Yr Adsain

UNIONIST DEMONSTRATION. I The above was held on Wednesday last in the Eisteddfod Pavilion, Corwen, under the auspices of the North Wales Division of the National Unionist Association of Conserva- tive and Liberal Unionist Associations. The meeting was presided over by the Right Hon. Lord Harlech. Mr A. Steel Maitland, M.P. for East Birmingham, had been announced to address the meeting, but owing to his having contracted a chill and being confined to his bed in Scotland he was unable to attend, his place being taken by Mr I. W. Raymond, the Unionist Candidate for Carlisle. Amongst those present and supporting the Chairman were Mr Sam Thompson (Unionist Candidate for Merionethshire), Mr W H Williams (the Unionist Candidate for West Denbighshire), Mr and Mrs Lloyd, Rhagatt; Hon Mrs Wynn, Lord Kenyon, Mr Price (Rhiwlas), Mr Romer Wynn, Mr J Lloyd, Capt M Cole, Mr and Mrs McAlpine, Mr T. Vaughan, Miss Bassett, Miss Pagett, Mr Springman, Rev R Jones, Hon., Mrs Eden, Major General Montgomery, Mr J C Henry, Dr Walher, Rev G. Williams, Major Trevor, Mr T W Piggott, Rev R Jones, Rev H Evans, Mr Tottenham, Rev B Jones, Mr Thomas Jones, Rev J Oliver, Rev A Abel, Mr A Price, Mrs Owen, Mrs Yale, Mr W Hall, Rev A E Jones, Rev E 0 Williams, Mr L W Thomas, Miss Wynn, Mr Cross, Mr T Davies, Mr J D Evans, Mr Hawthorne, Mr Chapman, etc., etc. The arrangements for the meeting had been made under the personal supervision of Mr Lloyd Griffiths, Bangor, and Mr Romer Wynn. In opening the proceedings Lord Harlech expressed regret that Mr. Steel Maitland was absent owing to illness, and then said that within three weeks Parliament would enter upon a session which would prove the most important session within the memory of any man sitting in that room for on decisions come to would depend the lives of hundreds of Protestants in the North of Ireland. He might say that Civil War was hanging in the balance. There were one hundred thousand able-bodied men, thoroughly disciplined and fully armed, determined that they would not submit to be ruled by a Nationalist Parliament in Dublin. (Applause). They knew their lives and liberties would be at stake if they did so and they had entered into a solemn covenant to resist to the very last. (Cheers). He firmly believed that before this bill would become law they would have a general election. (Cheers). The question should be thoroughly threshed out and decided by the electorate of the country and when the election did come they, as voters, would have a serious and solemn responsibility upon their shoulders —they would have to put to themselves the question are we going to allow loyal citizens in Ireland to be trodden under foot by a party who have always shown that they are thor- oughly disloyal to this country. (Applause). When-the day of poll comes they would have j excellent candidates in the persons of Mr Sam Thompson (Merionethshire) and Mr Williams (West Denbighshire) to resist Home Rulfe, and he hoped those present would do their utmost to persuade their friends to vote for them. Mr Raymond, who was received with loud cheers, said that at the present moment the peril of Ireland transcended everything else and he was absolutely persuaded Ireland was on the verge of a bloody revolution and that blood would have been shed long before this, but for the restraining hand of Sir Edward Carson. (Cheers). How much longer could that solitary figure restrain the pent up feel- ings of his fellow-countrymen ? He thought that Ulster had looked so long in vain for the leaders of the present Government to do something that they had realized they were betrayed and absolutely helpless but for their own efforts (cheers). If the Home Rule Bill was passed, no Sir Edward Carson could be able to restrain many of the turbulent spirits in Ulster from committing acts the ultimate results of which was difficult to predict. He did not think the Home Rule Bill would be passed. He rather thought that Mr Asquith, during the coming session, would permit his Government to be defeated, it might be on a snap division, and so appeal to the country. It would then be for them to do their duty. Mr Sam Thompson said a letter had been handed to him from the body of the meeting, asking him certain questions, which he pro- ceeded to answer. He was asked, if elected, he was prepared to assist in repealing the National Insurance and the Old Age Pensions Acts, the Land Clauses of 1909-10 and the Parliament Act, and to restore the safe guidance of the country to the wise judgment of hereditary:peers. In regard to the National Insurancs Act he reminded them that, not long ago, the Chancellor of the Exchequer ad- mitted that if, at the time the National Insurance Act was been discussed in the House of Commons, the opinion of the country could have been taken upon it a majority would have voted against it (applause). That was what the Chancellor thought of the Bill. For his own part his views were that the Act was bristling with faults and there was room for abundance of reform in it, and one of his first duties, if returned at the next General Election, would be to advocate by means of a thoroughly experienced and representative Committee an enquiry into the working of the Act with a view to reconstructing it, if pos- sible, upon a voluntary basis (applause). He twitted Liberals with having gone back upon the great voluntary principle by supporting a measure of compulsion (hear, hear). As to Old Age Pensions he was in favour of them (applause) and he reminded them of the words of Mr Lloyd George (cheers) who stated that the Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain (cheers) was the first statesman to bring proposals for Old Age Pensions (hear, hear). He was not in favour of the Land Clauses Budget of 1909-10 (cheers) and althpipLgh opposed to the Parliament Act had ajways favoured the reform of the House of Lords (applause). He concluded by making a stirring appeal to the meeting (in Welsh) to "stand by.Ulster and resolutely decline to forsake the loyalists of Ireland. (Cheers). Mr W H Williams (Unionist Candidate for West Denbighshire) followed with a vigorous Welsh speech dealing with the Government's Disestablishment and Disendowment Bill, who in the course of his address, said:—" Y mae miloedd o Anghydffurfwyr yng Nghymru heddyw yn erbyn y Mesur anonest hwn, a wthir drwyodd heb eu cydsyniad o gwbl, ac a ddeil allan fel math o abwyd i enill etholiad. Os pasir ef, meddai, cofier mai Cymru a'i thrigolion fydd y colledwyr. Rhoddodd her i unrhyw Anghydflurfiwr oedd yn bresenol enwi beth wnai Anghydffurfiaeth enill trwy y Mesur hwn, ond ni chafodd ateb. Yna, aeth ymlaen, gan ddweyd Nad yw'r Eglwys bob amser wedi bod yn gwneud ei dyledswydd, ond yn y blynyddau diweddaf hyn yr oedd yr Eglwys mor fyw i'w dyledswyddau ag unryw enwad yng Nghymru. Gwreiddyn y mesur hwn yw cynghen a chenfigen. Yr oedd rhai yn dal allan y ceid cydraddoldeb crefyddol trwy Ddadgyssylltu a Dadwaddoli yr Eglwys —gwag-siarad yw dweud peth fel yna, ac nid yw y cwynion a godir ond pethau dychmygol, a gobeithiai y gellid dweud cyn pen hir fod pob Rhyddfrydwr call wedi dyfod i'r un farri a'r Undebwyr ar y pwnc hwn." A hearty vote of thanks was psssed to Lord Harlech for presiding, and to Mr Raymond for his eloquent address, on the proposition of Mr Sam Thompson, and seconded by Mr W. H. Williams.