THE IRISH OUTBURST.

Southland Times, Issue 18858, 25 June 1920, Page 4

THE IRISH OUTBURST.

It is difficult as yet to'form any opinion of the possibilities of the rioting in Londonderry. At present they are serious enough in all conscience, and it would appear as if the disorders are spreading, but whether the trouble will extend to other parts of the country is not yet certain. The outburst is sufficient evidence of the presence of amis in the hands of both factions, and it shows that the patience of some Ulsterites at any rata is not as long as that of the authorities. The chief danger of this rioting is that the incipient fire will increase to a conflagration and plunge Ireland info open civil war. The British forces in the country arc fairly large and reinforcements have been sent across the Irish Sea during the past few weeks. This faction fight is a complete answer to those who have been advising the government to send no more troops and munitions to Ireland and to let the trades unions try their hand at effecting a settlement. Both sides will probably deny having been the cause of the fighting and each will insist that the other provoked it into action, but it seems fairly clear that at the outset the government was in no way prepared for such an occurrence. The cable messages have shown us that in the early stages of the fighting the troops were not strong enough to cope with the trouble and were used merely for the purpose of keeping reinforcements for the rioters from entering the disturbed area and for confining the trouble into as narrow a space as possible. The arrival of more troops has probably enabled the authorities to take a hand. The latest messages do not say that order has been restored, and it is extremely probable that some little time will be necessary yet before the contestants can be torn apart and reduced to quiet. Whatever is done should be done as quickly as possible, however, because every day this faction fight goes on increases the danger of further trouble. The result of this outburst will be further bitterness in Ulster, a fact that will make the government’s task the harder but that will not be displeasing to the more fiery elements of the two sections of the divided country. The rioting seems to have been more serious than anything that has happened in troubled Ireland since the rebellion in Dublin. It is too much to hope that this is the last spasm before the end of the unrest, but the darkest hour is always before the dawn and while the government is prepared to give its dual parliament scheme a trial, there is always hope for a settlement. In the meantime the Londonderry riots show that Ulster’s objections to the Sinn Fciners have not been exaggerated and that some time must elapse before any attempt at Home Rule is made.