1 APRIL 1938, Page 20

THE CASE FOR NORTHERN IRELAND

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—I am neither an Orangeman nor an active politician, but as I have lived all my life in Ireland I understand the

position here as the average Englishman cannot.

The only thing that we in the Six Counties fear is that the English are being misled as to the true state of things here, and that a Government in England will some day make an attempt to compel us to unite with the Government of Eire, which we know to be thoroughly disloyal and actively hostile to the British Empire of which we form a part.

The people of the Six Counties are constantly described as a violent race whose intolerance makes it impossible for ordinary people to live among them. English papers, including The Spectator, furnish evidence that this monstrous calumny is being believed. There is not a single statute in the Six Counties that injuriously affects Roman Catholics. The law is administered by our Courts justly, and no one will allege that any favour is given to Protestants over Roman Catholics. Complaints are made that judicial and other appointments are given to Protestants raeier than to Roman Catholics. There is no opposition to Roman Catholics as such, but almost all Roman Catholics are unfortunately disloyal. Can it be expected that a loyal Government will give appointments to disloyalists ? The first Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland was a Roman Catholic. He was a loyalist, and a man of great eminence in his profession. His religion was no bar to his advancement.

Northern Ireland is financially sound. The same thing cannot be said of Eire. Large numbers of Roman Catholics are coming into Northern Ireland from Eire for this reason. They would not do so if they believed that they would be less comfortably circumstanced than in Eire. I do not hear of any number of Protestants taking up residence in Eire. Protestants are leaving Eire as soon as they get an oppor- tunity. One of the laws that makes their residence in Eire undesirable is that their children at elementary schools are compelled to waste their time in learning Irish, an almost obsolete language and utterly useless to them in life.

May I give you an example from The Spectator of how the propaganda I complain of is spread in England ? In his article in your issue of March 18th Mr. Derek Verschoyle, referring to the discussions on Anglo-Irish affairs, says :

" When the arrangements for the conversations were first announced, enthusiasm and political innocence combined in Dublin to breed hopes of a final and comprehensive settlement between Great Britain and Eire, but Lord Craigavon's Goverment . . . immediately staged en Election to make such a Settlement impossible."

In your issues of some weeks ago articles and letters appeared which would lead anyone reading them to believe that the feeling in the Six Counties against union with Eire was rapidly weakening. I do not know what reason Lord Craigavon had for bringing on an election a short time before it was necessary, but surely if he had the power of proving by an election that there is in the Six Counties no weakening against union with Eire, he was justified in using it. The election did prove that emphatically.

Eire's financial position is, as all know, unsatisfactory. The Financial position of the Six Counties is thoroughly sound. It is not difficult to see why the Government in Eire are so enthusiastic for a union. I may add that any attempt to force the people of Northern Ireland into Eire will lead to violent resistance.—Yours, &c., S. C. R.

Londonderry.