ULSTER'S ORGANISED FIGHTING FORCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11657, 12 June 1912, Page 2

ULSTER'S ORGANISED FIGHTING FORCE.

THE ARMY OF THE LORD. (By Harold Begbie, in the Lou-don Chronicle.) It is possible that- during the nest two years there may be a little lighting iu Lister. "With such a gorgeous Garibidui as Lord Londonderry. and_ so palpitant a Pon-iacowski as Sir Edwa-rd Larson, it is not to be expected that thy rank and file of Orangeisiu will nurely march, counter-march, and burst' the bladders of their bagpipes. A few iitads will certainly be punched; there, may even be a picturesque letting of human blood. . Therefore it is interesting to consider the quality of the troops who will bo mustered for the treasonable purpose of kicking King George's Crown into t-iie Boyne, defying -a statutory Act of Parliament, and slaughtering his Majesty's Horse:, Foot, and Artillery. Lord Londonderry we. know: Sir Edward Carson is now as familiar to- us as Napoleon, Imre Kiralfy, or Saudow ; bat what-of - the men who will do. the actual skull-cracking, the actual dying in the last ditch, the actual ignominy o- okedaddiing from the first held of battle? Let. ma say. at. ones that among this Army of the Lord-will be found so mevery" good, sound, virtuous citizens. Misguided and -hot-headed shipwrights, who do actually believe that- Catholics .-will rob them of their jobs and drive their wives 'and children out of Ireland, may shoulder Italian rifles of a rather antique- pattern —if they can be got into thc couiitry —and march to the fray. J have encountered iu Belfast workingmen el this character. Church workers, teeioiailers, -aud good fathers. More or less reasonable on other subjects, their eyes blaze, their.lip-- harden, their .skiu becomes transfigured with a white heat of intractable intolerance, at the first mention of Home Rule. These men, I can well believe, will for a little while fight stubbornly and passiorutteb, if it comes to-fighting. But they will be very few and very far between. The hulk of the Orang,Army will be composed of a- nruc'!"inferior mortality. A: d it is to these that I would draw che attention or these English readers wiio may h-' dr-aming dreams of n resurrection in Ulster of Cromwelliau Ironsides. - The Army of the T.<-rl will not be recruited chiefly fre;r; !P-if.T--t.. but from outlying towns as Porttnlowu, New-townar-ds. and Lurga:i—towns of wh:ch Mr William Moore ddighi? to boari. Now there is a prettv difference between the City n't Uc-If:f>-t iir.d th-'r-e : other towns. Deltas, is the centr.- of a- j great and iirliisiry ■■ ve-h-i-h employs many thousands of men: th.w? ; are factories whore women iorm the j main body of workers, but there are j also the shipyards and the dee-k = which ■ give labor to men. So that in- Re'.fn l ?'.'. \ you may find the fat'lnr and snas \ family going to work in one. mother and dan enters in another: ee:b j sexes, and fairlv eeptalh-. are t-ngngo.l j in earning daily bread. __ But in these 1 other towns the enly factories w.--jth ■ speaking about are- linen fa-etenie-. . where- women alone, are fnyployed, __ -1 j we except the limited stait of men wiwr ; look after the engine-;. So thaiwe find j a: work in these very ugly and "rimy i towns one of thr- stnnrzost rcvr.lnf cms,' j by modern civjl.'sntion— v.>> ! find that the women go out to earn the j fsunify livelihood, that- ir:ou-to]h j either bide at- h"nv'-in ielicness. '2" : spend the money allowed tliem "by iheir • wives and daughters in the plentiful j publ-ir-r.onses. i. v;hat marpjage may mean. J A friend of mine irw oner staying in i the- rectory of one of these towns. On \ ss lie sat- with the- ! elergvman in the study.- a young■ woman- j passe i ■{>■« re the window on -her. Wav : to thr, front door. "Ah!" exclaimed: tli- with a happy smile, "hero j comes Ellen Macdciwld. one of the best J girls in the parish', a. really noble crea- >

