herwise. He springs from the
small farmer class, which has sworn to extirpate landlordism, which,
to their minds, is synonymous with British rule. The English
Parliament, hoping to win over the farmers, who are the strength of
Ireland, has made one concession after another, with what result?
Absolutely none. The property of the landlord has been sacrificed bit
by bit, in fruitless endeavour to please these people, who are more
discontented than ever. And so they will continue to be as long as
discontent pays. In Ireland the landlord is nothing, the tenant is
everything. The policy of England with regard to Irish landlords
reminds me of the man who, having to dock a dog's tail, cut off
half-an-inch every day to gradually accustom him to the loss, and to
minimise the 'suffering of the baste.'"

You can go nowhere in Ireland without meeting an Ulsterman. There was
one at Mulranney. You may know them by their accent, by their size, by
a general effect of weight, decision, and determination. They are
mostly big men, large-boned and large-limbed, of ruthless energy, of
inexhaustible vitality. They are demons in argument, tenacious and
crushing. They bowl straight over-hand and dead on the middle stump.
The lithe and sinuous Celt is no match for them. No matter how he
twists and turns they grab him up, and, will he, nill he, fix him in
front of the argument. They are adepts in cornering an opponent by
keeping him to the point. You cannot catch them napping, and you
cannot turn their flank. They are contented enough, except that they
sigh for more worlds to conquer. They delight in difficulties, and
demolish Home Rulers with a kind of contempt as if the work were only
fit for children. They seem to be fighting with one hand, with great
reserve of power, and, after doubling up an opponent, they chuck him
over the ropes, and look around, as if, like Oliver, asking for
"more." My Mulranney friend said:--

"Bull confessedly does not know what to do, and he calls in two sets
of Irish experts (we'll say) and asks for their opinions. One set of
Irishmen never quarrel with anybody and always pay their debts. The
other set quarrel with everybody and don't pay what they owe. One set
are successful in everything, the other set are successful in nothing.
One set have always been friendly and helpful to Bull, the other set
have always been unfriendly and obstructive to him. He proposes to
reject the advice of the successful, amicable, hel