Ulster and Home Rule

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 255, 26 March 1914, Page 5

Ulster and Home Rule

The Disaffected Army Officers Threatened Trouble in ministerial Ranks To-day's Debate Awaited By Cable —Press Association .-Copyright

■ AWAITING THE DOCUMENTS. SOME UNSETTLING. RUMORS. .THREATENED PARTY DISRUPTION. Received 25, 10.15 p.m. London, March 25. Questioned as to whether the documents to be submitted would include the War Office's verbal instructions to General Sir Arthur Paget, Lord Morley replied that it would be a dubious pre- • cedent to publish highly confidential in- ' fctructions. Mr. Asquith, -similarly questioned, replied that the documents obviously cannot deal with matters which are oral. The Press Association states that the tabling of the documents is awaked With the utmost interest and a good deal *f anxiety among the Government's sup- ■> porters. The Ministry is threatened ■With widespread revolt;in the rank and file if the rumors current regarding the ■nature of the document exculpating Brigadier-General Gough prove correct. 'The seriousness of the position cannot ■ be exaggerated. it is unofficially stated that Lib•grals, Lahorites and Nationalists aliko ; are unsparing in their condemnaton of '.the Ministerial attitude. • Liberal newspapers and lobbyists agroo _ that the situation is critical.

miur and the Liberal Government come badh out, of (hi- business.

'Lord Esher, in a letter to the newspapers, says it i« widely believed that a movement of Aldorshot troops to Ireland is contemplated, involving the calling up of the reserves. He is convinced that the first detachment sent to Ireland will re'sult in the resignation of fifty per cent, of the officers and men of the London Territorial force.

The Daily News says the country wants to know why Earl Roberts on Saturday was moving between Buckingham Palace and the War Office, and what the Archbiihop of Canterbury is doing in this affair. MR. T. P. O'CONNOR'S VIEWS. London, March 24. Mr. T. P. O'Connor, in a special to Reynolds' newspaper, prophesies that there wii! be no developments in Ireland until the Bill reaches the Lords, where some Car.-onitc proposals will be embodied. The Commons will reject them and send them back to the Lords, where they will be accepted, and the Home Rule struggle wil! begin. CANA.DTAV VOLUNTEERS. Ottawa, March 24. 'Die first contingent of Canadian volunteers for ulster will leave in May. Several Canadian and South African papers urge a referendum.

It is rumored that Colonel Seely, at "Monday's meeting of the Cabinet, offered to resign, but this was not accepted.

.REPORTED WIDESPREAD LIBERAL DISCONTENT. • THE MINISTRY'S ACTION DISAPPROVED. •'■>' • DEVELOPMENTS PENDING. .»'■' Received 25, 9.45 p.m. London, March 25. The debate in the House of Commons ■ on the Army Estimates revealed a widespread Liberal and Labor discontent with the Government's actions concerning Bfigadier-General Gough. Lobby correspondents suggest the pos-. •ibility of a grave situation arising out Of to-morrow's debate. Unionist newspapers give prominence to statements of the Government's attempt at a coup d'etat, by the third '■ battle squadron and the fourth destroyer division co-operating with General Pag»et's forces. i y. GENERAL COUGH'S POSITION. CLEARLY EXPLAINED. Received 2.i. 9.25 p.m. London, March 25. Soldiers loudly cheered Brigadier-Gen-•-er.il Gough and Major MacEwan on arriving at the camp. Speaking to the • officers and soldiers gathered at the gates of his home. General Gough said that the officers would all be reinstated and would not li • called on to force Ulster. If they went for other duty he had a guarantee that they would not be *sked to bear arms against the Ulstermen. There was great cheering. General Gough informed the Daily Telegraph: "I have a signed guarantee that under no circumstances will I be used to force Home Rule upon Ulster. "I am willing to undertake ordinary duty, such as the protection of life and property and the preservation of order, but if it came to civil war I would rather fight for Ulster than against." Another account states that when Generas Gough and Majors MacEwan and Parker readied the War Office stormy scenes occurred. Field-Marshal French criticised their action, saying it merited the severest punishment. The intervention- of Field-Marßhal Earl Roberts restored a better feeling, and E-ally the officers received a document of many paragraphs, written in legal phraseology, setting out the conditions under which they were to serve in Ulster. • Brigadier-General Gough replied: "We • ■arc plain soldiers, and we don't understand these legal terms. We want things put plainly."

