ULSTER RISING A FARCE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 621, 22 November 1913, Page 6

ULSTER RISING A FARCE.

CARSON'S POLITICAL AMBITION. A London correspondent is responsible for an interesting view of the position o r : disaffected Ulster, He writes: —■ A great deal is being written and said nowadays on Ulster and the preparations of Ulster for rebellion in case the Home Rule Bill becomes lav?. and from the cable dispatches printed in the London newspapers it seems as though other countries, especially America, are taking the situation in a much more serious light than the facts really warrant. Of course, it falls in with the policy of the Unionist press to magnify the news and distort the perspective in every possible way, but that is no reason why observers on the outside should permit themselves to be deceived. As a matter of fact there is no reason why the present situation in Ulster should be considered in any more serious a light than as a highly interesting comedy on a magnificent scale, with Sir Edward Carson as leading man. Sir Edward is at present being magnified by the Opposition papers as a great historic figure, a leader of a magnificent fight for liberty, etc., but it is very doubtful whether historians of the future will not show him as a brilliant man playing the mountebank for abmitious ends. In considering Ulster and present doings in that province it is important to remember a few main points. One of the most important of these is Sir Edward Carson's ambition. It is not far wrong to say that he is the most ambitious man in England to day. Andrew Bonar Law is the titular leader of the Unionists, but it is far from true to think that Mr Bonar Law settles the policy of the Unionists. MORE POWERFUL THAN BONAR LAW. Sir Edward Carson is much more powerful a man in the party councils than Mr Bonar Law. Moreover, if Sir Edward succeeded in forcing Premier Asquith to a conference, a compromise or even a general election on Home Rule, there is nothing he could not demand and receive from the Unionist party. This in itself is sufficient to account for the part he is now playing, when it is remembered how firmly he is held in the grip of ambition. Bat beyond that one must recall that a year at least before Home Rul« can become law Ulster will begin to feel the effect of this terrible thing, and therefore all the pangs and dire suffering which Ulster seems to be now undergoing are premature, to say the least, and cannot help having an appearance of theatricality under which it is difficult to repress a smile. Sir Edward the other day endea voured to draw a parallel between his Ulster movement and the American Revolution, but the colonies actually suffered the effects of tyranny for a long and weary period before the Revolution began, while Ulster is—and Sir Edward Carson must admit it — in the most peaceful and posperous period of its existence. Again, one must stop to consider the real size of the Ulster "army." There is talk on all sides of 20.000 or 50,000 or even 60,000 men, but last spring, before Parliament adjourned, there was much talk of a shipment of arms into Ulster. Unionist papers made Buch a howl on the subject that it seemed as though there was really something doing. But it turned out that the alleged shipment of rifles consisted of obsolete weapons, useless even for target practice and intended only to bluff the Government, and all the time the Government was kept fully informed by Scotland Yard. The shipments soon ceased. GOVERNMENT READY FOR ACTION. The Government is now fully in possession of all the facts concerning the real situation in Ulster. Scotland Yard has thoroughly investigated the situation and papers are drawn ready to prefer charges aginst Sir Edward Carson should real necessfiy for such a step arise. But before considering whether the necessity has arisen the Government must see a few real facts. For example, all of the 60®000 volunteers yet seen in the actual flesh aggregate 4000, while in order for a rebellion in Ulster to be successful the whole British army must mutiny and refuse to obey orders. Furthermore, no one knows better than Sir Eward Carson that in ea3e of an actual rebellion all personal ambition would be at an end, unless, of course, he can. succeed in establishing p. separate kingdom of Ulster, for no Government wouid dars to promote him after his actually taking arms against the Empire. The fact is no one has less de3ire than Sir Edward Carson to establish Ulster as a separate kingdom. Then there is the much blazoned Ulster indemnity fund of £1,000,000. The interesting point about this fund is that, all subscriptions, including Sir Edward Carson's £IO,OOO, are made "in rase it is needed," and "in case the full amount is subscribed." Not one dollar is subscribed outright. Subscribers are looking at lea-it a year into the future. A GIGANTIC BLUFF. in considering the question of an Ulster rebellion it is not necessary to discuss at all the rights or wrongs of Home Rule. That is a point which for the present may be neglected. But from a practical point of view the whole thing stands to-day as a gigantic bluff, organised for political purposes to defeat the Government in power and with an inordinately ambitious man at its head A year from now will be time enough to say whether there is any rebellious purpose. Meantime whatever danger there is lies in the possibility of Sir Edward Carson's followers getting out of hand. Ho himself is not at all dangerous. Be knows his interests too well. But a year hence he may be swept into the maelstrom in apite of himself. j