics, etand side by side in the ranks; the Bishop of Down and the Moderator of tho Aseembly unite in blessing the colours; women of all classes have been trained as nurses, and are ready to serve in the military hospitals. It is impossible not

to bo reminded of tho feolings' which actuated the Confederates at the outbreak of tho American Civil Warj tho Federals thon, it is true, felt that it was necessary to face even that terrible struggle in order to maintain, the Union; but tho visitors to Ulster tor day have begun to ask themselves •whether it is worth while to bring about civil war in order to break it up?

Another movement is now going on of which it is impossible to foresee the result—the formation of tho Nationalist Volunteer Force. What tho numbers of this are, and how far it is more than an undisciplined rabble, it is impossible to say: the universal habit of exaggeration about everything in Ireland makes one slow to believe anything that ono cannot see for oneself. But those who until recently were (and stili to a Certain extent are) scoffing at "Carson and his wooden guns," now represent that the Nationalist" Army is an invincible force, ready to conquer Ireland, if not the world. At auy rate, they aro truly Irish enough to'possess a poet of their own; their patriotic hymn has been published by the eminent Nationalist organ, "Irish freedom":— , Gaelic men and Gaelic nation, Xow the call to arms! Damn th« Enjiish proclaniaikm, Datnn the craven English nation. Damn their cowardly consternation. King the wild alarm* I

Ring the freedom-bell rescuudins. Summon all at large! Damn tho English truth-confounding. Damn tho Sasou lie-compounding, Pay them now with bayoaat pounding! Sound the Gaelic charg?.

Up the gallant Clsn-na-ga^l! Think on treachery'e years! On, revengeful Clan-na-gael, Make the shaking English <juail! Damn them down to cowardly waii! Charge, tho volunteer* I

These are the words that will be sounding in tho oars af tho Briti&h troops when they arc ordered out to shoot down the Ulstermen. Were ever soldiers plnctxl in such a position before? Radical journals sneer at the Ulster Volunteer Army for singing. "O, God, our help in ages past," and "God Save the King; ,, and Mr Birrell bitterly complains of them for not being ready to co-operate with their fellow-countrymen in the South. Is this the eort of hymn they wish them to sing o The Nationalist Army can afford to talk vcrv bravely, for they look to the British troops to do the fighting for them now • and expect tnat when Ulster has 'been crushed, the crippled Parliament established bx the Act. fito quote the trords of Mr Oinnell, M.P.)

can be used for truly National _ purposes—that is, as another prominent Nationalist has explained, "to break the last link thai- lies between Ireland and Englaud." , And vet. in the face of evidence; sueii as this* the Right Honourable Sir J. Compton Rickett. the Liberal member for the Osgoldcrose Division of rk * shire, writes m the April number or tho "Contemporary Review":— "To consent to a political separation not to be distinguished from independence would bo unthinkable. Such a claim is neither made nor desired."

Meanwhile, as far as crime is concerned, Ulster is perfectly quiet, and the people are pursuing tneir_ oidinary avocations. In other parts of Ireland, where the Nationalists rule, they aro also- pursuing thoir ordinary avocations. Thus on Thursday night, iho 9th. of April, shots were* lired into a farmhoii.se near Portarlington, in King's County, and it was only tho fact, that the windows were closely shuttered that saved the lives of t:ie family. Tho district has been constantly patrolled by police for come time past: yet two niihts afterwards, all the cattle, amounting to about 250. were driven away from four farms in the neighbourhood. And on the following Monday night, on the high road within two. miles of the town of Ennis, in Clare, two men and a boy were wounded with revolvers and shotguns. Tt is needless to add that in no case have any arrests been made.