Letter from Horace Plunkett to Edward Carson, 4 May 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Horace Plunkett

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Letter from Horace Plunkett (1854-1932) to Edward Carson (1854-1935). Carson was a prominent Unionist Politician. Originally a practicing solicitor from Dublin, Carson's opposition to the proposed third Home Rule bill made him the figure head of Unionism throughout the island. He was the centerpiece of the speaking tour that culminated in Ulster Day (28 September 1912), when just under half a million signed Ulster's solemn league and covenant pledging to use ‘all means which may be found necessary to defeat the present conspiracy to set up a home rule parliament in Dublin’. Carson inaugurated the Larne gunrunning in 1914 which armed the UVF, many of whom Carson would encourage to join the British Army throughout the First World War. Sir Horace Curzon Plunkett, Unionist MP, was an Anglo-Irish agricultural reformer, pioneer of agricultural cooperatives, supporter of Home Rule, and author.

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland Carson Papers, D1507/A/16/4 https://letters1916.ie/item/4303 English Horace Plunkett 1916-05-04 The Plunkett House, Dublin, Co. Dublin, Ireland Edward Carson Male 1932 Easter Rising Ireland 1916 Easter Rising Ireland 1916 Politics Country and City Life

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 Plunkett 1916 15 THE PLUNKETT HOUSE,DUBLIN.Telegraphic Address:Organise, Dublin.3Telephone No. 1090. D1507/A/16/4PAGE 1 OF 3 4th May, 1916. My dear Carson, You have no doubt good reason to distrust my judgementin political matters, but I do not think you have ever ques—tioned my motives. At any rate you have always been glad tolisten to what I had to say, and, as I have a strong convictionas to the great service which you might render to this coun—try at the present moment, I am sure you will wish me to sayall that is in my mind. I have been in Dublin every day, since the rebellionbroke out, on public duty of various kinds. Consequently, I havea good deal of first—hand knowledge as to what is moving in theminds of well—informed people who are as deeply concerned asI am to find means by which the evil consequences of this de—plorable affair may be minimised. Many exceptional mea—sures will, of course, have to be resorted to. But there is onewhich will immensely facilitate all the other efforts to bringabout co—operation between different sections of Irishmenwhich the country had never needed so much as now. Under martial law, the arms of the Irish Volunteers,the Sinn Feiners and the Citizen Army are called in. As alawyer and as an Irish statesman you will realise that impossi— D1507/A/16/4 16 —:2:— PAGE 2 OF 3 bility of carrying out such an order effectively. There willbe b a great transfer of weapons not, I am afraid, to theGovernment. In any case, the mere fact of leaving arms inthe hands of other irregular organisations who, howeverloyal to what we believe to be the cause of Ireland, areunder no governmental control, might well do nearly as muchharm as the search for weapons will do good. If a Proclamationwere issued, calling upon us all, North and South, to hand into the Authorities any lethal weapons we possess, except ofcourse such as we are using in the service of the Government,and if this were done at once, I believe an overwhelmingmajority of the people would give their cordial approval. Ofcourse, immediately thereafter, regulations would be publishedfor giving permission to use guns for the destruction ofvermin and for other necessary purposes. Such a measure would only be possible if you andRedmond agreed to support it; and I think it would be better,from every point of view, that the proposal should come fromyou in the first instance, because it is obvious that yourfollowers in Ulster might say that they ought not to suffer onaccount of happenings in which their Province had had no part.But, my instinct tells me that if you came forward in the man—ner proposed, three results would follow:— the immediate situa—tion in all the disturbed parts of Ireland would be immenselyrelieved; the mutual understanding of North and South, when D1507/17/16/4 17 PAGE 3 OF 3 —:3:— Ireland has to face the re—construction problems after war, would be at least hopeful, and your own influence, asLeader of the Irish Unionists, would be strengthened both inIreland and in Great Britain. Yours sincerely,Horace Plunkett The Right Honble.Sir Edward Carson, K. C. M. P. Horace Plunkett Letter from Horace