ULSTER AND PASSIVE RESISTANCE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2378, 5 July 1892, Page 3

ULSTER AND PASSIVE RESISTANCE.

The following article, by “An Ulster Protestant,” appeared in the Pall Mall Gazette, of 21st April, 1892 ; The Spectator and other Unionist journals are greatly impressed by what they call the policy of passive resistance which the Ulster “ Loyalists ” threaten to adopt towards a Dublin Parliament. Perhaps they would be less impressed by it if they were more acquainted with Ulster and Ulster “ Loyalists.” The threatened policy of passive resistance is, it seems, to be shown mainly in two ways —by a refusal to pay taxes and by a refusal to return members to a Dublin Parliament. As to the former of these, the “ no taxes ” plan of campaign is merely a modification of the “no rent ” policy; and in the nature of things it cannot be half so effective as the latter, for the simple reason that, while rent was {laid by nearly every one engaged in the and war, direct Government taxes are paid by very few, and these few the least earnest of those now banded together to resist Home Rule. The Ulster “Loyalists” consist of three classes. The first is composed of landlords and capitalists; the second of Protestant and Presbyterian tenafit farmers; and the third of Orange farm laborers and town artisans. Now, of these three classes the last is the only one which is really devoted and unselfish in its resistance to Home Rule. The first two are swayed in their political views almost entirely fiy consideration of private interests. The landlords think Home Rule might diminish their rents, afid the capitalists fear it might lessen their profits and so they both dislike it. The tenant farmers, on the other hand, are not at all sure that it might not be for their benefit, and therefore, though their hatred of the “ Parishes ” ;ind their fear p| the priests—which,'however j has been pqiisldorahly lessened by the' Parnellite revolt—prevent their joining to any extent in the movement, yet their opposition to it is lukewarm to a degree. It may be said with confidence that neither of these classes, with a few exceptions, will, wfien Home Rule gomes, dq mxythifig to overturn it that wqulfl cause them inconvenience or get them into trouble. At present it is with the utmost difficulty that they can be induced to subscribe a shilling to avert it. As has been pointed out several times- of late, they have allowed their political clubs to break down and their political organization to become demoralized rafter than' find the phoney necessary to, keep them in working firdek And now tfie subscription qf “ pearly £2OQQ ” to a guarantee fund in connection with the coming Convention seems to them to be quite a heroicexhibition of public spirit and a proof positive to all the world of their readiness to sacrifice their lives and fortunes in the cause of the Union. It is amusing to see the pother made over the collection of just a twentieth part qf wfiat the Home Rifiers subscribed 1 as a national present to Mr Rare ell. With, however, the other class, tfie Qrange farm laborers and town artisans, tfie ifiatber is different. They are honest |anatics, and like honest fanatics, Ificy are prepared to saorifi'”' ana tq go far much A support of their Views, -there no rt}lßoll to doubt that many qf them would be willing to reluse to pay taxes to a Dublin Parliahient and to suffer cheerfully the consequences. But what taxes would they he asked to pay ? At present, almost, if not altogether, the only direct Government tax now levied in Ireland is the income tax. How many artisans and laborers pay that ? If they do not pay it, they cannot refuse it. As to the indirect taxes—. Customs, stamps, &c.—the only Way in which they can refuse to pay them is by refusing to consume tea, tobacco, and whiskey, and to write letters. The latter would bo no great privation to the average Orangeman who is not of a literary turn of mind ; but an Orangeman \yho does not drink whiskey, or whoso wife does not drink tej or whose sons do

not smoke, is a being of which the human imagination cannot conceive. At any rate a refusal to pay taxes taking this form would be nothing short of a national blessing, and would ensure, rather than prevent, the success of Home Rule Government. The other mode in which Ulster Loyalists’ passive resistance is to show itself is by their refusing to return members for Ulster to the Dublin Pax-liament. How they ax-e to do this by passive resistance it is hard to xxnderstand. Of course they can refuse ’o vote, but the only effect of that would be to hand the representation over to the Nationalists. This could scarcely inconvenience greatly the Dublin Parliament. If they shoxxld intex-fere to prevent the Nationalists among them voting, the resistance then would cease to be passive and become rebellion. In that case the Irish Govermont would be entitled to restore order, and for this pxxrpose to call ixx the Imperial forces to their aid. That some of the Orange fanatics would be quite willing to force matters to this extremity is likely enough ; bxxt that the landlords, ixxanufacturers, and tenaxxt farmers of Ulster woxxld assist them unless these classes had experienced injuries or injustice at the hands of the Dublixx Parliament is xxot mex-ely xxnlikely but ixxconceivable. Like the propertied classes elsewhere, they will be on the side of order until order becomes at least as dangerous to their ixxterests as disorder is sure to be.

To sxxm up, then, purely passive resistance will be vain, since the only persons who could make it of any impox’tance are the last people in the world to begin a bitter atnxggle with the legal axxthorities “ for an idea.” As for that peculiar form of passive resistance which to be effective will need active retistance to assist it, whether it will come or not will depend in Home Ruled Ulster, as it does everywhere, on the behaviour of the Government. The only difference is this, that at first Ulster Protestants of ail classes will be suspicious of injustice, and therefore a Dublin Parliament, till this suspicion has been quieted, must, to prevent dangeroxxs discontent, be indulgent towards thexxx, or at any rate scrupxxloxxsly just. J. A. STRAHAN.