E-text prepared by Jonathan Ingram, Susan Skinner,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
ULSTER'S STAND FOR UNION
BY RONALD McNEILL
WITH FRONTISPIECE
London
John Murray, Albemarle Street, W.
1922
THE RIGHT HON. SIR EDWARD CARSON, P.C.
(now Lord Carson of Duncairn).
DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THE UNIONIST PARTY
PREFACE
The term "Ulster," except when the context proves the contrary, is usedin this book not in the geographical, but the political meaning of theword, which is quite as well understood.
The aim of the book is to present an account of what I have occasionallyin its pages referred to as "the Ulster Movement." The phrase is perhapssomewhat paradoxical when applied to a political ideal which was themaintenance of the status quo; but, on the other hand, the steps takenduring a period of years to organise an effective opposition tointerference with the established constitution in Ireland did involve amovement, and it is with these measures, rather than with the policybehind them, that the book is concerned.
Indeed, except for a brief introductory outline of the historicalbackground of the Ulster standpoint, I have taken for granted, or onlyreferred incidentally to the reasons for the unconquerable hostility ofthe Ulster Protestants to the idea of allowing the government ofIreland, and especially of themselves, to pass into the control of aParliament in Dublin. Those reasons were many and substantial, basedupon considerations both of a practical and a sentimental nature; but Ihave not attempted an exposition of them, having limited myself to anarrative of the events to which they gave rise.
Having been myself, during the most important part of the periodreviewed, a member of the Standing Committee of the Ulster UnionistCouncil, and closely associated with the leaders of the movement, I havehad personal knowledge of practically everything I have had to record. Ihave not, however, trusted to unaided memory for any statement of fact.It is not, of course, a matter where anything that could be calledresearch was required; but, in addition to the Parliamentary Reports,the Annual Register, and similar easily accessible books of reference,there was a considerable mass of private papers bearing on the subject,for the use of some of which I am indebted to friends.
I was permitted to consult the Minute-books of the Ulster UnionistCouncil and its Standing Committee, and also verbatim reports made forthe Council of unpublished speeches delivered at private meetings ofthose bodies. A large collection of miscellaneous documents accumulatedby the late Lord Londonderry was kindly lent to me by the presentMarquis; and I also have to thank Lord Carson of Duncairn for the use ofletters and other papers in his possession. Colonel F.H. Crawford,C.B.E., was good enough to place at my disposal a very detailed accountwritten by himself of the voyage of the Fanny, and the log kept byCaptain Agnew. My friend Mr. Thomas Moles, M.P., took full shorthandnotes of the proceedings of the Irish Convention and the principalspeeches made in it, and he kindly allowed me to use his transcript. An