been on the side
of the Union.

A rallying cry was given to the Ulster Loyalists in the famous phrase
contained in a letter from Lord Randolph Churchill to a correspondent in
May 1886: "Ulster will fight, and Ulster will be right." From this time
forward the idea that resort to physical resistance would be preferable
to submission to a Parliament in Dublin controlled by the "rebel party"
took hold of the popular mind in Ulster, although after the elections of
1886 there was no serious apprehension that the necessity would arise,
until the return to power of Mr. Gladstone at the head of a small
majority in 1892 brought about a fresh crisis.

The work of organisation was then undertaken with greater energy and
thoroughness than before. It was now that Lord Templetown founded the
Unionist Clubs, which spread in an affiliated network through Ulster,
and proved so valuable that, after falling into neglect during the ten
years of Conservative Government, they were revived at the special
request of the Ulster Unionist Council in December 1910. Nothing,
however, did so much to stimulate organisation and concentration of
effort as the great Convention held in Belfast on the 19th of June 1892,
representing on a democratic basis all the constituencies in Ulster.
Numerous preliminary meetings were arranged for the purpose of electing
the delegates; and of these the Special Correspondent of _The Times_
wrote:

"Nothing has struck me more in the present movement than the
perfect order and regularity with which the preliminary meetings
for the election of delegates has been conducted. From city and
town and village come reports of crowded and enthusiastic
gatherings, all animated by an equal ardour, all marked by the same
spirit of quiet determination. There has been no 'tall talk,' no
over-statement; the speeches have been dignified, sensible, and
practical. One of the most marked features in the meetings has been
the appearance of men who have never before taken part in public
life, who have never till now stood on a public platform. Now for
the first time they have broken with the tranquil traditions of a
lifetime, and have come forward to take their share and their
responsibility in the grave danger which threatens their
country."[10]

There being no building large enough to hold the delegates, numbering
nearly twelve thousand, every one of whom was a regi