LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE ULSTER QUESTION.
[To ray Erns or ran "Bracraros."1
Sra,—It must be a complete misapprehension of the character of the people here which leads the Government to follow their present course of action. Troops are being hurried into Ulster. From the house in which I am writing a large war- ship, which has just arrived, can be seen. Rumour follows rumour with startling rapidity. If the intention is to frighten Ulster, the effort has already failed. There is no sign of fear or panic. It is delightful to observe the splendid manhood of our people. The Volunteers are ready to obey whatever com- mand is given them. A. keen member of our local contingent, a young gardener, as straight a man and as diligent a worker as anyone could wish to know, was asked yesterday by an anxious friend, "But, Sam, you may be killed?" "Killed!' was the answer, "I'm not particular." That was all. But it was very characteristic. Laconic in speech, but very deter- mined, and unfailing in action—that is the character of Ulstermen. There are over half a million Covenanters in Ulster. When the Government have killed a hundred thousand of them, the other four hundred thousand will still refuse to submit. I am not an Ulsterman by birth, but I have lived and worked in the province for a quarter of a century, and I know the people of Ulster, both in town and country, and love them for their splendid qualities : their stubborn manhood, their love of liberty, their refusal to bow before any authority which does not commend itself to their reasonable convictions. There are a few Protestant Home Rulers in Ulster. A curious light is thrown upon the fact by a reply given by one of them recently to a friend of mine. " How is it," said my friend, "that you, a man with something to lose, are a Home Ruler?" "You Unionists are too strong about here," was the answer ; "there must be somebody to take the other side." It was a perfect expression of the attitude of the few, and is but another demonstration of the quality of the people that the Government think they can frighten or dragoon into sub-
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