Mr. Bonar Law's speech at Carnarvon on Thursday night, which
was considerably interrupted, may be paraphrased as follows : Either the Goiernment have a moral right to do what they purpose, or they have not. If they have that right, then the people in Ulster who are openly arming themselves to resist, and anyone who, like myself, has promised to help them in their resistance, are traitors and should be put down without mercy. If, on the other hand, the Government have not moral right on their side, then the condemnation must fall, not upon those who resist, but upon the Government. themselves. This is the question—the sole question. The Government have, under the letter of the Parliament Act, power to take a course which, in my belief, will lead straight to civil war. I am determined to have no share of responsibility for anything of the kind. All I can do now is to repeat that if the Government have any proposal to make which holds out even the prospect of avoiding the evils which we dread, we shall consider it, and consider it without any regard to party advantage or disadvantage, but with a sole regard to the welfare of the nation.
