Letter from Ronald McNeill to Edward Carson, 22 June 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Ronald John McNeill

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Letter from Ronald John McNeill, 1st Baron Cushendun (1861-1934) 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. McNeill was a British Conservative politician.

 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland Carson Papers, D1507/A/17/25 https://letters1916.ie/item/4331 English Ronald John McNeill 1916-06-22 10 Cadogan Place, London, S.W., England Edward Carson Male 1934 Politics Politics World War I (1914-1918)

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 June 22. 1916. D1507/A/17/25 97 18, CADOGAN PLACE,S.W. My dear Chief I attended the meeting of Unionistmembers today & send you thefollowing notes of it. Banbury in chair. About 70 present. Banbury explained reason of meeting.No one trusted Carson more than he,but, Ulster standpoint - not necessarilyidentical with English. Proposedthat a deputation be sent to B.L.to tell him the strong feeling of theparty against Home Rule duringthe War. Called on W.Guinness.Guinness spoke for 1/2 hour, entirelyon details showing growing powerof Sinn Fein & their danger. Proposed deputation,I followed for 20 minutes. Agreedwith Guinness's facts, but whatbearing had they on existing situation.The fundamental fact — to which Gnever alluded — was Act on StatuteBook. What was Asquith's promiseof Amending Bill worth? andcouldany amending Bill givemore than the proposed settlement?Did G. imagine any fact he hadgiven was not familiar to Ulster& to Carson? I read the UlsterResolutions. Did anyone presentthink we could ever repeal theAct? If not; what alternativeto settlement? The Govt, includingour own men, had called on us tosettle as a matter of war urgency. Could we take the responsibility ofrefusing? If we appointed a deputation,it must become known, and theNationalists would jump at a wayout of their difficulties, by placing theodium on English Unionists. Finlay, was strongly against theproposed settlement on two grounds. (1) Whatever might be the alternativeafter the war, we should not givethe Nationlists control of Irelandduring theWar. (2) The necessary Bill for givingeffect to settlement would divertattention & time of Parliament& the Country from theWar.He thought a party meeting shouldbe called. Ashleyread a letter from Bridgmansaying on B.L's authority thatthe leaders would not commit the party without first consultingthem. :Hickmanagreed with every wordof Sir R.Finlay! Astorwas not prepared to joinin any step that even indirectlymight embarrass Carson, whomhe trusted not merely as the UlsterLeader, but as a Unionist leaderfrom Imperial point of View. Mackinder agreed with Astor andMcNeill. He opposed a deputationor any resolution Joynson Hicks tried to rush themeeting. It was the evident &general sense of the meetingthat we should let B.L. knowour views, he proposed certainnames as deputation. I objected. There was no general D1507/A/M/25 94 2 18, CADOGAN PLACE,S.W. Sense of the meeting. A deputationwould not represent myviews,and before we could appointone we must have a vote onthe general question. I wouldclaim a vote even if I was alone,which was not the case. Meux. Supported the proposedSettlement on militarygrounds. Finlay was wrong.If Settlement were now turneddown by us, you would requireAn army to hold down Ireland.If the Settlement were carried,Ireland would not be a dangerfor some months anyhow: the Nationalists would quarrelamong themselves, & we shouldget on with theWar. Magnus, was against takinga vote The meeting was clearlydivided, & there was thereforeno general sense to reportto Bonar Law. Finlay agreed that a votewould be a mistake. We couldall lay our own views beforeB.L. & we had his letter (readby Ashley) & that was good enough. Meeting adjourned sine diewithout passing anything. I don't think any harm was done, but I suppose aparty meeting will be heldunless the Nationalists mean-time reject the proposals.If there is a party meetingthere will be a strong elementagainst the Settlement. Ishould think that 50 outof the 70 present werethat way. Yours everRonald McNeill. P.S I went tosee B.L. afterthe meeting, but found Finlaythere & Austen Chamberlain, 96So I came away. RMcN. 10 Cadogan Place, London, S.W., England Letter from Ronald McNeill to Edward Carson, 22 June 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 Ronald John McNeill Letter from Ronald McNeill to Edward Carson, 22 June 1916