Sis,—With reference to the letter signed " Discipline" in your
issue of November 29th, the Articles of War say, " Who shall disobey the lawful command of his superior officer" (I feel sure I quote correctly). if " Discipline's " conclusions were correct, we should be liable to have the cobbler of Kopenick incident occur here any day; or the other case of the mad captain who ordered his company to ford the river, and as they could not, attacked them with his sword; they disarmed him and got penal servitude: such is not our law. If I said " Shoot Mr. Asquith " to a soldier, would he deem it a lawful order—either the soldier or Mr. Asquith ? I do consider (as both Mr. Boner Law and Sir E. Carson state the law to be) that the Parliament Act is, as lawyers say, ultra vices: a thing Parlia- ment has not the right or power to enact, and certainly not to use in order to pass Home Rule before the reform of the Lords. It might quite as well, if two-thirds in the Channel Islands said they wished to be French, give the objecting one-third over by force to France. If all the 2/..P.'s that ever existed and all their electors were to say to me," You shall.be sold, like Uncle Tom, to Mr. Redmond and his A.O.H., aselLif you don't obey like him be clapped into prison," I should say, "Never, God helping me, whilst I can load and fire a rifle." When we came out of Sir E. Carson's meeting hereon November 28th they were burning the little Union Jacks and hooting at us. What a burning shame for Englishmen to ally themselves with such rebel-scum. We were quite two thousand and could have scat- tered the flag burners, but we will (D.V.) fight when the time comes. I ask these rebels' English allies : Were the defenders of Londonderry and Inniskillen rebels ? Were the men who fought at the Boyne rebels ? It they were, then we and our hero. Sir E. Carson, are rebels; but all England reveres their memory. Will these English allies of these rebels come and live here under Home Rule ? I rather think not. We loyalists will fare under Home Rule as the poor Indians, our fellow- subjects, do in South Africa.; how much use Liberal guarantees are to them. Death before dishonour. God defend the right! I say so reverently and with all my soul, praying Him to do so. These wicked conspirators have for their own political aims and gain set this poor island once again in a blaze; all was peace and quiet before they began their wiekedness.—I
am, Sir, &c., F. E. WALLER, Major-General. Aughnaeloy, Killiney, Co. Dublin.
P.S.—I asked an old discharged soldier here, " Would you attack the Ulstermen ? " He replied, " How could I fire at the flag I swore to defend ? "
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