PI? ESS COMMENTS. London, March 24. The. idea of a federal or devolution settlement finds increasing support in several newspapers. Eight Liberals, writing in the Westminster Gazette, say that the Government's Ulster offer, though statesmanlike and the best under the circumstances, suffers from the admitted defect of the want of finality. The writers warmly advocate the suggestion of the Westminster Gazette, that a statutory commission should be appointed to recast the Government on a federal basis, as the best means of securing a definite settlement of the whole constitutional question. This could be dealt with during Ulster's sixyear period of exemption. The Unionist papers declare that Lieutenant-General Paget is a scapegoat, and hint at the possibility of his resignation. They acclaim BrigadierGeneral Cough as the man of the hour. The band of officers have saved the country from disaster. The Liberal papers declare that the Tory attempt to split the army has failed. , They declare that the limit of patience has been reached. Mr. Cowan asked the Premier to consider the exclusion of Ulster, pending .1 general scheme of devolution. Mr. Asquith replied that he was anxious to give the fullest consideration to any proposal likely to afford •» common grounds of agreement. Generals Paget and Gough have returned to Ireland. The opinion generally expressed in the lobby after Mr. Asquith's speech is that it is now impossible for the Government to call on the Army to eoerca Ulster. Many Liberals and Nationalists are disappointed that the Government did not accept the resignations. Moderate Liberals are debating Mr. Catheart Wnson's suggestion that if sufficient members of Parliament of all parties would support the* self-exclusion of the counties until the federal system was established, probably the Ministerial and Unionist leaders would accept it. The Daily News sa\s the public want to know the conditions of I'rigadierGeneral Cough's return. Are the, conditions unqualified or optional obedience? If the Army is a Tory institution the Liberals will break it as they broke the House of Lords.

Their Majesties have gone to Cheshire to visit the industries there. Colonel Seely lias promised to publish all material document- relating 1 to Brigadier-General Cough's resignation and reinstatement. Mr. Aeqiiith added that Ihe documents would inelude the written instructions to Lieutenant-General Paget. The whole question could he discussed oh the second realing of the Consolidated Fund Bill to-morrow.

General Gough then read: "Do we understand that we are not to be asked to bear arms against Ulster or enforce the present Home Rule Bill? Can wc return and tell the officers so?" After further argument Field-Marshal > French wrote on General Gough's paper, "Yes, this is so," and signed it. Three copies of the document were made, and deposited with solicitors. The Union Defence League collected £54,029 in five days to assist the Ulster fund. The list commencedby Mr. Herbert Gibbs offering £IOOO as a protest ■tffainst Mr. Winston Chun-Mil's speeches. THE KING'S ACTION CRITICISED. MORE ABOUT THE ARMY OFFICERS Received 20, 12.45 a.m. London, March 25. The Daily Citizen accuses the King ,tf interfering, and adds that the Fr«-

MESSACE TO AUSTRALIA. FROM MR. REDMOND. London, March 24. We are requested to send the following as Mr. Redmond's statement to Australian sympathisers. The Ulster Orange plot has now been completely revealed. Sir Edward Carson and his army have not, and never had, the slightest intention of fighting. As a fighting force against regulars they could not hold out fov a week. The plan was to put up the appearance of a fight and then by society influences seduce army officers, and thus intimidate the Government and defeat the

people's will. The action of commanders in Borne crack cavalry regiments offi-ce-red by aristocrats lias now fully disclosed the plan of campaign and raised an issue wider even than Home Rule—whether a demoeratitc Government is to be brow-beaten and dictated to by the drawing-rooms in London and a section of officers who are aristocrats and violent Tory partisans. The cause of Irish freedom has in this fight become the cause of popular freedom, order and liberty throughout the world. It is impossible to doubt the. result of such a fight. The second reading of the Home Rule Bill will be taken on Monday, and the Bill proceeded with until it finds a place on the statute book. AUSTRALIAN ORAN'OEMKX. Sydney, March 25. A meeting of the Loyal Orange Institution decided to form a contingent of sympathisers with Ulster to proceed to Ireland if necessary to help defend Ulster. A large number of offers of service have been received. The executive has also started a fund to supplement •Sir Marcus Samuel's donation for assisting resigning officers and expressed the hppe that the King, as supreme head of Protestant Britain, will exercise his right of veto and make a general election imperative before the Bill receives his assent. IMPERIALS IN' NEW ZEALAND. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Reports that Imperial Army officers in New Zealand arc handing in their resignations is not taken seriously here, and there is no official confirmation of the statement. It is pointed out that if the officers were ordered Home they would have plenty of opportunity of taking any action they thought necessary before t.hi'v became involved in Ulster complications.