Plunkett to Edward Carson, 4 May 1916Letter to Horace Plunkett, 5 June 1916Letter from Horace Plunkett to Edward Carson, 5 July 1916 Edward Carson Letter from David Lloyd George to Edward Carson, 29 May 1916Letter from Sir Dawson Bates to Edward Carson, 2 December 1915Letter from William Robert Young to Edward Carson, 9 July 1916Letter from Alexander McDowell to Edward Carson, 20 July 1916Letter from Hugh de Fellenerg Montgomery to Edward Carson, 31 May 1916Letter from Hugh de Fellenberg Montgomery to Edward Carson, 9 June 1916Letter from Hugh de Fellenberg Montgomery to Edward Carson, 9 June 1916Letter from Frederick Hugh Crawford to Edward Carson, 8 March 1916Letter from Edward Carson to Thomas McGregor Greer, 12 July 1916Letter from Sir Edward Carson to Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples, 10 December 1915Letter to Edward Carson, 19 November 1915Letter from William R. Young to Edward Carson, 2 November 1915Letter from J.M. Wilson to Edward Carson, 3 November 1915Letter from Turner Oliver Read to Edward Carson, 12 November 1915Letter from William R. Young to Edward Carson, 12 November 1915Letter from Harold Tennant to Edward Carson, 17 November 1915Letter from Henry Mulholland to Pembroke Wicks, circa November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Edward Carson, 25 November 1915Letter Wilfrid Spender to Edward Carson, 3 December 1915Letter to Edward Carson, 4 December 1915Letter from Robert Thompson to Edward Carson, 18 December 1915Letter from W.T. Bailey to Edward Carson, 22 December 1915Letter from General Nevil Macready to Edward Carson, 1 May 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 2 May 1916Letter from Horace Plunkett to Edward Carson, 4 May 1916Postcard to Edward Carson, 4 May 1916Letter from D.P. Barton to Edward Carson, 5 May 1916Letter from Edward Carson to Herbert Asquith, 9 May 1916Letter from Herbert Asquith to Edward Carson, 10 May 1916Copy of a letter from John Crozier to Edward Carson, 9 May 1916Letter from J.M. Wilson to Edward Carson, 11 May 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 15 May 1916Letter from David Lloyd George to Edward Carson, 3 June 1916Letter from G.L. Moore to Edward Carson, 6 June 1916Letter from sir William Robert Robertson to Edward Carson, 7 June 1916Letter from Nevil Macready to Edward Carson, 8 June 1916Letter from Arthur Warren Samuels to Edward Carson, 14 June 1916Letter from Frederick Stringer Wrench to Edward Carson, 15 June 1916Letter from Somerset Francis Saunderson to Edward Carson, 15 June 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 17 June 1916Letter from Somerset Francis Saunderson to Edward Carson, 17 June 1916Letter from Charles Clements to Edward Carson, 21 June 1916Letter from Ronald McNeill to Edward Carson, 22 June 1916Letter from John Crozier to Edward Carson, 26 June 1916Letter from Charles F. Down to Edward Carson, 28 June 1916Letter from Charles Clements to Edward Carson, 29 June 1916Letter from Archibald Salvidge to Edward Carson, 30 June 1916Letter from Charles Clements to Edward Carson, 1 July 1916Letter from Charles Clements to Edward Carson, 3 July 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 5 July 1916Letter from Horace Plunkett to Edward Carson, 5 July 1916Letter from Charles F Down to Edward Carson, 8 June 1916Letter from Herbert Samuel to Edward Carson, 13 July 1916Letter from William Martin to Edward Carson, 13 July 1916Letter from Travers R. Blackley to Edward Carson, 11 July 1916Letter from Travers R. Blackley to Edward Carson, 13 July 1916Letter from Pembroke Wicks to Edward Carson, 14 July 1916Letter from Somerset Francis Saunderson to Edward Carson, 15 July 1916Letter from Edward Carson to William Martin, 17 July 1916Letter from Herbert Samuel to Edward Carson, 21 July 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 21 July 1916Letter from John Strachey to Edward Carson, 27 July 1916Letter from Alexander McDowell to Edward Carson, 5 October 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 7 October 1916Letter from Sharman D Neill to Edward Carson, 7 October 1916Letter from John Strachey to Edward Carson, 7 October 1916Letter from Rosalind Hamilton to Edward Carson, 10 October 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 14 October 1916Letter from David Lloyd George to Edward Carson, 14 October 1916Letter from J. Beatty to Edward Carson, 16 October 1916Letter from Edward Carson to Richard Dawson Bates, 21 April 1919 The Plunkett House, Dublin, Co. Dublin, Ireland Letter from Horace Plunkett to Edward Carson, 4 May 1916