17 NOVEMBER 1917, Page 23

ITo sae Kelm or Tea " Sermon.")

Suc,—In your first article under date November 10th you say :-- " It is possible that some obscure and excitable Orangeman may have said that he would rather live under the rule of thy Kaiser than under the rule of a Dublin Parliament, but as for as we know there is no trustworthy evidence of any such talk. 11 lie was manufactured by the Irish Home Rulers, because they thought it a good way to damage Ulster."

The Morning Post of December 19th, 1910, quotes the Right nom Thomas Andrews, P.O., as saying: " I would rather be governed by Germany than by Patrick Ford, John Redmond, and com- pany." The same paper, January 9th, 1911, quotes Captain Craig, M.P., as saying: "Germany and the German Empire would be preferred to the rule of John Redmond, Patrick Ford. and the Molly Maguire.." The Ulstermen quoted may be con- sidered obscure and excitable Orangemen, but surely the Morning Post is too trustworthy to publish "lies of Horne Rulers eaten- toted to damage Ulster." On August 24th, 1914, the Northern Whig, which you recommend to your readers, said that when the Home Rule Bill became an Act " threesfourths of the people of Ulster must become either traitors to the Covenant which they have solemnly signed or rebels to the Crown."—I am, Sir, &e., U. [Our correspondents' evidence as to the alleged intrigue with Germany confirms us in our opinion. They quote as evidence familiar rhetorical passages in which Unionist speakers expressed the intensity of their distrust of Nationalist rule by =yin:: that they would rather be under the Kaiser! The state- ment made by Irish Nationalists and Sinn Feiner. which we described as a lie was that the Ulster Unionists " were guilty of intriguing with the Kaiser." Our correspondents produce no evidence whatever of such a thing, except the remark of "see of the beet known and most respected Unionist ladies in Belfast" —who is unnamed. We do not doubt that our correspondent believes what he invites us to believe. There were plenty of people who knew "for a fact" and "on the beet authority " that Orton wee Sir Roger Tichborne, that Mr. Druee's coffin con- tained a lump of lend, and that Russian troops in thousands passed through Great Britain in August, 1914, on their way to

Spectator.]