Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-01-31

was the next scheduled for ~presenta-
ton. 1t was said President Wilson
would not submit his scheme until all
others had been heard, not only out of
Difference to the European nations but
In the belief that when the others have
been discussed, his plan may serve to
reconcile the differences that will have
developed. That these differences will
not be great is the belief Of Lord Cecil,
who says he found in conversations
with the delegates that there was In
very large measure an agreement on
the principles he outlined.
The opening of the Sim Fein par
lament in Dublin, with it's formal proc
lamation of the independence Of Ire
land, was perilously nea to being a
comedy, but may well develop into
tragedy later. Only 25 members we're
present the others being in Jail. They
elected Charles Burgess speaker and
appointed Count Plunkett, Arthur Crit
fiths and Prof. Edward De Valera a
committee TO present to the peace con-
ference at Paris the claims of Ireland
to self-determination. The last two
named are in English prisons. The
proceedings of the parliament" were
conducted SO far az possible in the
Irish Celtic language, with lapses into
English when the former failed.
The government took absolutely no
notice of the meeting of the Dali
Eireann," as the Irish call their as
sembly. although it was in the Man
sion house, under the very shadow of
Dublin castle. Loyal citizens hung out
an unusual number of union jacks and
some returned soldiers growled a bit,
but there was 40 disorder. The Brit
ish government apparently intends to
ignore the Sim Fein republic until it
undertakes to enforce laws that are in
conflict with those established by the
British; then the trouble is likely to
begin. In the opinion of the loyal
Irish press, the purpose of the par
lament" is to attract the attention of
the world, especially the peace confer
ence, to the case of the Sim Feiners,
and the latter expected and hoped the
assembly would be suppressed by the
police. In this the British fooled
them, not desiring to create any more
Irish martyrs than necessity compels.
If Count Plunkett takes the Sim Fein
declaration to the peace conference it
is likely to be quietly pigeon-holed.
ID
One result of the Irish matter was
the killing of two policemen who were
guarding a quantity Of explosives in
Tipperary and the theft of the explos-
ives. Tfpperary was at once placed
under the crimes act, which means its
inhabitants are under much the same
restraint as the people in the occupied
parts of Germany. The murder may
be the beginning Of a new period of
terrorism and assassinations.
While new republics are springing
up overnight in Europe, the reaction
aries of Portugal have broken out and
proclaimed the restoration of the mon
archy. The movement is especially
strong in the northern part of the
country. The revolutionists have Of
fered the throne to the former king,
Manuel, and though he is absolved of
ficially of any connection with the up
rising, 1t is reported he is on a vessel
off Oporto awaiting developments.
His lord in waiting at London said
Manuel would return to his country If
1t wished him to do so. There is a re-
port that, in case Manuel does not ac-
cept the invitation Of the royalists,
they will offer the throne to Dom Mig
uel of Braganza, who married Anita
Stewart of New Jersey.
1t may be the yellow Peril" alarm
lists in America will be somewhat ST.
fenced by the statement of Vfscount
Uchida, minister for foreign affairs, at
the opening of the japanese parlia-
ment. He declared that Japan had
mo aspiration but to seek the consum-
nation of a free and unfettered devel-
Spment of her national life along the
highway of justice and peace" and
that she was determined to pursue a
fair and clean policy in all information
al relations" He especially emphasized
his country's friendship for China and
Russia and denied that it would be
Japan's policy to take advantage of
the domestic troubles of Russia to pro-
mote selfish aims of territorial or Geo.
nomic aggression. The Japanese for
eign Office also issued denials of mis-
chievous reports of Japanese activi-
ties in China, particularly in regard to
the granting of loans.