The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 1893. UNIONIST BOUNCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2917, 8 March 1893, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 1893. UNIONIST BOUNCE.

In a short time the Imperial Parliament will enter upon the discussion of the second reading of the Home Rule Bill. That the discussion will be interesting goes without saying, as there will take part in it many of the most brilliant orators who speak our language, and the master minds in statesmanship of the Empire. The passage or rejection of the measure will be one of the political struggles ef the century, so that the discussion may be looked for to extend over a considerable period of time, and that it will be ardent and earnest the intensity of feeling displayed by both its friends and its foes is sufficient indication. In the interim, the Ulster opponents of the measure are loudly demonstrative, and speak of taking the extreme measure of appealing to arms should j the Bill pass into law. Such talk as , this is much to be regretted, and one would have thought that it would have! received the most severe condemnation from the Unionist leaders as likely to acfr as a damaging agent to the cause of union itself. Such arguments as the Ulster men have to put forward in support of their opposition to Home Rule are deserving of the highest respect, and ought to be seriously considered—as no doubt they will be—in the discussion of the Bill; but vaporing about taking up arms to resist either the passage of the measure or its operation after it has become law, is only calculated to injure the cause they profess to have so much at heart. When men pursue an object with the steady persistency and passionate enthusiasm with which tlje National party on the one hand have sought Home Rule : *nd the Ulster unionists on the other have shown in its opposition ; the pjaim pf the one and the protest of the othep demand serious and sympathetic consideration, as both have a far more serious foundation than local prejudice, But foolish threats of taking up arms and the raising of civil war are only calculated to help the supporters of Home Rule and place at their hand an argument against its Ulster opponents they will not be slow to use. That the Imperial Parliament should be supreme is one of the first principles qf %> Unionists, and upon tljis they rfft never weary of insisting. Who more pronounced than the Proteatantg of Ulster and the other Irish opponents of Home Rule in urging the necessity far the observance of law and order, or more oufcspo^en in their denunciation of lftwiewuwB 1/ Yet it i? froj|

these sources we hear of threats to plunge the " most distressful country" mto civil war, with all its attendant, lawlessness, and to resist by force of arms the act of that Imperial Parliament for whose supiemacy they have been so consistent in their contention — consistent until these threats were uttered. These threats will do immeasurable harm to their cause by the alienation of sympathy, and otherwise in 'more ways than one. These threats of lawlessness are antagonistic to the principles that guided the Salisbury Government in their rule of Ireland, and it is matter for regret that they are pbt without countenance given by statesmen and other leading men from whom better things might have been expected. Home Rule may riot be a desirable thing for the U'.ster Protes tants; but civil war would be less desirable to the whole of that country of which Ulster is but a portion. Be side?, civil war was tried before by the other side, and was not successful. Surely, the Imperial Parliament for whose supremacy the Unionists have so stoutly and loyally contended, is not supposed, by those who make these silly threats, likely to be frightened by this sort of tall talk. Better by far to keep to the war of argument, and leave bullets for the breasts of foreign foes.