cure. Her mother has been an invalid for year*, ond Eiien has supported her siiigla-lirinde-J, not only working in the factory, but keeping the home benut-i- ---■ fv.Uy cirtin nnd brigiit." The girl was shown into the study. The rector greeted her warmly, affectionately, arid a;-ked what he could do for her.' She .announced that she was about to get married. The rector's face foil. "Is that wise?" he asked. "Yon knew what- marriage usually means here-:' "Who is the man?" She nam. d the g-. nth-man. "What!" cried the horrfiid '-ector: : 'rrood heavens, my dear girl, ye;; know as well as I do that lie is one of the worst- loafers in theplace. He 5 !! never do a day's work. YouTl have to- support him for the rest of your life. " Oh, I beg you,-think before- 'you ' :ikc such a fatal step." The- ifiri looked at him with proud, in-die.-ii:int ey-s. ""When Kitty O'Enrrell/' said she. "eajne to yon for the same nurnose. yen ,s::id nothing of the like to her." ' Th'.-n tossing her head, she ■■flrlr.r} "I'ri :i.s cole to supnort a man as Kit ft- O-'Earvc'l." And' with that she walked, straight out of the room, ami went j;u"t the window like a. grcna--h'e:-. her "hoe.rl in the skies, and her 'ireast thriist rigid to the future. hi the town of Lursran there are thousands of Kiirh men who do not hesi;ate to loaf while their wives or daughters nt-'. ;it work, men so hardened tn their shame .";'.d so notorious for their eruta.lity, :I":.".t they -ire known as the T>urgan 1.-rmbs. They have greyhounds. to.wb'"?n fhsy -vhow c!?nsiderably more ■attention t'::!o ever their wives and ::w.ir h'tne'r. ::".(] fhi ir fnvoritf sport is raciner ih-ir ;: :neds for nionev. "But | "o't-h: r d : vcr.-ion of their idleness is fi:_'h!.:i:g—fighting in masses —nuel they will er-.i .-iiivv.- l i.-'.v and. fight anybody for ha'f-a-erown a head. They will go ;>i:!i-5v ini'le-s to break up a politiVal. mrcting- and thev T.-lurn. from such. >-roh--'w.-.rk wit:!'the pride and srlfiriinortancs or noble- soldiers who have :"o;].'ibi. feir fin -ir country. They are :- v "t in\'ii:c : .b!-? when confronterl by a ooi-'oevimj-i's baton, bnt they can make* -e-ort w-~rk of r-lderlv and peaceful citi-K!-i!.~ gathered together for the purpose of hea-jhig a speych. "RIFF-RAFF OF "ULSTER, j S::-"h men as these-will form !he o'ecrI "'.ehniiur m;:j-wity of 'Ulster's Army of joe L.-00. B-u veil! the- conscience of ! Fe-ih'::/! ]<:■;■:: oily-mrire respeet for this I '.oir, nianl.ooi! of Southern Ireland has ! V ".T,et "Sir" T-.Tward Carson te-11 the I ce.nnn— how reemy m"n in the fighting towns of Porfndown, Lurgnn, and New-•-i-.vnaro-s have dene a. we k's work in tin pa-t five years-. Let him show us :■ '■eium of :h~ wng-e--5 in. these touT-.s, and a table of the employed in iip fr;:::-.rie-. And w!e~n this is done, ! '-t ti;e "Prosli_vtci-i.--.il mi':is-iCT.« of Flsr.--r -d-csaro to the Protr-st.orits of England Ui.-ir i-at'sfi'ctiou with l!-e virtue, r--'.:r:>e. and patriotisiii of these sliabbv --.:,:,-.•:.--ttvir ehnu.nior.s in the fieUl. Af:r.y of the L-ord. Tli • nervous end apprehensive Prol.esiani in F'in-'nnd need, have no fear <: r h-;-ri<i war 'in Ir--lr,nd. 'fl is almost <--<-rt:>?"i that will be street nets in the slums of ]?•'■!r.-v ■.. violence at reli- :■;.-.; ei;:-r| : v;s throughout the North of ':•■•' fend. n?:d rerhans. for a few weeks, a"-little fe--ble effort at actual .and nnh-t-nr. trenson r.u t);e rr.ri of organised nrc«c-?-sm.- Rtv:-- ?b«t. nrcnt and .\,. W y of the Lord, with which Sir Edward Carson and Mr Rudvarel K-hi- !•);•- -'T-rcrit'-n the !io;;cl> of th" world, •wi:! e'row if- - " '-- to sheath it. - o i'le {ii-st possible excuse.