THE IRISH QUESTION.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 190, 11 August 1921, Page 2

THE IRISH QUESTION.

REPLY TO MR. TRIMBLE. Mr. Hall Skelton, addressing a- large meeting at Otaliuliii latst night, replied to statements made by Mr. ("opclitnd Trimble, editor of an I'lster paper, in an interview witli a ".Star" reporter. Mr. Hall-Skeltou described the statements made as "the typical gospel of intolerance preached in Cars, on la under the subterfuge of make-believe loyalty." How these people trade nn the word "loyalty." said Mr. Skcltou. Their actions in history were not consistent witli their words. He quoted his authorities supporting his case against Ulster in forcible language and argument. The Ulsterman of the Carsonian type was the most intolerant man in the Empire. His battle-cry was an admixture of pseudo loyalty and sectarian bitterness, and he had become a true paranoic, almost making himself believe he was the only loyalist in the Empire. His bone of contention was that if lister did not have a separate Parliament no Protestant could live there. The lie direct to this argument was that three counties iit Ulster with a fair minority of Protestants were now cut out of Ulster and handed over to Sinn Fein. The real question which lay at the root of the Ulster question, he said, was the whisky distillery, in which the deter leaders were directly interested. Sinn Fein had sworn to oust these distilleries out of Ireland. It was significant that Sir .Tames Craig, whose interest in the Dunville whisky distillery was well known, was the chosen Premier of this pantomime Ulster Parliament. i.Mr. Skelton charged the ultra I'lster leaders with deliberate attempts to prevent a settlement of the Irish trouble. They knew it would be death to their political subterfuge.