ULSTER AND THE LIBERALS.
[TO THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR."] Sin,—You ask what Liberals are going to do on account of the Orange demonstrations in Ulster. Happily the Prime Minister has given a satisfactory answer. Ireland is not to be betrayed, even though three well-known Liberal journalists have done their worst. In politics at present journalism has but little influence, as instance the situation in Edinburgh, or for that matter in London. We trust in God but shall keep, our powder dry. We do not believe that a single drop of blood will be shed in North-East Ulster. We recall very similar bluff when the Irish Church Bill was under discus- sion. We would not destroy a single foolish Orange_ fanatic, because we believe that he will make a good citizen sooner or later of the newly constituted Irish State. But you, Sir, are living in a fool's paradise in believing that England would be stirred deeply and anti- Liberally by the order to fire. Mr. Boner Law even says that ministers will be lynched. Believe me, and I know, there is no interest whatever in Ireland just now in the English towns and counties. Even Conservative candidates have, sadly and regretfully, assured me of this. When and if the Government is defeated it will be over the Insurance Act, and because here they are not sufficiently Socialistic. If they had spent more of our money—yours and mine—you would have blamed them,' but the great mass of the electors, the kind of elector who turns the scale in the contest, would have applauded.
As for the real feeling of Ulster, we suffer in England fronr the presence of journalists who knew Ulster long years back, and, having come to live in London for a decade or more fancy that things have not moved since their childhood. We have among Liberal journalists, for example, that clever Mr., James Douglas, whose mischievous counsels have distracted the Daily News and Leader and the Star of late. Now I was; talking the other day to a well-known artist from Ireland. He. does not care to give his name. He tells me that he has revisited his home in Ulster every year for many years past. He is just back from a six weeks' holiday. He assures me that the fighting proposals are all nonsensical and ludicrous. The drillers and the drilled are but children, and they assume a fight with the Imperial Government that is to take place, "after office hours." They dream not, being business men- first and patriots afterwards, of the slightest disturbance of their trades. My friend assures me of a great change of opinion, over two hundred Presbyterian ministers being now strong. Home Rulers. I venture to forecast—and I pride myself, upon my political prescience—that in six years from now the Ulster faction, now so rebellious, will be dominating , the Dublin Parliament on College Green. One last question. If Yorkshire urgently demanded Tariff Reform against the rest of England, and acted exactly as the Orangemen have done, would you give way to them P—I am, Sir, &c., Knockmoroon, Great Missenden, Bucks.
CLEMENT SHORTER.
[Mr. Clement Shorter's assertions of what he "knows," or rather thinks he knows, are not convincing. Indeed, if we may say so without offence, they are, though doubtless thoroughly well meant, without value of any kind. He wants to believe certain things, and Fie he believes them. Of course we should not allow Yorkshire to set up a separate fiscal system. If, however, an attempt were made to force an unwilling Yorkshire out of our system, we should do all in our power to support her against such an act of oppression. —ED. Spectator.]
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