THE ULSTER PROBLEM.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 55, 11 April 1914, Page 9

THE ULSTER PROBLEM.

COL. SEELY'S POSITION.

AN EXPLANATION. WHEN THE ARMY SHOULD BE USED. THE MEMORABLE DOCUMENT. By Cable. — Prr-ts Association. — Copyright. LONDON, April 10. Colonel Seely/latc Secretary of War,' addressing- Ms constituents at Long Eaton, said "the Conservatives'" papers -went mad and tried to make the country and Army think a great plot was being engineered to overwhelm Ulster and shoot down enough

people in order to make the others conform to the Government's will. The

Government had never conceived such

a wicked thing. There was a great Liberal principle that the Army must never be used except in support of the civil power, to enable the civil power to exercise its duty. When the Ulster crisis passed there would remain the question how far the Government was entitled to use force to repress political opposition. "If I had to stand alone, I would say under no circumstances, under no provocation, shall be ever depart from that sound rule of liberty that the Army is only used in the last resort, and then only to the .extent required to protect the lives of citizens. I told General G-ough this, and explained that the Army was bound to obey lawful orders, but as the Army got it into their heads that the Government was contemplating unlawful action, I told him in good set terms that this was not so. General Gough then said he would obey all lawful commands, and the interview ended."

Kegarding the * document, Colonel Seely said: —

'' It was quite impossible for my colleagues to write what I said. As the document was incomplete, I added the phrases without the remotest idea of dealing unfaithfully with my colleagues. The situation had become intolerable when the document was claimed as a trophy. All the wild stories about the King intervening are untrue. The King never knew about General Gough's document until the day after.''

MANY JEREMIAHS. DEATH, DAMNATION AND DISASTER. Mr John Burns, .speaking at South Shields, - said many Jeremiahs had predicted death, damnation and disaster to trade a decade ago if tariff reform were not adopted. They were now saying the. same thing of Ireland if Home R#e were granted. Notwithstanding the resistance to the Bill, it would, with concessions, be passed, but if its opponents were not careful it would be passed without concessions. The Army would not mutiny, it would be calm and dignified, but the Tories were playing at treason. The War Office was no* a chapel of ease to the Carlton Club. The Army must in the last resort be used for the maintenance of the supremacy of the State against all contending sections. Optional obedience was impossible.

ARMS FOR IRELAND. A POLICE SEIZURE. The police seized many thousands of cartridges aboard the steamer Anglis at Kingston, consigned to the South of Ireland.

TO SUCCEED GENERAL EWART

Lieut. -General Sir Henry Sclater succeeds Lieut.-General Sir John Ewart as Adjutant-General of the Forces.