The New York herald., 1920-12-07
HOUR ARRIVES FOR
PEACE In IRELAND
Continued from First Page.


guarantee in good raitn the desire for a
settlement in Ireland, backed by the
bulk of Irish moderate opinion, which
is sick after four years of shooting.
burning and wrecking business. viii
force the Dali Eireann, or whoever
speaks for Ireland, to be reasonable
In the House of Lords to-day, during
the debate on an amendment to the
Home Rule bill. depriving the Irish
Parliament of power to levy surtax
in addition to the income tax or super
tax. Lord Balfour of Burleigh said he
believed there was more possibility of
settlement now than there had been
in the past.
There is no reason to qualify the
statement made more than a month ago
in these dispatches that there is a letter
in Dublin from Eamonn de Valera,
president of the Irish Republic" stat
ing that he would accept a settlement
short OF absolute Independence il the
Irish people indicated they would agree
to it.
1t can be stated that this is a fair
outline Of the position of the head Of
the British Government tonight. 1T is
probable that the Premier will reply to-
morrow to a telegram from the Rev,
Michael O'Flanagan, acting head of he
Sim Fein, and when the rcply is pub
lshed there may be some changes from
the above; but substantial changes are
unlikely, and il they occur 1t will mean
that the. irreconcilable wing of Cabinet
opinion has succeeded in persuadins
Premier Lloyd George that Ireland has
not yet been taught her proper lesson in
submission.
How far the peace negotiations actual
~ have proceeded was Indicated in the
House of Commons this afternoon when
Premier Lloyd George safd he had re-
ceived a telegram from Father OFlana-
gan only an hour before and that he
would reply to it, although he had not
yet formulated his answer, because he
did not know whether Father OFlana-
gan was able to speak for the Sim Fein
party.
The difficulties in the way of settle
ment from the Irish as we'll as from the
English extremists also was wen Illus
trated when the Premier's attention was
called to reported resolution by the
Dublin Sim Fein conference character
izing as a traitor any one negotiating
without proper Sim, Fein authority and
warning them of the consequences,
Premier Lloyd George said the report
of the resolution might or might not be
true.
Father O'F1anagan's past history i
we'll known. He was one of the priests
subjected to ecclesiastical discipline II
1918 for too violently espousing the Sinr
Fein. Deprived Of his parish at tha
time, he became closely identified win
the official Sim Fein and is one of tn,
clerical figures in the well known grouI
photograph of the Irish cabinet" III,
was supposed to have filled the post o.
official chaplain to the Dali Eireann
What London does not know is whether
he actually has succeeded Mr.. Griffith
who is in Mountjoy prison in dublin, II
the functions Of acting president of th,
"Irish Republic during De Valara's
exile
Much of this is expected to be cleared
up when Mr.. Henderson sees Premiel
Lloyd George tonight or tomorrow.
These are the favorable symptoms OF
the situation, and the above Is the solu
ton of it which is undoubtedly possible
tonight But how it is imperilled by
English as well as by Irish irreconcil
ables is illustrated by the fact that tho
police raided and broke up meeting o.
the Dublin City Council this Afternoon
when the agenda contained two resolu
tlOnS CuiilHS OIL All eoou iiiSuiHeH ~
truce of God.
There is an Irish faction which is con
tinuing to regard all Englishmen as theii
natural enemies, just as there is an Eng
lish faction, as voiced by the Morning
Post to-day, which regards all IRELAND
as implicated in a murder conspiracy
and which Is becoming Mortified at any
talk OF compromise with criminals an,
refusing to recognize any criminality II