Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-08-12
Something Brewing in Ireland ?
(Boston TranscriptD

NDoottl Ia llSCIlpt.J
1t will be vain for either party in
Ireland, or for the British Govern
ment, TO divest the conference be-
tween Lloyd George and a deputation
of leading Irishmen, Southern Union
lists and Nationalist, of a certain
formal character. as affecting the
whole situation in Ireland. Mr..
Lloyd George is not in the habit of
devoting hours of conference. in the
most serious manner, to entirely I'M
official and unimportant persons. For
weeks now the British Government
has been seeking to confer with
somebody who has a mandate from
Sim Fem for some sort of agree
ment 1t does not appear that Sir
Stanley Harrington and Professor
Trench. who were with the premier
yesterday, have any such mandate.
but their very newness to the stu
alton is in itself an indication that
they represent somebody.
The Government has been asking
through Lord French, Precisely
what is 1t that Sim Fein wants?
-
ment, being unable to believe that De
Valera and his party really expect
TO get independence, will think that
Sim Fein will, at a show down -
De willing to take a dominion form
OF rule with a cessation of repression
and virtual self-government for the
island Having taken the attitude
OF being the defacto government of
an Independent Irish republic. the
Sinn Fein organization cannot very
Well go into direct conference with
the Government on the basis of anv.
thing less. For its own purpose Il
VIII outwardly maintain the intran-
slgeant attitude. But De Valera
mas already proclaimed his willing
ness 10 accept an arrangement
founded on the first clause of the
Plat amendment to our treaty with
CUBA. Even Sir Edward Carson has
lately appeared somewhat less I'M
compromising than his wont. The
tlme may really be ripe for an I'M
outstanding. 1t ought to be.
For some time it has been appar-
>--S NAAeNS thS SodlHcIH CIlOnlSL mold
the key to the situation. They are
lrishmen without the Scotch hyphen.
Mainly Professionals, they can hard
.ly forget that many Protestants are
already in the Sim Fein movement
ana that. barring violence, and also
barring German sympathy and other
forms of frank disloyalty to the EN-.
pire, there is no real reason wav
ireland should not have legislative
and administrative liberty. The
southern Unionists are in much the
same position as the Spaniards ma
tive to Cuba. who were bound to cal,
themselves Spaniards so long as the
revolution meant the rayare NJ
Jungle warfare. but who Instantly
tent their saving support to tho
CUBAN republic the moment it became
an accomplished facx.
Mr.. Lloyd George is known to "a.
vor the dominion idea. as against
the thick-and-thin British-domin-
ance notions of the uncomprom;s;ns
Unionists in the Coalition Govern.
ment. AS he has a lifelong habit of
occasionally getting the bit in his
teeth and going as he plea SOC -
seems quite possible that he may be
coming out with a new Irish solu-
tion OF his own. In the meantime
MI De Valera has arrived at Wash.
ington on pious visit to the grave
OF the Father of our Country A,
the capital. he will be handy for a,v
negotiations that may readiIv ha
conducted from that point of van
tage. The developments of the next
rev days will be watched with keen
interest